Collin County is a vibrant and diverse region in the state of Texas, known for its rich history, booming economy, and world-class attractions. If you’re considering moving to or visiting Collin County, there are a lot of things to discover and explore. In this article, we’ll take you on a journey through the region, from its fascinating history to its modern-day offerings.
Collin County, Texas is a county in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. Its county seat is McKinney, Texas although Plano is the largest city in the county. Collin County is north of Dallas County and east of Denton County. It is a rapidly growing county that is converting from rural to suburban. If you are looking for a wrongful termination lawyer in Dallas or Dallas divorce attorney you should not delay seeking representation.
Located in North Texas, Collin County is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. The county seat is McKinney, and the area is known for its outstanding quality of life, low crime rate, and excellent schools. Collin County is bordered by Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall, and Dallas counties.
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Collin County covers an area of 886 square miles, with the northern part of the county being mostly rural and the southern part being more urbanized. The county is located in the Blackland Prairie region, which is known for its rich and fertile soil. The climate in Collin County is characterized by hot summers and mild winters, with an average annual temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit.
History of Collin County
Collin County was founded in 1846 and named after Collin McKinney, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The area was initially settled by Native American tribes, including the Caddo and Comanche, before being colonized by European settlers in the mid-1800s. Collin County played a significant role in the Civil War and was a hub for cattle drives in the late 1800s.
As of 2020, the estimated population of Collin County is 1,088,900, with a median age of 37.7 years. The county has a diverse population, with White, Hispanic, and Asian being the largest racial and ethnic groups. The median household income in Collin County is $100,535, and the poverty rate is 6.5%.
Collin County is home to several top-rated school districts, including Frisco ISD, McKinney ISD, and Plano ISD. The region also has a variety of private and charter schools, as well as higher education institutions, such as Collin College and the University of Texas at Dallas.
Economy and Employment
Collin County has a diverse economy, with major industries including technology, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Some of the largest employers in the area include Toyota, J.C. Penney, and Capital One. The unemployment rate in Collin County is lower than the national average, making it an attractive destination for job seekers.
Collin County has a strong real estate market, with a wide range of housing options, from historic homes to modern apartments. The median home value in Collin County is $373,000, and the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,287. The region has several master-planned communities, such as Stonebridge Ranch and Craig Ranch, which offer a variety of amenities and activities.
Collin County has a robust healthcare system, with several hospitals and medical centers, such as Baylor Scott & White Medical.
Recreation and Entertainment
There’s no shortage of things to do in Collin County, whether you’re looking for outdoor activities or cultural experiences. The region has several parks and nature preserves, such as the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary and Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. For indoor entertainment, there are plenty of shopping and dining options, as well as museums and theaters, like the ArtCentre of Plano and the McKinney Performing Arts Center.
Collin County has a vibrant food scene, with a wide variety of cuisines available. Some popular local dishes include Texas-style barbecue, Tex-Mex, and Southern comfort food. The region is also known for its craft breweries and wineries, such as Tupps Brewery and Landon Winery.
Collin County is home to several shopping destinations, from high-end malls to outdoor shopping centers. Some of the most popular retail destinations include the Shops at Legacy, Stonebriar Centre, and the Allen Premium Outlets.
Collin County has a well-developed transportation system, with several major highways and tollways running through the region, such as the Sam Rayburn Tollway and the President George Bush Turnpike. The region also has a commuter rail system, the DART Rail, which connects Collin County to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
Government and Politics
Collin County is governed by a five-member commissioners court and a county judge. The region is known for its conservative political views and has historically been a Republican stronghold. However, in recent years, the county has become more politically diverse, with a growing Democratic presence.
Collin County has a rich cultural heritage, with several historic landmarks and museums, such as the Collin County History Museum and the Heritage Farmstead Museum. The region is also home to several art galleries and public art installations, such as the ArtCentre of Plano and the Frisco Discovery Center.
Collin County has a thriving sports scene, with several professional and collegiate teams calling the region home. The Dallas Cowboys have their headquarters and practice facility in Frisco, and the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks play in nearby Dallas. The region also has several minor league sports teams, such as the Frisco RoughRiders and Texas Legends.
County Government in Collin County near Dallas, Texas
Collin County, like neighboring counties in North Texas, is overseen by a Commissioners Court made up of judges. The judges on this court do not act in a judicial capacity. Their responsibilities are administrative over the county and they act similar to a city council but for the entire county. They oversee county operations in Collin County and various administrative districts within the county. The county government has direct authority over unincorporated parts of the county; but not over incorporated towns and cities which are independent sovereigns.
