Collin County, Texas

Collin County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small part of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,064,465, making it Texas's sixth-most populous county and the 43rd-largest county by population in the United States. Its county seat is McKinney.

History
Both the county and the county seat were named after Collin McKinney (1766-1861), one of the five men who drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and the oldest of the 59 men who signed it.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 886 sqmi, of which 841 sqmi is land and 45 sqmi (5.1%) is covered by water.

Lakes

 * Lavon Lake

Adjacent counties

 * Grayson County (north)
 * Fannin County (northeast)
 * Hunt County (east)
 * Rockwall County (southeast)
 * Dallas County (south)
 * Denton County (west)

Cities (shared with other counties)

 * Carrollton (mostly in Dallas and Denton counties)
 * Celina (small part in Denton County)
 * Dallas (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall and Collin counties)
 * Frisco (partly in Denton County)
 * Garland (mostly in Dallas County and a small part in Rockwall County)
 * Josephine (small part in Hunt County)
 * Plano (small part in Denton County)
 * Prosper (partly in Denton County)
 * Richardson (mostly in Dallas County)
 * Royse City (mostly in Rockwall County and partly Hunt County)
 * Sachse (mostly in Dallas County)
 * Van Alstyne (mostly in Grayson County)
 * Wylie (small parts in Rockwall and Dallas counties)

Cities

 * Allen
 * Anna
 * Blue Ridge
 * Farmersville
 * Lavon
 * Lowry Crossing
 * Lucas
 * McKinney (county seat)
 * Melissa
 * Murphy
 * Nevada
 * Parker
 * Princeton
 * Weston

Towns

 * Fairview
 * Hebron (mostly in Denton County)
 * New Hope
 * St. Paul

Census-designated places

 * Seis Lagos
 * Westminster

Unincorporated communities

 * Altoga
 * Arnold
 * Beverly Hill
 * Bloomdale
 * Branch
 * Chambersville
 * Chambliss
 * Clear Lake
 * Climax
 * Collin
 * Copeville
 * Cowley
 * Culleoka
 * Desert
 * Fayburg
 * Forest Grove
 * Frognot
 * Kelly
 * Little Ridge
 * Milligan
 * Millwood
 * New Mesquite
 * Pike
 * Rhea Mills
 * Rockhill
 * Sedalia
 * Snow Hill
 * Trinity Park
 * Valdasta
 * Walnut Grove
 * Winningkoff

Historical communities

 * Buckner
 * Lebanon
 * Lolaville
 * Renner
 * Shepton
 * Wetsel

Ghost towns

 * Biggers
 * Marilee
 * Nickelville
 * Parris
 * Roland
 * Verona

Demographics
In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau determined 491,675 people resided in Collin County. With the economic and population growth of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, its population increased to 1,064,465 at the 2020 U.S. census. The population density as of 2019 was 1,229.8 /mi2. Among the population, its median age was 37.3, up from the statewide median age of 35.1. Linguistically, 11.6% of the county spoke Spanish as their household language, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander languages. Altogether 29.7% of Collin County spoke a language other than English at home, contributed in part by its large foreign-born population which made up 22% of the population according to 2019 estimates from the American Community Survey.

The median income for a household in the county as of 2019 was $96,134, up from $70,835 in 2000. Families had a median household income of $113,471, married-couple families $127,575, and non-family households $53,986. An estimated 6.3% of Collin County's residents lived at or below the poverty line from 2014 to 2019. In 2000, about 3.30% of families and 4.90% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those aged 65 and older.

Of its residential properties, the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $354,100 in 2019, with a total of 8% of owner-occupied housing units ranging from less than $100,000 up to $200,000. In 2007, Collin County was ranked No. 21 for high property taxes in the U.S. as percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. It also tanked in the top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income. Part is this is due to the Robin Hood plan school financing system in Texas.

Race and ethnicity
''Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

At the 2000 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 81.39% White, 4.79% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 6.92% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races; 10.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. In 2019, the American Community Survey estimated its non-Hispanic white population now represented 55%, reflecting a national demographic trend of diversification. The Black or African American population grew to 10%, Asian Americans made up 16% of the population, and Hispanic or Latino Americans increased to 16% of the total population in 2019; multiracial Americans made up an estimated 2% of the county population. The largest European ancestry groups from 2014 to 2019 were Germans, English Americans, and Irish and Italian Americans. By the publication of the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of Collin County was 50.96% non-Hispanic white, 10.16% Black or African American, 0.36% American Indian or Alaska Native, 17.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.46% some other race, 4.41% multiracial, and 15.89% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

Religion
Christianity has historically been the predominant religious affiliation among the county's residents as part of the Bible Belt. According to the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute study, non-Christian religions are present and have been growing, largely due to migration into the county; among the non-Christian population, 3% were Hindu, 2% Muslim and 2% Jewish. Overall among its Christian population, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and non- or inter-denominational Christians have been prominent.

