McKinney, Texas

McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano and Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about 32 mi north of Dallas.

The Census Bureau ranked McKinney as the nation's fourth fastest-growing large city from 2010 to 2019 and determined the city's 2020 population was 195,308. Based on Census Bureau estimates, as of July 2022 the city's population was 207,507, making it Texas's 15th-most populous city.

The Census Bureau defines an urban area of northern Dallas-area suburbs that are separated from the Dallas–Fort Worth urban area, with McKinney and Frisco as the principal cities; the McKinney–Frisco urban area had a population of 504,803 as of the 2020 census, ranked 83rd in the United States.

History
On March 24, 1849, William Davis, who owned 3000 acre where McKinney now stands, donated 120 acre for the townsite. Ten years later, McKinney incorporated, and in 1913, the town adopted the commission form of government.



For its first 125 years, McKinney served as the county's principal commercial center. The county seat provided farmers with flour, corn, cotton mills, cotton gins, a cotton compress, and a cottonseed oil mill, as well as banks, churches, schools, newspapers, and from the 1880s, an opera house. Businesses also came to include a textile mill, an ice company, a large dairy, and a garment-manufacturing company. The population grew from 35 in 1848 to 4,714 in 1912. By 1953, McKinney had a population of more than 10,000 and 355 businesses. The town continued to serve as an agribusiness center for the county until the late 1960s.

By 1970, Plano surpassed McKinney in size. McKinney experienced moderate population growth, from 15,193 in the 1970 census to 21,283 in the 1990 census. By the mid-1980s, the town had become a commuter center for residents who worked in Plano and Dallas. In 1985, it had a population of just over 16,000 and supported 254 businesses. Since then, McKinney's rate of increase has been much more dramatic. In the 2000 census, McKinney had grown to 54,369 with 2,005 businesses and in the 2010 census the population had more than doubled to 131,117 residents. The Census Bureau's most recent estimated population for McKinney (July 1, 2015) is 162,898. The most recent population estimate, produced by the city as of January 1, 2019, is 187,802.

Both the city and the county were named for Collin McKinney, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and a congressman for the Red River district of the Republic of Texas. He was the author of a bill establishing counties in the northern part of the state.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 162.9 km2, of which 0.7 square mile (1.7 km2), or 1.07%, is covered by water.

Climate
McKinney is considered part of the humid subtropical region. It is also part of the Texas blackland prairies, which means it gets hot summers because it is in the Sun Belt. Humidity makes temperatures feel higher, and winters are mild and are usually rainy; snowstorms occasionally occur. Spring is the wettest part of the year, which brings winds from the Gulf Coast.
 * On average, the warmest month is July.
 * The highest recorded temperature was 118 F in 1936.
 * On average, the coolest month is January.
 * The lowest recorded temperature was -7 F in 1930.
 * The maximum average precipitation occurs in May.

Demographics
At the 2010 U.S. census, the city had a population of 131,117 people. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau tabulated a population of 195,308, representing continued growth from the city's 2000 population of 54,369.

As of the 2000 U.S. census, 64% of the foreign-born residents of McKinney originated from Mexico. Since 2009, 70% of McKinney's total population born outside of the United States had arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s. In May 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that McKinney was the third fastest-growing city in the United States. It had a 5.9% growth rate between 2015 and 2016.

Of the 68,458 households at the 2019 American Community Survey, 59.8% were married-couples living together. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.36. In 2010, there were 28,186 households; 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were not families; 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $63,366, and for a family was $72,133. Males had a median income of $50,663 versus $32,074 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,185. About 4.9% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. In 2019, the median income in the city increased to $89,828; the mean income was $111,588.

Economy
According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:

Events
The city hosts several large events throughout the year, many of which cover several blocks of historic downtown, to include:


 * Krewe of Barkus - a pre-Mardi Gras festival held downtown focused on dogs with a parade, costumes, awards, and vendor booths.
 * Arts in Bloom - a downtown-wide arts festival, with local and visiting artists, as well as local wineries and food vendors, usually held the second weekend in April.
 * Texas Music Revolution - in June the entire downtown area shuts down for two days for concerts from over 90 country performers on 20 different stages across the area, along with food and drinks.
 * Red White and Boom Parade & Fireworks Festival - a 4 July parade is held downtown in the morning and a large fireworks display and festival usually takes place in western McKinney.
 * Oktoberfest - in late September a large German-themed festival takes place for several days on the downtown square with authentic German food, beer, live music, games, and vendors.
 * Home for the Holidays - the weekend after Thanksgiving the downtown area shuts down for Santa with Christmas attractions, a large tree lighting ceremony, games, and shopping at the local stores.

Arts
The McKinney Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is housed in the historic Collin County courthouse in the square in historic downtown and was built in 1875 and remodeled in 1927. The MPAC has seating for 427 and regularly hosts live entertainment such as off-Broadway theater, comedy shows, and concerts, and is also the centerpiece for most large events, festivals, and other attractions that take place downtown.

