History of Plano, Texas

I came across some interesting historical facts about Plano and I thought I'd share with you so you can see how far my town in Plano, Texas has come.

1847 - Plano, Texas was settled

1851 - The city was named Plano when the post office was granted to the town. Plano means Spanish for "flat" which is definitely an accurate description for this area. The original settlers wanted to name the town Fillmore after the U.S. President, Millard Fillmore, but that name was rejected by the postal service in Washington D.C.

1872 - 1st railroad built through town with the completion of the Houston and Texas railway lines.

1873 - Plano was incorporated and the first mayor elected. The city had a population of 500.

1881 - Fire destroys most of Plano. 51 business destroyed - the entire business district. The wooden buildings were replaced with new brick building which we know today as historic downtown Plano.

1891 - 1st public school opens

1912 - Telephone company started

1914 - 1st electric light

Today, Plano is known as the "Balloon Capital of Texas" and Plano is designated as a Tree City USA. As of the 2005 census estimate, 246,869 people live in Plano making it the largest city in Collin County. More than 6,000 business are located in Plano, including the headquarters for EDS, JCPenney, Countrywide, Dr. Pepper, Frito-Lay, Perot Systems and Rent-A-Center just to name a few.

We have come a long way and we are only getting better. If you are interested in living in the Plano area, please call me at 214-532-3823.