Plano TX Ranked #1 in America’s 10 Safest Cities
Plano TX, in the heart of Collin County, is ranked #1 among America’s Safest Cities by Forbes Magazine. We always knew that Plano was a great place to live and raise a family – now Forbes confirms it.
Plano TX #1 of safest cities in US
Looking for safe cities in which to live? A recent study may help you.
Titled “America’s Safest Cities“, Forbes Magazine compiled data from more than 70 cities with populations of 250,000 or more, and ranked them by violent crime rate as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A “violent crime” is one that can be categorized as murder, robbery, and assault, among others. Then, for each metropolis, local traffic-fatality rates were added to the area’s violent crime rate, and averaged into the data.
Forbes presents the 10 safest large cities in America as :
- Plano, Texas
- Henderson, Nevada
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Santa Ana, California
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- San Jose, California
- Mesa. Arizona
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Aurora, Colorado
- New York, New York
Forbes is quick to note that “gridlocked” traffic patterns help keep cities safe; which may explain why cities like Honolulu and New York City made the Top 10. When cars are forced to move more slowly, the report states, traffic-related fatalities tend to plummet.
Don’t rush to make a home-buying decision based on Forbes data alone, however. Like everything else in real estate, data is local and city-wide statistics are too broad to be helpful to an everyday buyer.
For accurate, real-time, local crime data, call me to connect with a real estate professional to help you evaluate Plano, and other North Central Texas cities
Norma Wall, Broker 214-212-6770 – start your Home Search here.
Plano is home to 261,000 people and has long been recognized as a family-friendly community. High-ranking schools, excellent parks and recreation areas, outstanding employment and city planning, give Plano bragging rights as one of the premier North Texas cities. For more information and lifestyle profile, review our Focus on Plano.
Plano Balloon Festival….Up, Up & Away!
For family fun it’s hard to beat the annual Plano Balloon Festival, it’s one of the city’s largest celebrations for children and families – complete with fireworks, balloon rides, fun and excitement.
As the largest balloon event in Texas, the Plano Balloon Festival has also evolved into an important fundraiser for local non-profit organizations, with 42 non-profit and corporate.
Specific festival events vary from year to year but typically include five hot air balloon launches, a large Kids Fun Zone, two stages showcasing local community talent, live bands, sky divers, fireworks, food and nighttime balloon glows. A balloon glow occurs after dusk when the many balloon pilots conduct synchronized firings of their balloon’s burners.
This year is the 32nd year for the event, and is expected to attract over 90,000 people during the three day weekend.
Plano Balloon Festival
September 16, 17 & 18, 2011
Oak Point Park
2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, TX 75074
For more details visit the Plano Balloon Festival official website: http://www.planoballoonfest.org/
When you’re looking for the right real estate broker to help you with your next move,
contact Norma Wall 214-212-6770 norma@come2dallas.com
School Ratings for Plano TX 2011
School ratings for Plano Tx 2011 have just been released and once again the Plano Independent School District has faired very well.
Overall Plano ISD earned a Recognized Rating under the 2011 Texas Education Agency accountability rating system. Twenty-five individual Plano ISD campuses were rated Exemplary, which is the highest rating. See individual school ratings below.
The ratings are based on high school completion rates, dropout rates and passing rates on the state test, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Increasing standards and the elimination of the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) resulted in fewer schools and districts earning an Exemplary accountability rating in 2011.
