McKinney

McKinney is a city in North Texas, north of Dallas on the East Fork of the Trinity River. It is named after Collin McKinney, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, who also gave his first name to Collin County.

The town was chosen as the county seat in 1848 for its central place in the county, near a spring on the prairie. Cotton farms covered the black soil around it, and a cotton mill and a cottonseed oil mill opened after the railway arrived in the 1870s. An electric interurban railway from Dallas reached the town in the early 20th century. The courthouse on the square, finished in 1876, was the center of the town and serves as a performing arts center. From the 2000s the city spread quickly as a suburb of the Dallas area, with new neighborhoods spreading across the old farmland.

Encore Wire, a maker of copper electrical wire and cable, has its head office and factories in McKinney. Globe Life, an insurance company, moved its head office to the city in the 2020s.

The Historic Downtown Square keeps brick shops and restaurants of the late 19th century around the old courthouse. Chestnut Square Historic Village gathers historic houses, a chapel and a general store from the early days of the town. The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, south of the city, protects wetlands and prairie along trails. Towne Lake Park has a lake for paddle boats and a disc golf course. Each autumn Oktoberfest brings music and food to the downtown streets.