About the Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney, Texas Area 

Request our Free Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney Relocation Package. It's packed full of useful and important information about the Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney, Texas area. Don't move here without it! Remember: we'll send it to you for free and without obligation. Just fill out the form and we will send it right out... 

It's our job to know EVERYTHING about Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney! Ask us any question. Or request a FREE information package. There's no obligation, and we promise to get back to you quickly... 

Plano, Texas

Flag Logo
Nickname: An All-American City, P-Town
Location within the state of Texas
Coordinates: 33°03′01″N 96°44′45″W / 33.05028, -96.74583
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Collin, Denton
Government
- Mayor	Pat Evans
Area
- City	71.6 sq mi (185.5 km²)
- Land	71.6 sq mi (185.5 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	666 ft (203 m)
Population (2000)
- City	222,030 (city proper)
- Density	3,101.7/sq mi (1,197.571/km²)
- Metro	5,700,256
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75000-75099
Area code(s)	972, 469, 214
FIPS code	48-58016GR2
GNIS feature ID	1344166GR3
Website: http://www.plano.gov

Plano (IPA: /ˈpleɪnoʊ/) is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located mainly within Collin County, it is a wealthy northern suburb of Dallas. The population was 222,030 at the 2000 census, making it the ninth largest city in Texas. According to a 2005 census estimate, Plano had grown to 250,096 making Plano the sixty-ninth most populous city in the United States. Plano is within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, colloquially referred to as the Metroplex. The city is home to many corporate headquarters, including Perot Systems, Electronic Data Systems, Frito-Lay, Cinemark Theatres, UGS, and JCPenney.

In 2005, Plano was the best place to live in the Western United States by CNN Money magazine. In 2006, Plano was selected as the 11th best place to live in the United States by CNN Money magazine. In addition to its many industries and good-quality living, Plano has excellent schools that consistently score in the top few percent of the nation.

History

In the early 1840s, several settlers came to the area around Plano. Several nearby facilities including a sawmill, gristmill and a store brought more people to the area. Mail service was established and after rejecting several names for the budding town (including naming it in honor of then-President Millard Fillmore), the locals suggested the name Plano, which they mistook for the Spanish word for "flat," a reference to the terrain of the area. The name was accepted by the Post Office and Plano was born.

In 1872, the completion of the Houston and Texas Railroad helped the city to grow, increasing the population to more than 500 by 1874. In 1873, the city officially incorporated.

In 1881, a fire raged through the central business district, destroying most of the buildings: 51 in all. However, the town was rebuilt and business again flourished through the 1880s. In 1895 the PISD (Plano Independent School District) was formed.

Unlike many of the other Dallas suburbs, which were closer to Dallas itself, the population of Plano initially grew slowly, reaching 1,304 in 1900 and increasing to 3,695 in 1960. By 1970, however, Plano began to feel some of the boom its neighbors experienced following World War II. A series of public works projects and a change in taxes that removed the farming community from the town helped to increase the overall population of Plano. In 1970, the population reached 17,872 and by 1980, the population had exploded to 72,000 people. Almost unbelievably the sewers, schools and street development kept easy pace with this massive increase largely due to Plano's flat topography, grid layout and excellent planning.

During the 1980s, many large corporations moved their headquarters to Plano, including JC Penney and Frito-Lay, which helped to further grow the city as more people desired to move closer to where they worked. By 1990, the population had reached 128,713 and now dwarfed the county seat of McKinney. In 1994, the city was recognized as an All-America City.

By 2000, the population nearly doubled again to 222,030, making it one of the largest suburbs in the Dallas area. However, the area's suburban sprawl has pushed beyond Plano and the city's population is stabilizing. Plano is completely locked in by other municipalities and cannot expand in area, and there is little undeveloped land remaining within the city limits. By 2005, its population was estimated to be 250,096.

In 2004, the high end The Shops at Willow Bend opened with such stores as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor. Recently The Shops at Legacy opened, It has numerous shops and resturaunts and is known as a sophisticated hotspot.

