Parker, Texas

Parker is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,462 in 2020.

History
The first settlers arrived in the area that is now Parker in the early 1840s. The town was named after William C. Parker, the son of the area's first known settler, John C. Parker. It was incorporated as a city on March 22, 1969.

Corinth Presbyterian Church was founded in Parker in 1846, with the current sanctuary built in 1923, and is thought to be the oldest continuing congregation in Collin County.

Geography
Parker is located in southern Collin County at 33.05691°N, -96.62127°W. It is bordered to the north by Allen, to the west by Plano, to the south by Murphy, to the southeast by Wylie, and to the northeast by Lucas. It is 26 mi northeast of the center of Dallas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.6 km2, of which 0.1 sqkm, or 0.39%, is water. Parker is the location of the famed Southfork Ranch, the setting used in the television series Dallas.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,462 people, 1,250 households, and 1,228 families residing in the city.

Education
A small part of Parker is served by the Allen Independent School District, while the majority is served by the Plano Independent School District.

The portion of Parker in AISD is served by Allen High School. The portion of Parker in PISD is served by Plano East Senior High School.

Notable people

 * Patrisha Zobel de Ayala, CEO Emeritus of Ayala Conglomerates and Harvard Medical School alumna
 * Anna Kotchneva, gymnast
 * Jodie Anne Laubenberg, served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to the present; former member of the Parker City Council
 * Nastia Liukin, gymnast, 2008 Olympic Individual All-Around Gold medalist, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars
 * Valeri Liukin, gymnast, 1988 Olympic Horizontal Bar gold medalist
 * Rich Templeton, CEO of Texas Instruments