Collin County, Texas

Collin County, Texas
Collin County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small portion of the city of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States census, the county's population is 1,064,465, making it the sixth-most populous county in Texas and the 43rd-largest county by population in the United States. Its county seat is McKinney.
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 , of which is land and (5.1%) is covered by water.
Lakes
Lavon Lake
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Grayson County (north)
Fannin County (northeast)
Hunt County (east)
Rockwall County (southeast)
Dallas County (south)
Denton County (west)
Communities
Cities (shared with other counties)
Carrollton (mostly in Dallas and Denton counties)
Celina (small part in Denton County)
Dallas (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall and Collin counties)
Frisco (partly in Denton County)
Garland (mostly in Dallas County and a small part in Rockwall County)
Josephine (small part in Hunt County)
Plano (small part in Denton County)
Prosper (partly in Denton County)
Richardson (mostly in Dallas County)
Royse City (mostly in Rockwall County and partly Hunt County)
Sachse (mostly in Dallas County)
Van Alstyne (mostly in Grayson County)
Wylie (small parts in Rockwall and Dallas counties)
Cities
Allen
Anna
Blue Ridge
Celina
Farmersville
Lavon
Lowry Crossing
Lucas
McKinney (county seat)
Melissa
Murphy
Nevada
Parker
Princeton
Weston
Towns
Fairview
Hebron (mostly in Denton County)
New Hope
St. Paul
Census-designated places
Seis Lagos
Westminster
Unincorporated communities
Altoga
Arnold
Beverly Hill
Bloomdale
Branch
Buckner
Chambersville
Chambliss
Clear Lake
Climax
Collin
Copeville
Cowley
Culleoka
Desert
Fayburg
Forest Grove
Frognot
Kelly
Little Ridge
Marilee
Milligan
Millwood
New Mesquite
Pike
Rhea Mills
Rockhill
Roland
Sedalia
Snow Hill
Trinity Park
Valdasta
Verona
Walnut Grove
Wetsel
Winningkoff
Historical communities
Lebanon
Kiamba, Texas
Lolaville
Renner
Shepton
Ghost towns
Biggers
Nickelville
Parris
Demographics
In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau determined 491,675 people resided in Collin County. With the economic and population growth of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, its population increased to 1,064,465 at the 2020 U.S. census. The population density as of 2019 was . Among the population, its median age was 37.3, up from the statewide median age of 35.1. Linguistically, 11.6% of the county spoke Spanish as their household language, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander languages. Altogether 29.7% of Collin County spoke a language other than English at home, contributed in part by its large foreign-born population which made up 22% of the population according to 2019 estimates from the American Community Survey.
The median income for a household in the county as of 2019 was $96,134, up from $70,835 in 2000. Families had a median household income of $113,471, married-couple families $127,575, and non-family households $53,986. An estimated 6.3% of Collin County's residents lived at or below the poverty line from 2014 to 2019. In 2000, about 3.30% of families and 4.90% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those aged 65 and older.
Of its residential properties, the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $354,100 in 2019, with a total of 8% of owner-occupied housing units ranging from less than $100,000 up to $200,000. In 2007, Collin County was ranked No. 21 for high property taxes in the U.S. as percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. It also tanked in the top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income. Part is this is due to the Robin Hood plan school financing system in Texas.
Race and ethnicity
Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
At the 2000 census, the racial and ethnic 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 American of any race. In 2019, the American Community Survey estimated its non-Hispanic white population now represented 55%, reflecting a national demographic trend of diversification. The Black or African American population grew to 10%, Asian Americans made up 16% of the population, and Hispanic or Latino Americans increased to 16% of the total population in 2019; multiracial Americans made up an estimated 2% of the county population. The largest European ancestry groups from 2014 to 2019 were Germans, English Americans, and Irish and Italian Americans. By the publication of the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of Collin County was 50.96% non-Hispanic white, 10.16% Black or African American, 0.36% American Indian or Alaska Native, 17.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.46% some other race, 4.41% multiracial, and 15.89% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.
Religion
Christianity has historically been the predominant religious affiliation among the county's residents as part of the Bible Belt. According to the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute study, non-Christian religions are present and have been growing, largely due to migration into the county; among the non-Christian population, 3% were Hindu, 2% Muslim and 2% Jewish. Overall among its Christian population, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and non- or inter-denominational Christians have been prominent.
