Frisco, Texas
Origin & incorporation
• Settled along the Shawnee Trail (later Preston Road); the community of Lebanon got a post office in 1860.
• In 1902 the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ("the Frisco") built a line through the area and placed a watering stop about 4 miles west of Lebanon, on lower ground. Some Lebanon residents rolled their houses to the new spot.
• First named Emerson, then renamed Frisco City in 1904 in honor of the railroad (shortened to Frisco).
• Incorporated 1908.
What it's known for
• "Sports City USA" — Dallas Cowboys HQ at The Star, PGA of America HQ + PGA Frisco, FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium, Frisco RoughRiders, Dallas Stars HQ/Comerica Center.
• One of the fastest-growing U.S. cities (fastest-growing in 2017 and 2000–2009).
• Tree City USA since 2003.
National awards (City of Frisco list)
• #1 Best Real Estate Market (WalletHub) — 2017, 2021, 2022, 2026.
• #1 Best Place to Live in America (MONEY) — 2018.
• #1 Safest City in the U.S. (SmartAsset) — 2022, 2023.
• #1 Fastest-Growing City (U.S. Census Bureau) — 2016–17.
• #1 Best Place to Raise an Athlete (Men's Journal) — 2011.
• #9 Best Place to Live (U.S. News & World Report) — 2026–27.
Size
• Population: 248,971 (City of Frisco monthly estimate); 236,955 per Census Bureau (July 2025); 200,509 in 2020 Census.
• Area: 69.1 sq mi ≈ ~44,224 acres.
Distances from City Hall
• DFW Airport: ~26 mi driving (~21.4 mi straight-line).
• Dallas Love Field: ~25 mi driving.
• Dallas City Hall: ~27.2 mi driving.
Top 10 employers (by jobs, city CAFR)
Employer - Employees
Frisco ISD — 7,442
City of Frisco — 1,628
T-Mobile USA — 1,000
Mario Sinacola & Sons — 800
Conifer Health Solutions — 615
Baylor Medical Center (Warren Pkwy) — 460
Fiserv — 460
IKEA Frisco — 423
UT Southwestern / Texas Health — 415
Baylor Scott & White (Centennial) — 400
Note: Toyota and JPMorgan Chase are headquartered in Plano (Legacy West), not Frisco.
Most prominent/prestigious employers
• TIAA — Fortune 500 firm ($1.3T assets); Corporate Center at The Star; on track to be Frisco's largest private employer.
• PGA of America — national HQ on the 660-acre PGA Frisco campus.
• Dallas Cowboys / The Star — $1.5B mixed-use HQ complex.
• Comerica, McAfee, Boingo Wireless, ExteNet, Ruiz Foods, SoFi — major HQ relocations/expansions.
Notable people
• Jaedyn Shaw — USWNT soccer; scored at 2024 Paris Olympics; Frisco-raised.
• P.J. Washington — NBA forward, Dallas Mavericks; Frisco native.
• Nick Bolton — NFL linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs; Frisco HS grad, Super Bowl champion.
• Ryan O'Hearn — MLB player (Baltimore Orioles); Frisco native.
• Marion Barber III — former NFL running back; Frisco-raised.
• Dude Perfect — YouTube group; Frisco-based.
• Maelyn Jarmon — winner of The Voice (Season 16); Frisco native.
• Jenna Davis — actress (Disney's Sydney to the Max, voice of M3GAN).
• Courtney Gibbs — Miss USA 1988.
• Anika Chebrolu — 3M Young Scientist Challenge winner (2020).
Major attractions & amenities
• Toyota Stadium — FC Dallas (MLS), National Soccer Hall of Fame, NCAA championship.
• The Star / Ford Center — Cowboys HQ, Ring of Honor Walk.
• PGA Frisco — 4 courses, Omni resort, PGA District.
• Riders Field — Double-A RoughRiders baseball.
• Comerica Center — Texas Legends, Stars practice, concerts.
• Universal Kids Resort — Theme park for smaller children (opened July 2026).
• National Videogame Museum + Frisco Discovery Center (Sci-Tech, TrainTopia).
• Frisco Heritage Center — historic homes, steam locomotive.
• Stonebriar Centre — 224-store mall.
• Kaleidoscope Park — arts/culture park (opened Oct 2024).
• Frisco Athletic Center + Frisco Water Park.
• 60+ parks and a growing trail network.
