Texas Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Plano, Texas

Population: 250,096

Located in Collin County

Family-friendly community spirit; award-winning schools; outstanding libraries; spacious parklands; cultural, leisure and recreational venues; internationally-recognized Police, Fire and Public Safety departments; a thriving global business base; a stable local economy; All-America City designation...these are just a few of the reasons over 261,000 residents are proud to call Plano "home." Plano is an upper-middle class suburb a few miles north of Dallas. Located within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Plano has grown into one of the largest cities in the state of Texas, with the lowest crime rate for Texas cities over 200,000.

An international business destination boasting over 10,000 registered businesses, Plano is world headquarters for corporate giants such as JC Penney, Frito-Lay, Ericsson and EDS. Plano offers eight distinctive shopping areas and malls with over 70 neighborhood shopping centers. More than 700 restaurants offer a rich variety of cuisines and dining styles. Development corridors and business parks are conveniently located near major thoroughfares, with four modern airports, including Dallas/Ft. Worth International, one of the world's largest, within an easy 30-minute drive.

With its unbeatable quality of life and strong municipal-citizen partnerships, it's no wonder that Plano has been consistently named among the best places to live and to retire. Plano's neighborhoods offer new and existing housing to suit every lifestyle, from sleek urban lofts to country estates to first-time homebuyer properties. Plano's neighborhoods are communities in every sense of the word. We have a wide variety of single-family homes, including historic preservation areas, a rich variety of apartment complexes, and new senior housing complexes, as well as assisted living facilities, attesting to the popularity of Plano as a retirement destination. Two thriving urban centers, Historic Downtown Plano and the Shops at Legacy, support green living at its best, with residents able to enjoy a carefree car-free lifestyle. Both afford the opportunity to live, work and play in new urban concept settings with ready access to mass transportation.

The Plano Independent School District serves more than 54,000 students on 67 campuses and two special program centers. Nearly half of the district's staff hold master's degrees, and our teachers have an average of ten years of experience. The U. S. Dept. of Education has awarded the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence award to 22 Plano ISD schools. A number of Plano institutions offer private and parochial education. The University of Texas-Dallas and Collin College are located here, and several other universities, including Southern Methodist University, Texas Women's University, University of Dallas-Plano, DeVry University and Dallas Baptist University, have satellite campuses in Plano.

Plano is proud to have been a regional environmental leader for decades, continually winning awards for its programming excellence from giants such as Keep America Beautiful, the international Solid Waste Association of North America and Keep Texas Beautiful. For Plano "green" isn't just a color--it's a lifestyle. Plano has led the region in the use of hybrid vehicles, and was one of the first cities in the state to convert to automated refuse and curbside recycling collection. In 2006 Plano began a Live Green in Plano community education and volunteer program, a Green Builder's programming, and the development of in-house LEED certifications, municipal green policies and an employee Green Team program. Plano's annual Live Green Expo is one of the largest environmental festivals in the nation.

Residents benefit from the diverse educational, recreational and athletic programming and inviting green space offered by Plano's Parks and Recreation Department. The department is a three-time recipient of the National Gold Medal for Excellence in Parks and Recreation and was the first agency in Texas to receive national accreditation. Plano has been an official Tree City USA for 19 years. Residents enjoy over 3,858 acres of parklands, including 81 park sites, 51 miles of recreational trails, 68 playgrounds and a large and accommodating dog park. Plano's Interurban Railway Museum holds a place on the National Register of Historic Places and the Farrell-Wilson Farmstead offers a hands-on glimpse at Plano's farming past.

Attractive business incentives and a diverse, highly educated workforce provide the pro-business climate for making Plano a ripe employment environment for everything from healthcare, research and technology, to retail business, to home-based offices. We are rapidly becoming a major health center, with Presbyterian, Baylor and Medical Center of Plano hospital campuses supplemented by a children's hospital, regional cancer center, state-of-the-art specialty centers and numerous physician clusters. It's no wonder so many people have chosen Plano as the place to work and play. Won't you join us?