Outdoor Amenities

Plano's parks feature many playgrounds, several bicycling trails, and a nature preserve. The bike trails take advantage of several contiguous parks to extend their range. One runs northwest-southeast, beginning at Legacy Drive east of Independence in Chisolm Trail Park and running to Alma Drive south of Parker at the terminus of the park. The trail diverges near Spring Creek Pkwy & Custer Rd leading to another outlet on Alma, this time north of Spring Creek terminating at High Point Park. Another trail originates in Carpenter Park which is north of Spring Creek on Coit Rd running both east-west and north-south. The north-south path terminates south of Park Boulevard just west of Coit Road, while the east-west path terminates at Bronze Leaf Dr in Lone Star Park.

Bob Woodruff Park, which has its north-west corner at Spring Creek Pkwy & Parker Rd and extends south of Park & east to Los Rios Blvd, features one of the largest playgrounds in Plano. Oak Point Park is Plano's largest park, in area.

The Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is located west of the Dallas North Tollway on Parker Rd. It features a shared pedestrian and bicycling trail which highlights the assets of the preserve, and the woods within the preserve are traversed by several unpaved trails.

Transportation

Plano is one of many cities in the Dallas area that opts into the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) public transportation system. During most of its membership in DART, Plano was lightly served by bus lines, but in recent years, the Red Line of the DART light rail project has opened stations in Downtown Plano and at Parker Road which provide access to commuters traveling to work elsewhere in the Dallas area.

Plano was the first of many cities in Collin County to adopt a master plan for their road system. The use of wide, multi-lane, divided highways for all major roads allows for higher speed limits on those thoroughfares, generally 40 or 45 mph but sometimes up to 55 mph (89 km/h) on the northern section of Preston Road, and due to this, concerns for pedestrian safety have arisen.

Plano is served directly by several major roadways and freeways. Central Plano is bordered to the East by U.S. Highway 75, the West by Dallas North Tollway, the South by President George Bush Turnpike, and the North by SH 121 (which is currently under construction to be made into a toll road). Preston Road or Texas State Highway 289 is also a major thoroughfare that runs through the city.

Education

Plano Independent School District serves most of Plano. Due to a massive increase in student enrollment over the past few decades, Plano consists of a unique "high school" system, in which grades 9-10 attend a high school and grades 11-12 attend a senior high.

There are three senior high schools (grades 11-12) in PISD; Plano East, Plano Senior, and Plano West.

Small portions of Plano are served by the Lewisville Independent School District, Frisco Independent School District, and Allen Independent School District.

Plano is the home to two campuses of the Collin County Community College District, one at the Courtyard Center on Preston Park Boulevard and the larger Spring Creek Campus on Spring Creek Parkway at Jupiter.

In 2006, Plano Independent School District announced that 115 seniors were selected as National Merit Semifinalists, the largest in the district's history.

SMU in Legacy, of Southern Methodist University, is a graduate university serving the needs of 3,000 working professionals. Its academic programs include business, engineering and computer training, education and continuing education. It also features The Guildhall  that offers a Masters program in video game development.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 222,030 people, 80,875 households, and 60,575 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,102.4 people per square mile (1,197.8/km²). There were 86,078 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8/sq mi (464.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.26% White, 5.02% African American, 0.36% Native American, 10.18% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.86% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.07% of the population.

There were 80,875 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $77,038, and the median income for a family was $96,867. Males had a median income of $64,668 versus $39,617 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,514. About 3.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Average rents in Plano in 2005 were $662 for a one bedroom apartment, and $878 for a two bedroom apartment.

Plano was the highest income place with a population of 130,000 or more in 2000.

Plano was ranked the most affluent city in the United States with the lowest poverty rate of 6.3% for a city with a population exceeding 250,000. Its neighbor, Frisco, was ranked the richest city for the population of under 250,000 in the United States with a 2.7% poverty rate. Plano also has the highest median income in the nation at $71,000.

