Collin County, Texas

Collin County is a place in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is close to big cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington. A small part of Dallas is actually inside Collin County.

In 2020, many people lived in Collin County—about 1,064,465. That makes it the sixth biggest county in all of Texas and one of the biggest in the whole United States. The main city, or county seat, of Collin County is McKinney. This area is part of a larger group of cities and towns called the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area.

History

Native American groups such as the Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Delaware, Kickapoo, and Tonkawa lived around Collin County and North Texas. Important Native American sites have been found near Lavon Lake and Sister Grove Creek. The county and its main city are named after Collin McKinney (1766–1861), one of the five men who helped write the Texas Declaration of Independence.

During the Civil War, Collin County voted against leaving the United States. This was partly because fewer people in the area owned others as slaves and because of the influence of James W. Throckmorton. Still, some men from Collin County joined to fight for the Confederacy, with Throckmorton leading a group of mounted riflemen.

Geography

Collin County, Texas, covers an area of 886 square miles (2,290 km²). Out of this, 841 square miles (2,180 km²) is land, and 45 square miles (120 km²) is water, which makes up 5.1% of the county.

Lakes

• Lavon Lake
• Lake Ray Hubbard (small part)

Adjacent counties

• Grayson County (north)
• Fannin County (northeast)
• Hunt County (east)
• Rockwall County (southeast)
• Dallas County (south)
• Denton County (west)

Communities

Collin County has many cities and towns, some of which are shared with other counties.

Cities partly in other counties include Carrollton, Celina, Dallas, Frisco, Garland, Josephine, Plano, Richardson, Royse City, Sachse, Van Alstyne, and Wylie.

Cities entirely within Collin County are Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Farmersville, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, Parker, Princeton, and Weston.

Towns in the county include Fairview, New Hope, and St. Paul.

Census-designated places are Seis Lagos and Westminster.

Unincorporated communities include Altoga, Arnold, Beverly Hill, Bloomdale, Branch, Chambersville, Chambliss, Clear Lake, Climax, Collin, Copeville, Cowley, Culleoka, Desert, Fayburg, Forest Grove, Frognot, Kelly, Little Ridge, Milligan, Millwood, New Mesquite, Pike, Rhea Mills, Rockhill, Sedalia, Snow Hill, Trinity Park, Valdasta, Walnut Grove, and Winningkoff.

Historical communities include Buckner, Lebanon, Lolaville, Renner, Shepton, and Wetsel.

Ghost towns are Biggers, Marilee, Nickelville, Parris, Roland, and Verona.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,064,465. The median age was 36.5 years. About 26% of residents were children under 18 years old, and 11% were adults 65 years or older. For every 100 girls and women, there were 96 boys and men, and for every 100 girls and women aged 18 and over, there were 94 boys and men aged 18 and over.

The people in the county were mostly White at 54%, with 10% being Black or African American, less than 1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 18% Asian, and smaller groups of other races. About 16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. Most people, about 94%, lived in towns and cities, while only 6% lived in the countryside.

There were about 381,000 homes in the county. About 40% of these homes had children under 18 living in them. Most homes, about 58%, were lived in by married couples. Some homes were lived in by single men or single women. About 22% of homes were lived in by one person, and a small number of homes had someone living alone who was 65 or older. There were about 403,000 places to live, but about 5% of them were empty. Most of the homes that were lived in were owned by the people living there.

2019 American Community Survey

In 2019, there were about 1,230 people living in each square mile of the county. The median age was 37.3 years.

About 12% of people spoke Spanish at home, and altogether about 30% spoke a language other than English at home. Many people in the county were born in other countries, making up about 22% of the population.

In 2019, about half of the people were non-Hispanic white. The Black or African American population was about 10%, Asian Americans made up about 16%, and Hispanic or Latino Americans made up about 16% of the population. The largest groups of people with European ancestors were from Germany, England, Ireland, and Italy.

The median income for a home in the county in 2019 was $96,134. Families had a higher median income of $113,471, and married couples had an even higher median income of $127,575. About 6% of people in the county lived in homes where they did not have enough money for their needs.

Housing and taxation

In 2019, the middle value of a home that people owned was $354,100. In 2007, Collin County had high taxes on homes compared to other places in the U.S.

Racial and ethnic composition

2000 census

In 2000, about 492,000 people lived in Collin County. Most people were White at about 81%, with smaller groups of Black or African American, Native American, Asian, and other races. About 10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. About 5% of children under 18 and 7% of adults 65 or older did not have enough money for their needs.

Religion

Christianity has been the most common religion in the county. According to a study in 2020, other religions are also present, including Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish groups. Among Christians, Catholics are the largest group, followed by Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals, and non-denominational Christians.

American Community Survey 2023

In 2023, the United States Census Bureau estimated that Collin County’s population was 1,195,359. The estimated breakdown was 50% non-Hispanic white, 12% non-Hispanic Black, 20% non-Hispanic Asian, 2% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, and smaller groups of other races.

Government, courts, and politics

Government

Collin County, like all counties in Texas, is led by a Commissioners Court. This group is led by a county judge, who is chosen by voters from the whole county. The judge works like a leader for the county. There are also four commissioners, each chosen by voters from different parts of the county.

Politics

Collin County has usually voted for Republican leaders in big elections since the 1960s. The last time a Democrat won here was a long time ago. But in recent years, more people have started to vote for different parties. In 2020, Joe Biden got almost half of the votes, which was a big improvement for Democrats since 1964. Even in 2024, more than 40% of people in Collin County voted for Kamala Harris, showing that the county's voting patterns are changing.

Education

K–12 education

Many school districts are located in Collin County. Some of these schools are entirely within the county, such as 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, and Wylie Independent School District. Other districts only partly lie within the county.

During the 1990s, many families moved from urban areas to Plano ISD. From around 1997 to 2015, the number of children in K–12 schools in the county grew, while the number of children in Plano ISD decreased.

Colleges and universities

Collin College began in McKinney in 1985 and now has seven campuses across the county. The college serves the entire county.

Dallas Baptist University and the University of North Texas also have sites in Frisco. Much of the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson is also in Collin County.

Transportation

Most of Collin County does not have public buses, except for the Red Line that ends in Plano. There were bus routes here from 2013 to 2015, but they stopped. Plans are being made to possibly extend the Red Line or Silver Line further north.

The county has many important roads, including U.S. Highway 75, U.S. Highway 380, and the Dallas North Tollway.

There are airports in McKinney for small planes, with one planning to add bigger airplanes soon. Some towns have train tracks for moving goods, but no trains for people to ride.

Parks

Main article: Parks and open spaces of Collin County, Texas

Collin County has many beautiful places to visit and enjoy the outdoors. Some of the popular parks include Bratonia Park, Myers Park, Parkhill Prairie, Sister Grove Park, and Trinity Trail. Visitors can also explore the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, where they can learn about nature and see animals in a safe environment.

Media

Collin County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex media market. Local media outlets include KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations from the Texoma market, such as KTEN-TV and KXII-TV, also provide coverage for the area.

Newspapers in Collin County include the Allen American, Celina Record, Farmersville Times, Frisco Enterprise, McKinney Courier-Gazette, and the Plano Star-Courier. Nearby publications like The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram also cover news for cities in the county.

Notable people

Collin County has been home to many interesting people throughout history.

Some well-known individuals from the county include Collin McKinney, who helped write Texas’s declaration of independence, and Sam Johnson, a politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. The county has also produced athletes like Kyler Murray, who plays football for the Arizona Cardinals, and entertainers such as Jason Ralph. Many others have made their mark in fields like sports, politics, and community service.