Courts and Attorneys in Collin County, Texas
Collin County is subject to courts at multiple levels. It is within the Northern District of Texas for federal courts. Collin County operates justice of the peace courts, county courts at law and district courts that divide jurisdiction over criminal and civil litigation. Cities within Collin County operate their own municipal courts that hear minor criminal matters and city ordinance violations.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_County,_Texas
http://www.collincountytx.gov/government/Pages/video.aspx
Collin County Geography
Collin County has a large number of cities and towns of various size. It also includes a large number of unincorporated but populated areas. Some day they will likely incorporate as suburban sprawl from Plano and McKinney expand to the borders. Cities and towns in Collin County include Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Carrollton, Celina, Dallas, Farmersville, Frisco, Garland, Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, Parker, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Royse City, Sachse, Trenton, Van Alstyne, Weston, Wylie, Fairview, Hebron, New Hope, Prosper and Saint Paul. Collin County also includes several school districts including Allen ISD, Anna ISD, Farmersville ISD, Lovejoy ISD, McKinney ISD, Melissa ISD, Plano ISD, Princeton ISD, Wylie ISD and Frisco ISD.
Allen, Texas
Allen, Texas is an affluent but small city in Collin County, Texas located primarily between Plano and McKinney. It is part of the DFW metroplex and North Texas region. The town is a suburb of Plano and McKinney. It is surrounded by Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Fairview, Lucas and Parker.
Allen’s town history dates back to 1872 when a railroad stop came to the area. It provided access to crops and supplies to local inhabitants. The community remained a small town for most of its history, incorporating in 1953. As growth in McKinney and Plano occurred after the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and access from Dallas through Collin County was enhanced with construction on U.S. Route 75 resulted in growth= and surrounding cities followed. Today growth continues in both residential and commercial areas.
Allen, Texas is governed by its city government but receives services from Collin County. Students attend schools primarily in Allen ISD. Parts of the city are covered by Lovejoy ISD, McKinney ISD and Plano ISD, in addition to private schools in the area.
McKinney, Texas
McKinney, Texas is the county seat of Collin County, Texas. It is north of Dallas/Fort Worth but considered part of the northern suburbs of Dallas although it is north of Plano. The city is part of the larger North Texas region and the nineteenth most populous city in Texas.
McKinney was formed when landowner William Davis donated 120 acres for the town site. Ten years later the town incorporated. In 1875 construction finished on the county courthouse. At the time it became the tallest building in Texas north of San Antonio. The town became the commercial center for Collin County, largely supported by the local cotton industry. This remained true into the twentieth century as the cotton industry in north Texas diminished. The local economy and the town saw a boom in the 1980s as a bedroom community for Plano and Dallas. Today it remains a popular city for commuters throughout Dallas, Plano and surrounding cities.
Town residents in McKinney, Texas receive services from the city government and Collin County. Students primarily attend McKinney ISD while portions of the city attend Prosper ISD, Frisco ISD and Allen ISD.
Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas is a city in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex primarily in Collin County, Texas with the western end of the city in Denton County. It is part of the larger North Texas region and surrounded by Prosper, Little Elm, The Colony, McKinney, Plano, Allen and Savannah. The town is known as “Tree City USA”.
In the 1840s Texas established a permanent north-south route from Austin to the Red River called the Old Shawnee Trail. This train ran north through what became Dallas and the northern suburbs of Dallas. The route was important for wagons and cattle drives. (This trail eventually became what is today Preston Road.) In an area near the trail arose a small community named Lebanon on Preston Ridge. A post office came in 1860 in Lebanon. In 1902 the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was built near Lebanon. Steam engines need water holes to refill water. Lebanon was built too high to establish a water hole for the trains. The rail line built a water hole near Lebanon but at a lower elevation. A community began to develop around this community. Some homes from Lebanon rolled down to the new community on logs.
With Lebanon’s population dwindling and residents moving to the new community from surrounding towns the new community established itself as a permanent town under the name Emerson. That was too close to the name of another town in Texas so the post office rejected it. Residents then chose Frisco City after the rail line. Eventually it became Frisco, Texas.
The town remained a reasonably small town until growth in the northern suburbs accelerated in the late twentieth century. The town is an affluent suburb with a notable commercial presence. It serves as a bedroom community for Plano and Dallas but with easy access to major roads and freeways it is a growing destination for businesses. The town is also a center for sports in the Dallas and Fort Worth area with multiple professional and minor league sports facilities. It is home to the training facilities and offices for the Dallas Stars and Dallas Cowboys. The FC Dallas soccer team resides and plays in Frisco. The city is also home to minor league teams in baseball and basketball.
Frisco residents and businesses receive services from the city government and the respective counties. Students attend Frisco ISD, Prosper ISD, Lewisville ISD and Little Elm ISD along with private schools in the area.
Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas is an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas. It is mostly within Collin County with a small portion in Denton County. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. The city is among the northern suburbs of Dallas. It is a commercial hub in addition to affluent residential community with major locations for corporations like Alliance Data, Cinemark, Dell, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Ericsson, Frito-Lay, HP Enterprise Services, JC Penney, Pizza Hut, Traxxas, Siemens PLM Software, Toyota Motors USA, Bank of America and Capital One.
Plano’s history begins in the 1840s like most of its neighbors in the DFW area. The town was settled by Anglo-American settlers after the Republic of Texas won its independence and subsequently made peace with local Native American tribes. The city was eventually named Plano as Spanish for “flat” which identifies with the flat, prairie land. In 1872 rail lines began reaching Plano which helped it support farming in north Dallas County and south Collin County. The town remained a farming community for most of its history. In the post-World War 2 era much of DFW grew and cities surrounding Dallas and Fort Worth saw growth as suburban sprawl reached their borders. However, the town did not see much growth due to its low public works infrastructure and tax structure.
In the 1970s it brought changes to its taxation and focused on public works. As a result the city began to grow rapidly as a convenient bedroom community and in the 1980s also as a commercial hub for the north Dallas region. Today the town is nearly completely developed and it is landlocked by its neighbors.
Plano receives services from its city government in addition to Dallas County and Denton County respectively. Students attend Plano ISD but some parts of town are within Lewisville ISD, Frisco ISD and Allen ISD.
Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County in north Texas. It is part of the Sherman-Denison metropolitan statistical area and part of the Texoma region.
Sherman is a major city in the northern-most part of the north Texas region with an important educational, religious and industrial role in the north Texas region. The town is named after General Sidney Sherman, a hero of the Texas Revolution. Sherman established in 1846, just one year after Texas became a part of the nation. In 1848 Sherman moved to the location of a large pecan tree due to lack of resources at the original location. In 1858 the town incorporated.
It developed a number of schools through its history. The town became the home of the relocated Austin College, which is the longest running college in Texas. Presently students attend Sherman ISD, Denison ISD and Howe ISD, along with several private schools. The town was also an important center for Protestant faiths although it lost some support from the Methodists after SMU was founded in Dallas.
It also has a long history of industrial significance in the region. It quickly developed as an industrial and trade city for the region through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the post-World War II era the town developed a strong industrial base when a number of major manufacturing and technology companies established factories. The town continues to see growth as part of the ever-expanding north Texas population.
Murphy, Texas
Murphy, Texas is a small town in the southeast corner of Collin County, Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the larger North Texas region. It is a suburb of Plano and neighbors Plano, Richardson, Wylie, Sachse and Parker. The town is just five square miles in area.
Settlers from various states came to the area that is now Murphy as early as 1846. It was primarily a farming community and changed names multiple times through its history. In 1888 the town name was changed to Murphy after the man who donated land for the town’s railroad depot. Murphy later incorporated in 1958. Muphy was historically a farming community that relied on the railroad to move its produce to market. The city saw its population dwindle through the mid-twentieth century. The Great Depression and automated farming equipment saw residents who once worked the farms leave for other job opportunities.
By the 1970s the population was down to 136. In the mid 1970s farmers sold their land to housing developers. As the Dallas-Fort Worth economy began growing out to Plano and Richardson in the 1970s and particularly the 1980s those former farms developed into residential communities. The population returned. Murphy set housing standards favoring large lots to retain a country feel that attracted people moving into Collin County for work. Construction of the George Bush Turnpike has further fueled growth in Murphy and other cities on the eastern side of Plano.
Wylie, Texas
Wylie, Texas is a city in the DFW area that spreads into Collin County, Dallas County and Rockwall County. It is a fast growing and affluent city that some consider a suburb of Plano. The town primarily receives services from its city government and the Collin County government although portions of the city that sprawl into Dallas County and Rockwall County are served by their respective county governments. Students attend Wylie ISD in most the Collin County territory with a small portion served by Princeton ISD. The Rockwall portion of Wylie is served by Rockwall ISD and the Dallas County portion is served by Garland ISD.
Wylie’s history ties closely to its agricultural roots and the presence of railroads. Today, however, it is primarily a suburbanized community. It began as a small community named Nickelville, founded in the 1870s. In the 1886 a railway passed half a mile north of Nickelville’s downtown area. Many businesses moved north along the railroad. The right of way agent for the railroad was a Lieutenant Colonel Wylie who promised the world to the local community and unsurprisingly when the community incorporated in 1887 it did so as Wylie.
That year a second railroad came to town. It remained a rural community although it quickly grew. Its dairy farming provided milk to Dallas and onions were a staple cash crop for the community. It relied on its onion farming to survive and grow through the Great Depression. Wylie continued to rely on its onion farming into the 1960s.
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