Plano is also located in Collin County, the wealthiest county in Texas and part of the most wealthy 1% of counties in the United States. The four wealthy zip codes of Plano that contribute to the county's affluence are (in descending order of median household income/year): 75093, 75024, 75025, and 75094.

See also

• List of Plano Mayors
• Plano City Council
• Pat Evans (mayor)
• Jeran Akers
• Jack Harvard
• Florence Shapiro

External links

• Official web site
• Plano Economic Development Board
• Plano Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Plano from the Handbook of Texas Online
  www.helloplano.com Complete guide to resturants, hotels, public services and more including yellow pages.

• Plano, Texas is at coordinates 33°03′01″N 96°44′45″W / 33.050374, -96.745935Coordinates: 33°03′01″N 96°44′45″W / 33.050374, -96.745935

Frisco, Texas

Flag
Location within the state of Texas
Coordinates: 33°8′29″N 96°48′47″W / 33.14139, -96.81306
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Collin, Denton
Government
- Mayor	Mike Simpson
Area
- City	70.0 sq mi (181.4 km²)
- Land	69.9 sq mi (181.0 km²)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
Elevation	696 ft (212 m)
Population (2000)
- City	33,714 (city proper)
- Density	482.5/sq mi (186.3/km²)
- Metro	5,700,256
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75034-75035
Area code(s)	972
FIPS code	48-27684GR2
GNIS feature ID	1336263GR3
Website: http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/

Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a very wealthy and fast growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 33,714, while according to 2007 estimate, the city's population is approximately 95,000. Frisco has been and continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. In the late 1990s, the North Dallas development tide hit the northern border of prosperous Plano and spilled into Frisco, sparking explosive growth into the 2000s. Like many of the cities located in the booming northern suburbs of Dallas, Frisco is a very upscale and affluent city that serves as a bedroom community for many professionals that work in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. A 2007 Forbes study named Frisco as the eighth-fastest growing suburb in the United States .

 History

When the Dallas area was being settled by European immigrants, many of the settlers traveled by wagon trains along the old Shawnee Trail. This trail was also used for cattle drives north from Austin. This trail later became the Preston Trail, and later, Preston Road. With all of this activity, the community of Lebanon was founded along this trail and granted a U.S. post office in 1860. In 1902, a line of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was being built through the area, and periodic watering holes were needed along the rails for the steam engines. The current settlement of Lebanon was on the Preston Ridge and was thus too high in elevation, so the watering hole was placed about four miles to the west on lower ground. A community grew around this train stop. Residents of Lebanon actually moved their houses to the new community on logs. The new town was originally named Emerson, but that name was rejected by the U.S. Postal Service as being too similar to another town in Texas. In 1904, the residents chose Frisco City in honor of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway on which the town was founded, later shortened to its present name.

Politics

Frisco is a "Home Rule" city. Frisco voters adopted its initial "Home Rule" Charter in 1987. In May 2002, Frisco residents voted to revise the Charter and approved 19 propositions.

The form of government adopted by Frisco is the Council-Manager, which consists of a Mayor and six City Council members elected "at-large" and a City Manager. Council members' duties include enacting local legislation (ordinances), adopting budgets, determining policies and appointing the City Manager and City Secretary.

The city's mayor is Mike Simpson. City Council includes Mayor Pro Tem Jim Joyner, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Joy West, Council Members Jeff Cheney, Tony Felker, Matt Lafata, and David Prince.

 Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 33,714 people, 12,065 households, and 9,652 families residing in the city. The population density was 482.4 people per square mile (186.3/km²). There were 13,683 housing units at an average density of 195.8/sq mi (75.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.25% White, 3.76% African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.34% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.02% of the population.

There were 12,065 households out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution is 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 45.9% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $95,591, and the median income for a family was $103,306. Males had a median income of $58,620 versus $37,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,089. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

 Economy

Like many Dallas suburbs, Frisco is accumulating a tremendous number of retail properties, including Stonebriar Centre, a 165-store regional mall, and IKEA, a furniture store with an area of 28,800 square meters (310,000 sq ft). Retail establishments and restaurant chains line Preston Road, which is one of the major north-south-running traffic arteries in the city.