EXEMPLARY
- Andrews Elementary
- Barksdale Elementary
- Bethany Elementary
- Beverly Elementary
- Boggess Elementary
- Brinker Elementary
- Carlisle Elementary
- Centennial Elementary
- Gulledge Elementary
- Harrington Elementary
- Haun Elementary
- Hedgcoxe Elementary
- Hightower Elementary
- Hughston Elementary
- Hunt Elementary
- Mathews Elementary
- Miller Elementary
- Saigling Elementary
- Schell Elementary
- Skaggs Elementary
- Stinson Elementary
- Wells Elementary
- Wyatt Elementary
- Rice Middle School
- Schimelpfenig Middle School
RECOGNIZED
- Aldridge Elementary
- Barron Elementary
- Daffron Elementary
- Davis Elementary
- Dooley Elementary
- Haggar Elementary
- Hickey Elementary
- Jackson Elementary
- McCall Elementary
- Meadows Elementary
- Memorial Elementary
- Shepard Elementary
- Sigler Elementary
- Thomas Elementary
- Weatherford Elementary
- Haggard Middle School
- Murphy Middle School
- Robinson Middle School
- Jasper High School
- Plano East Sr High School
- Plano Sr High School
- Plano West Sr High School
ACCEPTABLE
- Christie Elementary
- Forman Elementary
- Huffman Elementary
- Mendenhall Elementary
- Mitchell Elementary
- Rasor Elementary
- Armstrong Middle School
- Bowman Middle School
- Carpenter Middle School
- Frankford Middle School
- Hendrick Middle School
- Otto Middle School
- Renner Middle School
- Wilson Middle School
- Clark High School
- Shepton High School
- Vines High School
- Williams High School
HOW RATINGS ARE DETERMINED
EXEMPLARY: 90% passing in each TAKS subject with a high school completion rate of 95%.
RECOGNIZED: 80% passing in each TAKS subject with a high school completion rate of 85%.
ACCEPTABLE: 70% passing in reading, writing and social studies; 65% in math and 60% in sciencewith a high school completion rate of 75%.
This is the last year of the TAKS-based accountability system, and there are a number of changes that have increased its impacted ratings in preparation for the new rating system that will begin in 2013, according to the Texas Education Agency.
For more information about the School Ratings for Plano TX 2011, or the districts high academic standards,
contact Plano real estate professional
Marian Porter 214-577-7766 marian@come2dallas.com
Plano ranked #1 by Forbes.com
Forbes.com 10/13/2010
America’s Safest Cities
We love Plano, and here’s more data to support our opinion of what a great place this is to live, courtesy of Forbes.com. They ranked Plano TX as the number one city based on:
- American cities with a population above 250,000.
- Violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2009
- Number of traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents 2008
1. Plano, Texas
Traffic Fatality Rank: 4
Violent Crime Rank: 1
Forbes Click to review their Top Ten
Plano TX Lifestyles
Welcome to Plano – Plano is a vibrant suburb centrally located north of Dallas and includes a consistent blend of nice to luxury homes. A fantastic place to live and run a business, Plano Texas is home to major corporation headquarters.
Plano is a town of pleasant, friendly people. City planning addressed the most important family needs of park and recreation areas, modern shopping centers, excellent schools, near major highways I-75, I-35, I-635 and I-30 it’s easy to see why so many people want to live in Plano.
Plano was named the wealthiest city of 2008 by the US Census Bureau by comparing the median household income for all cities with a population over 250,000. According to the 2008 census, Plano had just over 270,000 residents which makes it the 9th largest city in Texas and the 70th most popular city in the country. Located in Collin County, Plano has become an attractive place to buy a home. Acquiring a property in Plano is a great investment for your future.
Employment - Plano is home to many corporate headquarters including JCPenny, Frito-Lay, Dr. Pepper Snapple, HP Enterprises Services, Cinemark Theatres, Ericsson, Dell Services, Capital Financial, Rent-a-Center, Siemans PLM Software and others. There are numerous regional facilities that include Bank of America, Intuit and Perot Systems.
Education in Plano – Plano schools consistantly score among highest in the nation, and are administred by the Plano Independent School District of Collin County. Plano schools are thrilled to present their students with a quality education in a supportive surrounding. PISD and Plano knows the goal of our staff is to give an education that will strengthen the lives of the students and create a strong future. There are also two campuses of Collin County Community College and 16 private schools. SMU-in-Plano, a branch of Southern Methodist University is a graduate university with programs in business, engineering, computer training and education.
Invest in an exceptional education, start the new future of your family by inquiring about Plano real estate for sale.
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Consider moving to Plano and the many advantages for making this fantastic community your home. Contact me at 214-212-6770, my name is Norma Wall and I offer you my services as a local real estate expert. If you have questions or want to know more about the area, all you have to do is ask!