Museums
Located in the historic 1911 Federal building in historic downtown, the Collin County History Museum has free admission several days a week and displays an extensive history of the Collin County area.

The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is a 289 acre wildlife sanctuary with a museum building that has exhbits on natural history, fossils, rocks and minerals, and live animals. The wildlife sanctuary has 6.5 miles of trails through various types of terrain and is home to more than 240 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians and 15o species of wildflowers and other plants. It contains a 50 acre wetlands with an outdoor learning center, observation deck, and boardwalk as well as an outdoor amphitheater with seating for 500 guests.

The Collin County Farm Museum is located at the Myers Park & Event Center in rural McKinney and has exhibits reflecting the early settlers in the area and the farming and agricultural history.

Nature
Erwin Park is a city owned park on 212 rural acres in northern McKinney. The park has designated overnight campsites and picnic pavilions as well as 10 miles of mountain bike trails maintained by the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association.

The McKinney Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning in the historic Chestnut Square Heritage Village and in 2023 it was named the #1 Farmers Market in the Southwest United States by the American Farmland Trust.

Libraries
The city has two full-service libraries, the Roy & Helen Hall Memorial Library on the north end of the historic downtown and the John & Judy Gay Library on Eldorado Parkway in western McKinney, that together lent out 1.6 million items during fiscal year 2022.

Sports
McKinney has hosted the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament at the TPC Craig Ranch golf course since 2020.

The McKinney Independent School District football stadium, a 12,000 seat stadium, hosts the college Division II National Championship game.

Local government
According to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2016), the city's various funds had $324.6 million in total revenues, $247.9 million in total expenditures, $1.36 billion in total assets, $437.6 million in total liabilities, and $363.9 million in cash and investments.

The McKinney City Council has seven members. Two members and the mayor are elected at large, and four members are elected to single-member districts.

McKinney's city manager serves under the direction of the city council, and administers and coordinates the implementation of procedures, policies, and ordinances.

The city of McKinney is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.

State government
McKinney is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Angela Paxton, District 8, and Republican Drew Springer, District 30. McKinney is also represented in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Frederick Frazier, District 61. Frazier was indicted in June 2022 on two charges of impersonating a public servant, a felony offense. He pleaded no contest in December 2023 as part of a plea agreement.

Federal government
At the federal level, Texas's U.S. senators are John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. McKinney is in the 3rd Congressional district, which is represented by Keith Self.

Police department
The McKinney Police Department is the primary municipal law enforcement agency that serves the city. Chief Joe Ellenburg is the head of the department. As of 2023, the department had 252 sworn peace officers and 81 non-sworn civilian positions.

The department was awarded national accredited status from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and is also a Texas Police Chief's Association Foundation (TPCAF) Recognized Agency, making it only the third agency in Texas to receive both state and national accreditation.

Notable recent incidents in the department's history include the high-profile investigation of the McKinney homicide that claimed the lives of two adults and two high school football players; a 2010 attack on the police department headquarters by a gunman who fired over 100 rifle rounds at the building and employees after attempting to detonate a truck and trailer full of explosives; and protests and media attention after a video was released of the 2015 Texas pool party incident.

Colleges
McKinney is the home of the Central Park Campus of Collin College near the city's center at US 75 and US 380, which opened in 1985 as the initial campus for the community college district. The Collin Higher Education Center campus of Collin College opened in southern McKinney in 2010 and offers select bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in partnership with Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Woman's University, The University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of North Texas.

Public school districts
Two-thirds of McKinney residents are in the McKinney Independent School District; the remaining third are part of Frisco Independent School District, Prosper Independent School District, Allen Independent School District, Melissa Independent School District, Lovejoy Independent School District, or Celina Independent School District.

Six of the seven school districts serving the city placed in the top 5% in the Niche 2023 Best School Districts in America which ranked 10,932 school districts; Prosper ISD ranked #82 nationally, Allen ISD ranked #92, Lovejoy ISD ranked #103, Frisco ISD ranked #150, Melissa ISD ranked #433, and McKinney ISD ranked #461.

Public high schools
For high school, the two thirds of the city's students who are in McKinney ISD attend McKinney High School, McKinney North High School and McKinney Boyd High School. The remaining third of McKinney students attend Emerson High School (Frisco ISD), Heritage High School (Frisco ISD), Independence High School (Frisco ISD), Rock Hill High School (Prosper ISD), Walnut Grove High School (Prosper ISD), Allen High School, Melissa High School, Lovejoy High School, or Celina High School.

In the 2023–2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings of 17,680 high schools nationwide, Lovejoy High School ranked #360, Independence High School ranked #687, Heritage High School ranked #837, McKinney North High School ranked #1,271, McKinney Boyd High School ranked #1,432, Allen High School ranked #1,704, Rock Hill High School ranked #2,563, McKinney High School ranked #2,629, Celina High School ranked #4,713, Melissa High School ranked #10,372, while Emerson High School and Walnut Grove High School were unranked due to being new schools.

