Plano Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Collin County, Texas


	Plano Houses for Sale

Plano

Plano occupies 71.4 square miles, most of which lies in Collin County. Denton County, just to the west of Collin, contains 3.1 square miles of Plano. The climate is moderate, with warm summers and mild winters. The average annual precipitation totals approximately 29.46 inches of rainfall. The city is known for its excellent quality of life including top-rated schools, a low crime rate and plenty of cultural and recreational opportunities.

The Plano Independent School District serves residents within approximately 100 square miles in the southwestern corner of Collin County. The district has been recognized by the Texas Education Agency as one of eight state independent school districts with students who demonstrate mastery of higher-level cognitive skills. Twenty-one PISD schools have been named "National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Education. More than 90% of graduating seniors continue to higher education.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of classes and recreational activities for persons of all ages. The community recreation program in Plano is a cooperative venture between the city and the school district. Existing school buildings are used during the year for recreation classes and activities during hours that school is not in session.

While the city's growth has been dramatic, the city is dedicated to retaining its heritage. Plano's Historic Preservation efforts began in 1979 when the City Council adopted the Historic Landmark Preservation Ordinance. Seventeen properties have been designated as local historic landmarks since 1979. Most of these properties are located within walking distance of the downtown area. Current efforts by local merchants, property owners and the city use the unique older structures in the original part of Plano as the basis for attracting a new generation to Historic Plano.

The Courtyard Theatre, a renovation of a 1930s school gymnasium into a 360-seat performing arts theater, has been completed. The ArtCentre Theatre, located in a renovated historic downtown building, is home to Plano Repertory. The Theatre features a number of art galleries for displays of local artists as well as national shows.

In addition to the historic downtown district, Plano offers other historical landmarks, museums, farmsteads and other attractions. Known as the "world's most famous ranch," Plano's Southfork Ranch has attracted millions of visitors ever since it became the homestead of the fictional Ewing clan. Although most visitors are aware that J.R., Bobby, nor Miss Ellie never actually lived at the ranch, they are drawn to its sprawling acres in hopes of experiencing a bit of television history and a lot of Texas hospitality. The Ranch has a number of exhibits and shops as well as a tram tour.

Fairview Farms Marketplace is a unique development created to take you back to simple days of farm life years ago. The Marketplace features the Fairview Corral Barn, a country style party facility that seats up to 350 people and can be rented out for special events. Barnyard Buddies has pony rids, petting zoos, games and more. The Farmer's Market has a great selection of daily farm fresh produce.

The four-acre Heritage Farmstead Museum preserves a way of life during the height of farm prosperity in the early 1900s. The beautiful Victorian home and 12 outbuildings was the hub of a 360-acre farm operated by a colorful local resident, Ammie Wilson. The museum is open to the public and guided tours are available.

Other popular attractions include the Interurban Railway Station Museum showcasing the once vital part of the Texas Electric Railway that stretched from Denison to Waco; the Plano Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary with numerous exhibits including fossils, local wildlife, Indian artifacts, rocks, minerals and seashells as well as numerous nature trails winding through the 274-acre property; Billy Bob's Texas is the world's largest country music "honky tonk" where professional rodeo cowboys do their stuff in the indoor arena.

Plano's growth over the past two decades is largely the result of its pro-business attitude and enthusiastic accommodation of industry. Numerous projects have been completed in recent years including The Shops at Willow Bend, a 1.6 million square foot regional mall; Granite Park Phase II, a 10-story office tower with 260,000 square feet of space; Lacerte Software Corporation's headquarters, a 165,000 square foot building located in the Legacy business park; and a new campus for Flextronics, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer with 500,000 square feet in the first phase. Flextronic's campus is a major addition to the city's Research Technology district.

Two new urbanism developments combining residential, retail, restaurant and office have also been added as well as the new Legacy Town Center that includes a Doubletree Hotel, office buildings, retail shops, apartments and restaurants. Plano Transit Village, located in Plano's historic downtown, will offer apartments, restaurants, retail shops and "live/work" space immediately adjacent to a light rail stop.

Plano is an area of rapid change, but settlers have lived here since the 1840s. Historic Plano was a small agricultural community originally settled by farmers from Tennessee and Kentucky who were attracted by the flat land and rich soil. Many of the early settlers came by way of the Texas Road. This early trail originated in St. Louis and continued southward through Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio along the alignment of present-day Preston Road (S.H. 289). The railroad came to Plano in 1872, opening up large markets for area farmers. Population in the area remained fairly stable until 1950. Since then, total city population has increased from 2,126 people to more than 230,000 people today.