Government, courts, and politics
Government
Collin County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a Commissioners Court. The court is chaired by a county judge (equivalent to a county executive in other states) who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.
County Judge & Commissioners
County Officials
Justices of the Peace
Politics
Since the 1960s, Collin County has consistently supported Republican candidates in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. By 2020, Collin County was considered a highly competitive bellwether county due to its demographic changes and the shift of college-educated voters away from the Republicans. Despite this, it remains very Republican downballot; Republicans hold all of the county-level offices and all but one of the county's seats in the state legislature.
United States House of Representatives
Texas State Representatives
Texas State Senators
State Board of Education member
Education
K-12 education
The following school districts lie entirely within Collin County:
Allen Independent School District
Anna Independent School District
Farmersville Independent School District
Lovejoy Independent School District
McKinney Independent School District
Melissa Independent School District
Plano Independent School District
Princeton Independent School District
Wylie Independent School District
The following districts lie partly within the county:
Bland Independent School District (very small part only)
Blue Ridge Independent School District
Celina Independent School District
Community Independent School District
Frisco Independent School District
Gunter Independent School District (very small part)
Leonard Independent School District (very small part only)
Prosper Independent School District
Rockwall Independent School District
Royse City Independent School District
Trenton Independent School District (very small part only)
Van Alstyne Independent School District (very small part only)
Whitewright Independent School District (very small part only)
In the 1990s Plano ISD received many non-Hispanic white families leaving urban areas. From circa 1997 and 2015 the number of non-Hispanic white children in K-12 schools in the county increased by 40,000 as part of a trend of white flight and suburbanization by non-Hispanic white families; however the same number of Plano ISD in particular decreased by 10,000 in that period.
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, Rockwall, Wylie, Farmersville, and Celina. Collin College's official service area includes all of Collin County.
Dallas Baptist University also has an extension site in Frisco, DBU Frisco, as well as the University of North Texas's extension side, UNT Frisco. The majority of the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson, Texas lies within Collin County.
Parks
Bratonia Park
Myers Park
Parkhill Prairie
Sister Grove Park
Trinity Trail
Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary
Media
Collin County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth media market. 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, Farmersville Times, 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.
Notable people
Collin McKinney (1766-1861) Politician, businessman, and co-author of the Texas Declaration of Independence
Griff Barnett (1884-1958) Actor born in Blue Ridge
Josh Blaylock (Born 1990) Actor and photographer born in Plano
Samuel Bogart (1797-1861)
Casey Dick (Born 1986) Football player born in Lucas
Russell E. Dickenson (1923-2008) Park ranger born in Melissa
Julie Doyle (Born 1996) Soccer player for Sky Blue FC (NWSL) born in Fairview
Devin Duvernay (Born 1997) Football player for Baltimore Ravens born in Sachse
King Fisher (1853-1884) Texas rancher and gunfighter born in Collin County
James R. Gough (1860-1916) Texas State Senator born in Collin County
Frank Shelby Groner (1877-1943) Lawyer, pastor, and educator born near Weston
Aubrey Otis Hampton (1900-1955) Radiologist born in Copeville
Warren Glenn Harding Sr. (1921-2005) Texas State Treasurer born in Princeton
Jimmie C. Holland (1928-2017) Founder of the field of psycho-oncology, born in Nevada
Sam Johnson (1930-2020) Politician who represented Collin County and Texas's 3rd District in US House of Representatives
Kyler Murray (Born 1997) Football player for Arizona Cardinals from Allen
Bumper Pool, Football player born in Lucas
Jason Ralph (Born 1986), Actor born in McKinney
James W. Throckmorton (1825-1894) 12th Governor of Texas, lived and is buried in McKinney
See also
List of museums in North Texas
National Register of Historic Places listings in Collin County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Collin County
References
External links
Collin County government's website
1846 Plat of Buckner the first county seat of Collin County, from the Collin County Historical Society, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
Life in Collin County
Collin County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
Collin Chronicles hosted by the Portal to Texas History
Texas State Election History
1846 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1846