McKinney, Texas - Unique by Nature
information found on www.McKinneyTexas.org

McKinney, Texas, is close to Dallas
– and far from it.
Located 30 miles north of Dallas, McKinney’s gently rolling hills, tree-lined neighborhoods, historic downtown and beautiful parks give the city a quaint, small town feel – quite different from the Metroplex’s urban sprawl.

The friendly charm and comfortable pace belies the fact that McKinney, with a population of nearly 100,000 people, is the fastest-growing city in America.

Spend Some Time in McKinney
Visitors with an eye for history will enjoy touring the City’s historic neighborhoods, with beautifully restored homes from another century.

The original Collin County Courthouse is open for business. Now known as the McKinney Performing Arts Center at the Historic Collin County Courthouse, the facility is scheduled to open in 2006 as a performing arts venue, with a 480-seat theater suitable for intimate arts performances, lectures and events. In addition to the theater, several multi-purpose spaces such as a reception hall, auditorium, rehearsal space, audiovisual equipped classrooms, art gallery and executive suites.

The city’s downtown square offers more than 100 unique shops and more than a dozen unique restaurants, including upscale restaurants featuring award-winning chefs, sandwich shops, outdoor patio dining and neighborhood pubs.

If shopping is your thing, satisfy your craving for the fun and unusual in downtown McKinney, which offers an assortment of specialty shops, art galleries featuring the works of local artists, furniture stores, exquisite antique collections, gift shops and apparel boutiques.

With McKinney’s remarkable growth has come a growth of new retail and restaurants. New shopping and dining establishments are popping up nearly every day at Eldorado and US 75 and throughout the city’s west side.

Outdoor and sports enthusiasts will find much to love in McKinney, from hiking the trails at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary is a 289-acre outdoor preserve, two-acre plant garden and nature museum or take a ride on the mountain bike trails at Erwin Park, one of the toughest courses in the area.

The picturesque Towne Lake recreation area, one of McKinney’s beautiful city parks, features a lake with Swan paddle boats, trails, picnic pavilions and playgrounds.

The Myers Park has a show barn, and an indoor and outdoor arena, where you can see livestock, rodeos and motorcycle events. There is also a 30-000-sq. ft. farm museum.

Spend the Night
McKinney’s uniqueness continues into its lodging offerings. Visitors can choose between convenient contemporary hotels or one of the city’s charming bed and breakfasts located in McKinney’s historic district.

The City recently announced a new development anchored by a 10-story, 250-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel – the tallest and largest Courtyard by Marriott in the country.

Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and State Highway 121 and two miles from the Collin County Regional Airport, the Courtyard by Marriott will adjoin a planned 75,000-square-foot conference center, to be owned by the city of McKinney and managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels. The Courtyard by Marriott and McKinney Conference Center are part of a larger planned shopping and residence destination for the city of McKinney.

Collin County Community College opened its first campus in McKinney in 1986. The college recently announced that - after considering several sites - it would locate a 100,000-sq. ft. facility housing its administrative office and culinary arts program at the new Gateway development.

Spend a Lifetime
McKinney has a unique neighborhood for every lifestyle and income level. Whether you are in the market for a starter house to country club living to a restored historic house, McKinney has a home for you.

McKinney offers outstanding schools. The city currently has two high schools – McKinney High School and McKinney North High School – and a third high school opening for the 2006 school year.

Play Ball!
The city hosts the annual Mickey Mantle baseball tournament and is home to the McKinney Marshals, a Texas Collegiate League team. The Marshals play at the new Ballfields at Craig Ranch, a 14-field, 75-acre baseball, softball and physical-training complex. The McKinney Soccer Complex at Craig Ranch is located next to the Ballfields and features 13 tournament-ready soccer fields.

In 2006, McKinney will welcome the X-Stream Thrills water park to the Craig Ranch facilities.

Craig Ranch is also home to the new Tournament Players Club at Craig Ranch, the only PGA Tour-owned and -operated golf course in Texas. The TPC is one of nine beautiful courses in McKinney, which is home to a number of professional golfers and world-class golf instruction.

The world-renowned Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch is currently under construction at Craig Ranch. When completed, the 75,000-sq. ft. facility will be the first fully-operated and owned Cooper Fitness Center outside of the original facility in North Dallas. It will be the premier health and fitness facility in the county and one of the finest anywhere in the world.

Fly In
Collin County Regional Airport is rapidly emerging as the new corporate airport of choice for businesses operating in the North Dallas area. The airport is currently home to several corporate tenants, including Texas Instruments, EDS, Crossmark, Inc., Encore Wire, United American Insurance, McKinney Aerospace, Lattimore Materials, Pinjet Aviation and North Dallas Aviation.

When combined, general aviation tenants and visitors at CCRA are responsible for $65.7 million in total economic output, approximately 470 full-time positions, and $13.1 million in payroll.

Collin County Regional Airport is situated between SH 121, U.S. 75 and SH 380 and is minutes from downtown Dallas, Richardson’s Telecom Corridor and the Millennium and Legacy Business Parks.

Uniquely Business Friendly
McKinney’s population is energetic, affluent and well-educated. 48 percent of McKinney residents have college degrees while another 23 percent have attended – or are currently attending college. The median age is 31 and the estimated average household income is $94,000.

Retailers have noticed the city’s attractive demographics.

In a 2005 Dallas Morning News survey of retail growth in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, McKinney placed second in retail construction (454,000 sq. ft.) and highest retail occupancy levels (98.3 percent). McKinney was the only city to place in the top five in each category.

The City’s diverse economy includes a healthy mix of retail, office and manufacturing. Some of McKinney’s leading employers include Raytheon, Blockbuster, Lattimore Materials, Encore Wire, the McKinney Medical Center, United American Insurance, Timber Blind Manufacturing, Orthofix and Simpson Strong-Tie.

The City is home to Wal-Mart’s “McKinney Experiment,” through which the retail giant is testing environmentally sustainable materials, technologies and processes.