Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas is one of the largest suburbs in the metropolitan area with a population of 265,000. The city boasts a high standard of living, an extremely low poverty rate and some of the best schools in the nation. In fact, Plano was chosen as the best place to live in the western United States in 2005 and ranked 11th in the entire country the following year. All of these factors make moving to Plano an excellent choice.
Economy:
Plano has a strong economy and actually ranks as the wealthiest city in America with a population of over 250,000 (according to the Census Bureau in 2008). Although the city is a suburb of Dallas, more than 100,000 work within the Plano city limits. Plano’s main industrial sectors include financial services, telecommunications, software, electronics and healthcare. Many national and international corporations have located their headquarters in Plano, including JC Penney, Frito-Lay, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Ericsson. Companies like JC Penney, Frito Lay and Dr Pepper Snapple Group are among Plano’s main employers, a list which also includes Bank of America Home Loans, Perot Systems Corporation and Alcatel-Lucent.
History:
The area that became Plano had its first settlers in the 1840s, with the town growing to an agricultural center over the following decades. With the arrival of the Houston and Central Texas Railroad in 1873, Plano was incorporated and named for the Spanish term for “flat” (a commentary on the surrounding terrain). The town had a population of only 500 at the time of incorporation, and the numbers grew slowly for several decades to come, reaching 1304 people in 1900 and 2126 people in 1950. The spread of the Dallas suburbs and the increase in automobile use following World War II began to increase Plano’s size, but the real boom came during and after the 1970s. Where Plano had 17,872 people in 1970, the population had grown to 72,000 by 1980, 128,713 in 1990 and 222,030 by 2000. Today, Plano moving companies transport numerous families to this area and its neighboring towns.
Tourism:
Although it is considered a suburb of Dallas, Plano ranks as a cultural center in its own right. The Historic Downtown district features museums, theaters, shops, galleries and restaurants in a compact area reachable by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail and buses. The city also has several museums, including the Interurban Railway Museum, with historic rail cars from the Texas Electric Railway, and the ArtCentre of Plano, featuring both local and national art in its galleries. Every September, more than 90,000 attendees arrive in Plano for the Plano Balloon Festival, which features hot-air balloon launches, music and fireworks. Travel to Plano is possible via the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the Dallas Love Airport, both within 45 minutes of downtown Plano.
Colleges/Universities:
• Southern Methodist University-in-Plano
• Collin College-Courtyard Center Campus
Interesting Facts:
• Plano is home to the World Olympics Gymnastics Academy. This served as the home gym for 2004 and 2008 women’s all-around Olympic champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Lukin.
• The ranch used for the Ewing ranch in the television show “Dallas” is really the Southfork Ranch in Plano. Visitors to the ranch can take the tram past longhorn cattle and flags representing countries that have watched “Dallas,” buy memorabilia in the gift shops and tour “Dallas”-themed exhibits at the house.
• Many current television actors got their starts in Plano. These include Chace Crawford (“Gossip Girl”), Kevin McHale (“Glee”), Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”), Alan Tudyk (“Firefly,” “Dollhouse”) and Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”).
Helpful Links:
• Plano Moving Guide
• Plano Storage Facilities
• Plano Real Estate
• City of Plano
• Historical Downtown Plano