Government
Collin County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a Commissioners Court. The court is chaired by a county judge (equivalent to a county executive in other states) who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.

Politics
Like most suburban Texas counties, Collin County has consistently supported Republican candidates in presidential and congressional elections since the 1960s. The last Democrat to win the county was native Texan Lyndon Johnson in 1964. By 2020, Collin County was considered a highly competitive bellwether county due to its demographic changes and the shift of college-educated voters away from the Republicans. Despite this, it remains very Republican downballot; Republicans hold all of the county-level offices and all but one of the county's seats in the state legislature.

K-12 education
The following school districts lie entirely within Collin County:
 * Allen Independent School District
 * Anna Independent School District
 * Farmersville Independent School District
 * Lovejoy Independent School District
 * McKinney Independent School District
 * Melissa Independent School District
 * Plano Independent School District
 * Princeton Independent School District
 * Wylie Independent School District

The following districts lie partly within the county:
 * Bland Independent School District (very small part only)
 * Blue Ridge Independent School District
 * Celina Independent School District
 * Community Independent School District
 * Frisco Independent School District
 * Gunter Independent School District (very small part)
 * Leonard Independent School District (very small part only)
 * Prosper Independent School District
 * Rockwall Independent School District
 * Royse City Independent School District
 * Trenton Independent School District (very small part only)
 * Van Alstyne Independent School District (very small part only)
 * Whitewright Independent School District (very small part only)

In the 1990s Plano ISD received many non-Hispanic white families leaving urban areas. From circa 1997 and 2015 the number of non-Hispanic white children in K-12 schools in the county increased by 40,000 as part of a trend of white flight and suburbanization by non-Hispanic white families; however the same number of Plano ISD in particular decreased by 10,000 in that period.

Colleges and universities
Collin College opened its first campus on Highway 380 in McKinney in 1985. The college has grown to seven campuses/locations—two in McKinney and two in Plano and as well as Frisco, Allen, Rockwall, Wylie, Farmersville, and Celina. Collin College's official service area includes all of Collin County.

Dallas Baptist University also has an extension site in Frisco, DBU Frisco, as well as the University of North Texas's extension side, UNT Frisco.

The majority of the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson, Texas lies within Collin County. While the main campus' address is officially within the jurisdiction of Richardson and Collin county, approximately one-third of the college is physically located within the border of Dallas county.

Transportation
With the Red Line operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) ending with its northern terminus at Parker Road Station in Plano, most of Collin County is not served by any public transit agencies as of 2023. The Texoma Area Paratransit System (TAPS) transit service provided bus routes for a short period from 2013 until Collin County bus service was suspended in 2015. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) in a 2022 meeting discussed the possibility of expansion of the Red Line corridor from Plano through Allen to McKinney. Either the Red Line or Silver Line could be extended north. While the Red Line could be expanded further north into Allen, Allen is currently unable to levy the 1% sales tax required to become a DART member city.

Parks

 * Bratonia Park
 * Myers Park
 * Parkhill Prairie
 * Sister Grove Park
 * Trinity Trail
 * Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary

Media
Collin County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth media market. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Collin County come from the Sherman/Denison market and they include: KTEN-TV and KXII-TV.

Newspapers in the Collin County area include the Allen American, Celina Record, Farmersville Times, Frisco Enterprise, McKinney Courier-Gazette, and the Plano Star-Courier. Nearby publications The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram also provide news coverage of cities in the county.

Notable people

 * Collin McKinney (1766-1861) Politician, businessman, and co-author of the Texas Declaration of Independence
 * Griff Barnett (1884-1958) Actor born in Blue Ridge
 * Josh Blaylock (Born 1990) Actor and photographer born in Plano
 * Samuel Bogart (1797-1861)
 * Casey Dick (Born 1986) Football player born in Lucas
 * Russell E. Dickenson (1923-2008) Park ranger born in Melissa
 * Julie Doyle (Born 1996) Soccer player for Sky Blue FC (NWSL) born in Fairview
 * Devin Duvernay (Born 1997) Football player for Baltimore Ravens born in Sachse
 * King Fisher (1853-1884) Texas rancher and gunfighter born in Collin County
 * James R. Gough (1860-1916) Texas State Senator born in Collin County
 * Frank Shelby Groner (1877-1943) Lawyer, pastor, and educator born near Weston
 * Aubrey Otis Hampton (1900-1955) Radiologist born in Copeville
 * Warren Glenn Harding Sr. (1921-2005) Texas State Treasurer born in Princeton
 * Jimmie C. Holland (1928-2017) Founder of the field of psycho-oncology, born in Nevada
 * Sam Johnson (1930-2020) Politician who represented Collin County and Texas's 3rd District in US House of Representatives
 * Kyler Murray (Born 1997) Football player for Arizona Cardinals from Allen
 * Bumper Pool, Football player born in Lucas
 * Jason Ralph (Born 1986), Actor born in McKinney
 * James W. Throckmorton (1825-1894) 12th Governor of Texas, lived and is buried in McKinney