Education levels (adults 25+, US Census ACS)
• Less than high school: 3.7%
• High school graduate / GED: 9.6%
• Some college / associate degree: 20.7%
• Bachelor's degree: 38.5%
• Graduate or professional degree: 27.4%
School districts
• Main: Frisco ISD — ~67,000 students; serves parts of Frisco, Little Elm, Plano, McKinney, and Prosper.
• Other districts serving parts of Frisco: Lewisville ISD (~2.47 sq mi, 903 students), Little Elm ISD, Prosper ISD (Rock Hill HS and Bill Hays MS are in Frisco).
TEA accountability ratings
• Frisco ISD: A (5th straight).
• Prosper ISD: A.
• Lewisville ISD: B.
• Little Elm ISD: C.
UIL classification (12 Frisco ISD high schools)
• 6A: 1 (Wakeland).
• 5A: 11 (Centennial, Emerson, Frisco, Heritage, Independence, Lebanon Trail, Liberty, Lone Star, Memorial, Panther Creek, Reedy).
UIL state championships (verified)
• Frisco HS — Girls Cross Country 1982 (3A); Girls & Boys Track 1981–84 (2A); Softball 2002 (4A); Boys Swimming 2005, 2006, 2008 (4A); Girls Swimming 2011 (4A).
• Centennial — Boys Soccer 2016 (5A); Wrestling 2014, 2015, 2020; Team Tennis 2024, 2025, 2026 (5A).
• Liberty — Girls Basketball 2020, 2023 (5A).
• Wakeland — Girls Soccer 2022 (5A); Girls Volleyball 2024.
• Heritage — Boys Basketball 2026 (5A DI).
• Frisco ISD reports 15 team state champions since 2020.
Lakes
• Lewisville Lake — borders Frisco's northwest; 29,592 acres, 183 miles of shoreline (USACE).
• Nine small fishing ponds/lakes within the city (Warren Sports Complex, Frisco Commons, Northeast Community Park, etc.).
• Arrowhead Pond planned in Grand Park.
Highways & tollways
• Dallas North Tollway (DNT) — north–south; frontage road = Dallas Parkway.
• Sam Rayburn Tollway / SH 121 — east–west across southern Frisco.
• US 380 (University Dr.) — east–west across northern Frisco.
• SH 289 (Preston Rd.) — north–south.
• FM 423 — north–south on the west side.
• FM 720 — east–west via Little Elm and Frisco (Eldorado Pkwy).
Bordering cities
• Plano (south), McKinney (east), Little Elm (northwest), Prosper (north), The Colony (southwest), Allen (southeast).
Counties
• Frisco spans Collin and Denton counties.
Airports
• No public or private airports within the city limits. Only 4 private hospital heliports (Texas Health, Medical City, Baylor Scott & White, Centennial).
• Nearest public airport: McKinney National Airport (in McKinney, ~7,000-ft runway).
• Aero Country Airport (T31) — nearest general-aviation field, in McKinney and just across the boundary from northern Frisco. Privately owned (Aero Country Property Owners Association) but open to the public. Runway 17/35, 4,352 ft asphalt/turf.
Public transportation
• Frisco is not a DART member; served by DCTA.
• GoZone Frisco — on-demand rideshare (central Frisco).
• Frisco Demand Response — paratransit for seniors/disabled.
• Rail District Boxcar — free downtown circulator (pilot, June 2026).
Major future plans
• Grand Park — 1,011-acre park (DNT to Lake Lewisville); Phase 1 completion ~Fall 2027.
• New Toyota Stadium — $182M redevelopment, coming 2028.
• 2027 PGA Championship at Fields Ranch (first men's major in DFW in 64 years).
• The Mix — $3B, 112-acre mixed-use development.
• Fields / Fields West — 2,544-acre development at US 380 & Preston.
• The Link — $1B, 240-acre addition to PGA Frisco.
• Universal Kids Resort — opened July 2026.
• Downtown Rail District — $68M redevelopment.
• Kaleidoscope Park expansion — $14M.
Sources: City of Frisco (
friscotexas.gov — demographics, awards, parks, transit, Grand Park); U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts & ACS S1501; Dallas Morning News; Frisco EDC; Frisco Chamber of Commerce; Visit Frisco; Community Impact; Frisco ISD; Prosper ISD & Lewisville ISD official pages; Texas DOT; NTTA; DCTA; DART; GlobalAir/FAA; TSHA; rome2rio; distance-cities.com.
