Collin County, Texas

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 square miles (2,290 km²), of which 841 square miles (2,180 km²) is land and 45 square miles (120 km²) (5.1%) is covered by water.

Lakes

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 491,675 people, 181,970 households, and 132,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 580 people per square mile (224/km²). There were 194,892 housing units at an average density of 230 per square mile (89/km²). The racial 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 of any race.

According to U.S. Census figures released in 2006, the racial makeup of the county was as follows: 77.21% White, 7.26% African American, 10.02% Asian, 0.45% Native American, 5.06% of other or mixed race. 12.8% Hispanic of any race.

There were 181,970 households out of which 40.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.18. As of the 2010 census, there were about 4.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 37.90% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 5.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $70,835, and the median income for a family was $81,856 (these figures had risen to $77,671 and $91,881 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $57,392 versus $36,604 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,345. About 3.30% of families and 4.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over. Based on median household income, as of 2006, Collin County is the second richest county in Texas after Fort Bend, and is considered one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.

However, Collin - like other Texas counties - has one of the nation's highest property tax rates. In 2007, it was #21 for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner occupied housing. It also ranked in the Top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income. Part of this is due to the Robin Hood plan school financing system in Texas.

Government

Collin County is a Republican stronghold in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. As the northern Dallas suburbs spilled into Collin County in the late 1960s and early 1970s, its politics immediately swung to the Republican Party.

In the House of Representatives, most of Collin County is part of the 3rd district. The eastern and northwestern portions are in the 4th district, while a small southeastern section is in the 32nd district. All three districts are held by Republicans, the 3rd by Sam Johnson, the 4th by John Ratcliffe and the 32nd by Pete Sessions.

Education

The following school districts lie entirely within Collin County:

The following districts lie partly within the county:

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 and Rockwall. Dallas Baptist University also has an extension site in Frisco, DBU Frisco. The majority of the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson, Texas lies within Collin County.

Parks

Collin County Parks and Open Spaces

Media

Collin County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. 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, 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.

Towns

Census-designated place

Historical communities

Ghost towns

Notable people