Frisco took a different economic track than many surrounding cities and elected to use a fractional percent of local sales tax to fund the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) rather than DART, the regional transportation body. The effectiveness of the FEDC, whose primary purpose is to reallocate such tax dollars to commercial ventures, is a matter of public debate.

Frisco also built Frisco Square, a mixed-use development that will become the new downtown. Frisco Square has about 250 rental residential units, 7 restaurants, about 40,000 square feet of commercial office space and a few personal service locations. The retail component has never really caught on and there are no retail locations in Frisco Square at this time. The major development in the project is the new City Hall and main library and a public commons.

Education
Primary and Secondary

Most of Frisco is a part of the Frisco Independent School District. Some parts extend into Lewisville Independent School District, Little Elm Independent School District, and Prosper Independent School District.

Frisco ISD has four high schools Frisco Centennial High School, Frisco High School, Frisco Liberty High School, and Frisco Wakeland High School. The latter two are 3A schools for the first two years they are open. By 2008, the number of students should qualify both as 4A. Frisco ISD has the stated intention of keeping all high schools at a class 4A level to maximize student participation in school activities. Additional bond measures have been approved to construct three additional High Schools, and plans for an 8th High School to be drawn.

Higher

The Preston Ridge campus of the Collin County Community College District opened on Wade Boulevard in Frisco in August of 1995.

Dallas Baptist University opened up a regional academic center in Frisco's Hall Office Park in January of 2006, located at Warren Parkway and Internet Boulevard.

 Recreation

Frisco has built the Frisco Athletic Center, which features 18,000 square feet of indoor aquatics elements and about 40,000 square feet of outdoor aquatic features. Some may refer to this as the "natotorium".

Sports

The Texas League AA minor league baseball team Frisco RoughRiders play in Frisco at the award-winning Dr Pepper Ballpark. The Dallas Stars National Hockey League is headquartered in Frisco and the team practices at the Deja Blue Arena there. The Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League have been based in Frisco since the fall of 2003, and shortly after the NAHL moved its main offices to Frisco. The Frisco Thunder of the Intense Football League began playing indoor football in Spring 2007 at the Deja Blue Arena. FC Dallas (formerly the Dallas Burn), a Major League Soccer team who formerly played at Dallas' Cotton Bowl, moved their home to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco in August 2005. A major international youth soccer tournament, The Dallas Cup, is hosted in Frisco each year and draws teams from around the world. Frisco is also home of the Superdrome, one of the top outdoor velodromes in the nation. The Southland Conference, an NCAA Division I athletics organization, relocated to Frisco in 2006.

 External links

• Official City Website
• Frisco Economic Development Corporation
• Official Frisco ISD Website
• Frisco Square website
• Maher Maso's Community Web Site
• Official Southland Conference Website an NCAA Division I Conference headquartered in Frisco.
• / Frisco Athletic Center Website
  www.hellofrisco.com  A complete guide to Frisco resturants, hotels, public service, and more, including yellow pages.
  
  
  Frisco, Texas is at coordinates 33°08′29″N 96°48′47″W / 33.141263, -96.81312Coordinates: 33°08′29″N 96°48′47″W / 33.141263, -96.81312
  

• McKinney, Texas

   

  Nickname: MacTown
  Location within the state of Texas
  Coordinates: 33°11′50″N 96°38′23″W / 33.19722, -96.63972
  Country	United States
  State	Texas
  County	Collin
  Incorporated	1848
  Government
  - Mayor	Bill Whitfield
  Area
  - Total	58.5 sq mi (151.5 km²)
  - Land	58.0 sq mi (150.3 km²)
  - Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
  Elevation	630 ft (192 m)
  Population (2006)
  - Total	107,530
  - Density	937/sq mi (361.8/km²)
  Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
  - Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
  ZIP codes	75069-75071
  Area code(s)	972
  FIPS code	48-45744GR2
  GNIS feature ID	1341241GR3
  Website: http://www.mckinneytexas.org/

  McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States,^GR6 and the second in population to Plano. As of the 2006, the North Central Texas Council of Governments estimated the city population to be 102,853. The US Census Bureau listed McKinney as the nation's fastest growing city from 2000 to 2003 and again in 2006, among cities with more than 50,000 people. This growth is due to McKinney being located at the northeastern edge of the rapid suburban development north of Dallas. Both the city and county were named after Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and a congressman for the Red River district of the Republic of Texas.