Public charter schools
Imagine International Academy of North Texas is a no-tuition open-enrollment public charter school for grades K–12 in McKinney. It is open to students in any school district that serves McKinney residents. It is state-funded, independently run, and not part of any school district.

Private schools
There are two private schools in the city that serve all grades from K–12, McKinney Christian Academy and Cornerstone Christian Academy.

Media
The McKinney Courier-Gazette is a daily newspaper published in McKinney, covering Collin County. It is owned by American Community Newspapers. It has a daily circulation of 4,400 and a Sunday circulation of 26,400.

Transportation
McKinney is served by two U.S. Highways: US 75 and US 380. The city is also bordered by the Sam Rayburn Tollway, a toll road administered by the North Texas Tollway Authority that runs to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

During the early 2010’s, the far southwestern corner of McKinney, in the large Craig Ranch development, had a trolley bus that served the development and some shopping centers in the surrounding area. This service has since been discontinued.

Collin County Transit
McKinney operates the McKinney Urban Transit District (MUTD), branded as Collin County Transit. MUTD offers transit services to elderly, disabled, or low-income residents of McKinney, as well as Celina, Lowry Crossing, Melissa, Princeton, and Prosper.

Originally, MUTD subsidized the cost of taxi rides. In 2022, this was replaced by a curb-to-curb service (operated in association with Dallas Area Rapid Transit) that charges a fixed per-ride fare. MUTD services provide transportation to any location within Collin County, even those outside of participating cities, though trips outside of member cities have higher fares.

Major highways

 * (Sam Rayburn Tollway)
 * (Sam Rayburn Tollway)
 * (Sam Rayburn Tollway)
 * (Sam Rayburn Tollway)

Air
The McKinney National Airport is located in southeast McKinney and handles between 300 and 700 flights a day. City-owned since 1979, in 2023 the airport completed an extension to the runway, increasing it to 8,502 feet long, along with an expansion to the air center, totaling 17,000 square feet, to provide more space and amenities for passengers and flight crews from the 20 to 30 corporate aircraft that use the airport daily.

Aero Country Airport is located on the west edge of McKinney and is a privately owned public-use recreational airport with a 4,352-foot long runway that has a daily use of about 30 planes, primarily single-engine aircraft.

Railways
Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad (DGNO)

Notable people

 * Len Akin, professional football player
 * Dillon Anderson, 2nd National Security Advisor
 * Averie Bishop, businessperson, social media personality, Miss Texas 2022
 * Mike Bolsinger, professional baseball pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays
 * Larry Brantley, actor and comedian known for voicing Wishbone on the PBS series of the same name
 * William Calhoun, professional wrestler who used the professional name "Haystack" or "Haystacks" Calhoun
 * Hollie Cavanagh, singer who placed fourth on 11th season of American Idol
 * Tommy Crutcher, football player; honorable mention All-State football at McKinney High School in 1959; NCAA All-American at Texas Christian University in 1963; played eight seasons (1965–1972) in the NFL, mainly for the Green Bay Packers
 * Clem Daniels, pro football player
 * Elvis Duran, hall-of-fame radio host at Z100
 * Chad Haga, professional road racing cyclist
 * Kenneth E. Hagin, influential Pentecostal preacher, often called "father" (or "granddaddy") of the Word of Faith movement
 * Randy Ethan Halprin, a member of the Texas Seven
 * Adrianna Hicks, actress
 * Ronald Jones II, professional football player; graduate of McKinney North High School
 * Tom Kite, professional golfer
 * Brittany Lang, professional golfer, 2016 U.S. Women's Open champion
 * Zach Lee, professional baseball player
 * Anthony Lynn, former head coach of NFL's Los Angeles Chargers (2017–2020); player for Denver Broncos (1993), San Francisco 49ers (1995–1996), Denver Broncos (1997–1999)
 * Ray McDonald, NFL running back
 * MO3, rapper
 * Karthik Nemmani, 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion
 * Lee Nguyen, professional soccer player for New England Revolution
 * Ken Paxton, Texas state senator from District 8; member of Texas House of Representatives, 2003–2013; state attorney general
 * Alex Puccio, professional climber and bouldering champion
 * Johnny Quinn, Olympic athlete
 * Jason Ralph, actor
 * Robert Richardson Jr., NASCAR driver
 * Scott Sanford, certified public accountant and executive pastor of Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church; Republican member of Texas House of Representatives from McKinney since 2013
 * Guinn Smith, gold medalist at 1948 Summer Olympics in pole vault
 * James W. Throckmorton, governor of Texas, U.S. congressman, and member of Texas Senate
 * Andy Timmons, professional guitarist
 * London Woodberry, professional soccer player
 * Dudley Wysong, professional golfer