Your City: McKinney

McKinney, Texas Origin story
• Settlers arrived in the early 1840s as part of Peter's Colony, a land settlement program.
• Collin County was created in 1846 and named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
• McKinney became the county seat on March 16, 1848.
• William Davis donated 120 acres for the townsite on March 24, 1849.
• The city was first incorporated in 1849 and incorporated again in 1859.

What the city is known for
• Historic Downtown Square, one of the largest historic downtown districts in Texas.
• Its official motto is "Unique by nature."
• It is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S.
• It is a hub for corporate and defense employers.

National awards
• Money magazine #1 Best Place to Live in America, 2014.
• Most Affordable City in the U.S. (Motley Fool Money), 2025.
• Best City for Renters in America, 2025.
• #1 Housing Market in the U.S., 2025.
• Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community, 2025.
• SolSmart Bronze designation for clean energy, 2025.

Top 10 largest employers
   Employer - Sector
• Globe Life Inc. - Insurance
• SRS Distribution - Building materials
• Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RTX) - Defense
• Encore Wire (Prysmian) - Wire and cable
• McKinney ISD - Education
• Collin County - Government
• Independent Financial - Banking
• Dynacraft (PACCAR) - Automotive
• LifePath Systems - Healthcare
• Emerson - Technology

Most prominent employers and why
• Raytheon Intelligence & Space: global leader in aerospace and defense sensors and systems; runs a large advanced manufacturing center.
• Encore Wire: billed as the largest vertically integrated cable factory on the planet; acquired by Prysmian in 2024.
• Globe Life: a Fortune 500 insurance company and the city's largest private employer.
• SRS Distribution: one of the largest national roofing and building supply distributors.
• Independent Financial: one of Texas's largest community banks, with a major corporate campus.
• Emerson: a Fortune 500 global technology and engineering company.

Recognized people from the city
• Tom Kite: pro golfer, 1992 U.S. Open winner, World Golf Hall of Fame member. Raised in McKinney.
• Haystacks Calhoun: pro wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing (2017). Born in McKinney in 1934.
• Hollie Cavanagh: American Idol season 11 top-5 finalist. McKinney resident.
• MO3: Dallas area rapper. Born in McKinney.
• Jason Ralph: actor, starred in The Magicians. McKinney raised.
• Quindon Tarver: singer who performed in the film Romeo + Juliet. Grew up in the McKinney area.
• Josh Duhon: actor on General Hospital. Born in McKinney.
• Deborah Crombie: bestselling crime novelist. McKinney resident.

Size
• Population: 237,130 as of January 1, 2026, per the City of McKinney.
• Total area: about 67.7 square miles, or about 43,330 acres.

Distances from McKinney City Hall
• DFW International Airport: about 36 miles.
• Dallas Love Field: about 33 miles.
• Dallas City Hall: about 33 miles.

Major attractions
• Historic Downtown McKinney.
• Adriatica Village.
• TUPPS Brewery.
• McKinney Performing Arts Center.
• Chestnut Square Historic Village.
• Towne Lake and the city parks system.

Education pie chart
• Bachelor's degree 30.2%
• Some college no degree 21.5%
• High school graduate 16.0%
• Graduate or professional degree 14.3%
• Associate's degree 9.8%
• Less than high school 7.1%

School districts
• Main district: McKinney ISD. It also serves parts of New Hope, Allen, Fairview, Princeton, and Lowry Crossing.
• Other districts that serve parts of McKinney: Frisco ISD, Prosper ISD, Allen ISD, and Melissa ISD.
• TEA ratings for 2025-26:
o McKinney ISD: B (87 of 100).
o Frisco ISD: A.
o Prosper ISD: A.
o Allen ISD: A.
o Melissa ISD: A.

High schools and UIL classifications
• McKinney High School: 6A.
• McKinney Boyd High School: 6A.
• McKinney North High School: 5A.

UIL state championships
McKinney High
• Football (3A), team, 1979, beat Bay City 20 to 7.
• Girls wrestling (6A), individual, 2026, Riley Drennan won the 125 pound class.
McKinney Boyd
• Girls soccer (5A), team, 2011, beat Colleyville Heritage 1 to 0.
• Spirit/cheer (6A D-II), team, 2026.
McKinney North
• Girls soccer (4A), team, 2006, beat Dallas Highland Park 3 to 0.
• Girls cross country (4A), individual, 2006-07, Samantha Means.
• Girls track and field (5A), team, 2016 and 2017.
• Girls swimming (5A), individual, 2026, Courtney Cusack won the 200 and 500 yard freestyle.
• Spirit/cheer (5A D-I), team, 2026.

Lakes
• Towne Lake: about 22 acres.
• Bonnie Wenk Park lake: about 5 acres.
• Katherine B. Winniford Park pond: about 2.5 acres.
• Serenity Park pond: about 2 acres.
• Myers Park lake: size not published.
• Lake Lavon is outside city limits, about 17 miles southeast.

Highways and tollways
• US 75: runs north and south.
• US 380: runs east and west.
• SH 5: runs north and south through downtown.
• SH 121 (Sam Rayburn Tollway): runs along the south border, connects to DFW Airport.
• FM 2478: runs along the west border.
• FM 543: runs east and west in the north.

Bordering cities
• Allen, Frisco, Prosper, Princeton, Melissa, Lowry Crossing, Fairview, Lucas, and Celina.

Counties • McKinney is entirely in Collin County and is the county seat.

Airports • McKinney National Airport (KTKI): public, general aviation with a new commercial terminal. Avelo Airlines began service in late 2026 to five destinations.
• Aero Country Airport (T31): privately owned, public use. About 244 based aircraft.

Public transportation
• Collin County Transit: on demand curb to curb ride service for seniors, people with disabilities, and low income residents.
• Downtown McKinney Trolley: free service through downtown.
• Passenger rail: none currently. The only rail line is freight only.
• Proposed future: a Plano to McKinney passenger rail study and a DCTA Route 70 bus.

Major future plans
• Sports and entertainment complex in north McKinney.
• Long Branch mixed-use development, about $1.3 billion.
• Former Globe Life campus redevelopment, about $200 million.
• SH 121 corridor initiative with Allen.
• New commercial terminal at McKinney National Airport.
• East McKinney redevelopment.

Sources: City of McKinney, Local Profile, CultureMap Dallas, Office of the Texas Governor, Unique McKinney (city EDC), McKinney Chamber, CompanyData, PR Newswire, Community Impact, Globe Life, The Dallas Morning News, Visit McKinney, OpenStreetMap, McKinney ISD, txschools.net, UIL, Texas Prep Football, McKinney Parks, Collin County map, McKinney GIS, AirNav, KERA, and DCTA.

Important Websites:
Cities
School Districts
Chambers of Commerce: includes VCBs (Visitor & Convention Bureaus) and EDCs (Economic Development Corporations)

I’ve Got Your Six!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Build certified
KW North Country Realty
214-862-7212
dfwmark@KW.com
DFWmark.com

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