McKinney

McKinney

Located just 30 miles north of Dallas, McKinney is the perfect place to call home. This fast-growing city has a friendly, small-town feel despite the city’s population of more than 168,000 in January 2017. McKinney offers tree-lined streets, a famous historic downtown and a tight-knit community. McKinney’s charm and comfortable pace is quite different from the metroplex’s urban sprawl, prompting Money Magazine to select McKinney as is #1 Best Place to Live in America in 2014 (up from the #2 spot in 2012, #5 in 2010 and #14 in 2008). Interesting facts:

• Median age: 32
• Population as of January 1, 2017: 168,358
• Collin County Labor Force: 496,793
• Population Growth Rate from 2000-2016: 198%
• High School Graduate or Higher: 92%
• Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 45%

   

HISTORY

Fannin County originally encompassed most of northeast Texas. In 1846, Collin County and several other counties were created out of the original area, and each was about 30 miles square. The Texas legislature decreed that a county seat had to be within three miles of the center of the county so a rider could get from the edge of the county to the county seat and back home in one day. Collin County was named for Collin McKinney who was a pioneer and land surveyor who helped draft and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836. The area’s population grew slowly at first. Settlers found that the native grasses would only feed grazing animals well when it was green, and the soil, though fertile, was a quagmire when it rained, so transportation of agricultural goods was nearly impossible. Enter the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1872. With reliable transportation, people and goods could move in and out of McKinney, and this development stimulated a time of unprecedented growth in the town. The booming economy meant better infrastructure and larger homes for many of the leading citizens. Many of McKinney’s most impressive historic homes were built in the 1890s. By 1885, the city had newspapers, banks, flour mills, an opera house, churches and two thousand residents. The first telephone exchange arrived in 1883, a volunteer fire department organized in 1887 and electric lights first lit up the town in 1889.  (Courtesy McKinney Official Website)

SCHOOLS

ie. This is exactly why this feature makes you want to live in San Diego… McKinney ISD is located in Collin County, and primarily serves students in the city of McKinney. MISD also serves students in parts of New Hope, Allen, Fairview, Princeton, and Lowry Crossing. One of the fastest growing school districts in Texas, McKinney ISD currently enrolls more than 24,500 students in 20 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, two alternative campuses and one early childhood education center. Including administration and support, MISD maintains 68 facilities covering more than 4 million square feet on 603 acres of grounds.