Clever people will have noticed by now that the history of Paris was largely shaped by the movements of the upper classes. Each time another area became fashionable for aristocrats to live there it also became richer, more artistic, and more well organized. I've told you about the first few centuries of Parisian history, when they were in the 1st arr, then about when they moved to the Marais in the Middle Ages.
By the 17th century the Marais was no longer the thing, and for the first time ever the aristocrats moved across the river to the Left Bank. Before this the Left Bank was mostly for scholars, artists, students, philosophers, and generally poor people. They kept out of the traditionally university and/or arts based 5th and 6th arrs, and instead moved to the westernmost portion of the Left Bank, which is now the 7th arr. At the time it was called a "faubourg," which is an old way of saying suburbs but really indicated that it was outside of Paris proper. These days it's fully within central Paris, but the association with the faubourg and aristocracy became so strong that even today people use the phrase "the faubourg" to mean, "the areas where rich people live."
The 7th arr remains the area of Paris with the highest average income (2nd highest income in France), and I believe it's the most expensive area to live. I've never known someone who has lived there - although my Parisian ex-boyfriend once told me wide-eyed about a party there he was invited to once. It was too posh for him, apparently, and he left quickly!
It's a really pretty and well-organized area of the city, and it's where the American University of Paris is (I took a class there in 2008). Since it has always been a well-funded area, and was not inhabited as much in the medieval period (which would mean the streets would be tiny and windy and narrow) the 7th features wide boulevards and more modern buildings. I say "modern" in comparison with some of the previous arrondissements, of course; this area has a high concentration of "Haussmann buildings" that were built in the late 19th century. These are the buildings you see in most pictures of modern Parisian streets, like this:
They are 6 or 7 story apartment buildings with balconies, almost all made of stone like that and looking alike.
It also has probably one of the highest concentrations of landmarks/tourist spots in the entire city.
Here is the Champs de Mars, an area that has always been a park - and just before the French Revolution a lot of peasants were killed here during a protest. It had a violent reputation for quite a while.
Today that history is almost entirely forgotten, because the Champs de Mars is now mostly known for being the area in front of the Eiffel Tower (the above picture is taken from the Eiffel Tower, looking south across the Champs into the 14th arr)
There is also the Invalides, which is a very grand building that used to be a military hospital. Today it's mostly a military museum, and it's where Napoleon is buried. The church on the grounds is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city if you walk around; you can see it from a lot of places.
Inside the dome:
It also has a lot of notable museums. First on the list is the renowned Musee d'Orsay, home to the best collection of Impressionist art in the world.
The building was originally a train station, which is very evident inside!
That museum, the second most prominent in the city, is just across the river from its main rival, the Louvre.
The 7th is also home to the Musee du Quai Branly, a modern art museum; the Musee Malliol, an underappreciated eclectic museum with painting drawing and sculpture by artists like Picasso, Degas, Cezanne, Gaughin, Poliakoff, Kandinsky, and Duchamp; and of course the Rodin museum.
It is also a highly political area: along with a number of embassies and offices of representatives, next door to the Musee d'Orsay is the National Assembly, the equivalent of Congress.
The Academie Francaise, the formidable body that governs the French language is also in the area.
Finally there are also a couple of top universities, including the central buildings of the "Sciences Po," the possibly the premier political science university in Europe, particularly for research. The Ecole Militaire, or military school, is a short walk away from the Eiffel Tower; this is where all officers in the French army are trained and it's the main national defense center.
As you can see, the 7th arr is a particularly busy and notable area of the city. Virtually any tourists who have ever been to Paris will have found themselves here at some point, whether their interests lie in monuments, like the Eiffel Tower and Invalides, or art, like at the Musee d'Orsay. However, I go here very rarely as it's one of those places that despite its significance, does not have much for residents of the city. Because it's expensive and crawling with tourists I hardly ever feel the need to get over that way, unless one of the museums has a cool exhibit. Aesthetically I like the area a lot; practically it's one to be avoided if you are, like me [maybe], a young, frugal Parisian.
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