  McKinney is home to the Dallas Revolution, an Independent Women's Football League team and is the home of the Central Park Campus of the Collin County Community College District, the first CCCCD campus to open.
  

  
  Demographics

  As of the census^GR2 of 2006, there were 102,853 people, 28,186 households, and 23,966 families residing in the city. The population density was 937.0 people per square mile (361.7/km²). There were 29,462 housing units at an average density of 335.4/sq mi (129.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.40% White, 7.20% African American, 0.54% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 10.23% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.16% of the population.

  There were 28,186 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.

  In the city the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

  The median income for a household in the city was $63,366, and the median income for a family was $72,133. Males had a median income of $50,663 versus $32,074 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,185. About 4.9% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

  According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $69,232, and the median income for a family was $78,485.
  
  Transportation

  McKinney is served by two U.S. highways: U.S. 75 and U.S. 380. Collin County Regional Airport is also located in McKinney. The city is also bordered by State Highway 121 (S.H. 121); portions of the highway are currently under construction with the intention of creating a toll-based roadway. Unlike nearby city Plano, the DART light rail train does not currently access McKinney. However, future plans may include utilizing existing railway for the project to reach the city.

   Education

  Colleges and Universities

  McKinney is home to Collin County Community College.

   Schools

  McKinney is served by the McKinney Independent School District and Frisco Independent School District.

  High schools include • McKinney High School • McKinney North High School • McKinney Boyd High School • Serenity High School

  In the Newsweek ranking of schools throughout the nation for 2006, McKinney High School was ranked 191, out of 1000 schools on the list, while McKinney North High School was ranked 237. The original article incorrectly stated results for McKinney's two high schools, but Newsweek updated its lists by 2 June 2007.

  Also in the Dallas Morning News McKinney North High School was ranked #4 in state and #3 in area for football.

  Middle schools include • Dowell Middle School • Evans Middle School • Faubion Middle School • Scott Johnson Middle School

  Elementary schools include • Bennett Elementary • Burks Elementary • Caldwell Elementary • Eddins Elementary • Finch Elementary • Glen Oaks Elementary • Johnson Elementary • Malvern Elementary •Naomi Press Elementary • McNeil Elementary • Minshew Elementary • Slaughter Elementary • Valley Creek Elementary • Vega Elementary • Walker Elementary • Webb Elementary • Wilmeth Elementary • Wolford Elementary • Press Elementary

  Valley Creek Elementary School, McNeil Elementary School, Eddins Elementary School, Wolford Elementary School, Reuben Johnson Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, McGowen Elementary School, Press Elementary School and Glen Oaks Elementary Schools were included in a list of "Best Public Schools in Texas" by Texas Monthly magazine in 2006.

   McKinney in the news

  Over the last several years McKinney has gained national media attention for the multiple LEED and sustainable (Green) buildings that have been constructed within the city. McKinney is home of the first privately developed LEED Platinum office building, which was speculatively developed by Westworld Holdings. Pat Lobb Toyota (designed by Gensler) is the first LEED certified Automotive Dealership (Silver Rating), and has become the hallmark for the greening of automotive dealerships, receiving visitors from around the world. Additionally, one of the two experimental sustainable Wal-Mart stores is located in McKinney (Wal-Mart did not pursue LEED status), the facility has been designed to test and promote a number of sustainable design elements and concepts.
  

  
  

  References

  1.  "The Top of the Class", newsweek.com ^ "The Top of the Class", newsweek.com
  2.  McKinney Independent School District press release  Handbook of Texas, "Throckmorton, James Webb", retrieved 31 December 2006