Discover the Joys of Living in McKinney, Texas
The seat of Collin County, McKinney is a city of approximately 200,000 residents,
making it the county’s second largest. It covers an area of just over sixty square miles about
thirty minutes north of Dallas. McKinney was founded in 1849 when William Davis, a pioneer
settler, donated 120 acres of his 3000-acre property for the new townsite. The settlement was
incorporated ten years later. The city, as well as the county it resides in, derive their names from
another pioneer and land surveyor, Collin McKinney.
McKinney has accrued a number of notable accomplishments over the years, including
being named the number four best place to raise a family in Texas by smartasset.com, the
number two best real estate market in the US by wallethub.com, and the number one best place
to live in America by Money magazine. Diverse and successful businesses like Ratheon,
Torchmark, and Tenent Tracker all maintain corporate presences in the city, and it has also
attracted the attention of the film industry; scenes from TV shows like Shark Tank and Prison
Break, as well as the ’74 classic Benji, were all filmed on location in McKinney.
Locally-oriented cultural events take place year-round in McKinney. The Morning
Maniacs, a local car club, meet every Saturday morning in the southwest corner of the historic
downtown disctrict for Classics on the Square, a classic car show. Arts in Bloom, an annual art
show, takes place in the spring and showcases the work of dozens of local artists, including
student artists from the McKinney Independent School District, as well as local food vendors and
wineries. Krewe of Barkus, named after the famed New Orleans parade, is an annual dog-themed
event which donates its proceeds to help neglected and abused pets.