Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a very wealthy and fast growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 33,714, while according to 2007 estimate, the city's population is approximately 95,000. Frisco has been and continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. In the late 1990s, the North Dallas development tide hit the northern border of prosperous Plano and spilled into Frisco, sparking explosive growth into the 2000s. Like many of the cities located in the booming northern suburbs of Dallas, Frisco is a very upscale and affluent city that serves as a bedroom community for many professionals that work in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. A 2007 Forbes study named Frisco as the seventh-fastest growing suburb in the United States .
History
When the Dallas area was being settled by European immigrants, many of the settlers traveled by wagon trains along the old Shawnee Trail. This trail was also used for cattle drives north from Austin. This trail later became the Preston Trail, and later, Preston Road. With all of this activity, the community of Lebanon was founded along this trail and granted a U.S. post office in 1860. In 1902, a line of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was being built through the area, and periodic watering holes were needed along the rails for the steam engines. The current settlement of Lebanon was on the Preston Ridge and was thus too high in elevation, so the watering hole was placed about four miles (6 km) to the west on lower ground. A community grew around this train stop. Residents of Lebanon actually moved their houses to the new community on logs. The new town was originally named Emerson, but that name was rejected by the U.S. Postal Service as being too similar to another town in Texas. In 1904, the residents chose Frisco City in honor of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway on which the town was founded, later shortened to its present name.
Geography
Frisco is located at 
33°8′29″N, 96°48′47″W (33.141263, -96.813120).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 70.0 square miles (181.4 km²), of which, 69.9 square miles (181.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.23%) is water.
Politics
Frisco is a "Home Rule" city. Frisco voters adopted its initial "Home Rule" Charter in 1987. In May 2002, Frisco residents voted to revise the Charter and approved 19 propositions.
The form of government adopted by Frisco is the Council-Manager, which consists of a Mayor and six City Council members elected "at-large" and a City Manager. Council members' duties include enacting local legislation (ordinances), adopting budgets, determining policies and appointing the City Manager and City Secretary.
The city's mayor is Mike Simpson. City Council includes Mayor Pro Tem Jim Joyner, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Joy West, Council Members Jeff Cheney, , Tony Felker, Matt Lafata, and David Prince.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,714 people, 12,065 households, and 9,652 families residing in the city. The population density was 482.4 people per square mile (186.3/km²). There were 13,683 housing units at an average density of 195.8/sq mi (75.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.25% White, 3.76% African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.34% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.02% of the population.
There were 12,065 households out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.
The age distribution is 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 45.9% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $95,591, and the median income for a family was $103,306. Males had a median income of $58,620 versus $37,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,089. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Like many Dallas suburbs, Frisco is accumulating a tremendous number of retail properties, including Stonebriar Centre (opened August 2000), a 165-store regional mall, and IKEA (opened 2006), a furniture store with an area of 28,800 square meters (310,000 sq ft). Retail establishments and restaurant chains line Preston Road, which is one of the major north-south-running traffic arteries in the city.
Frisco took a different economic track than many surrounding cities and elected to use a fractional percent of local sales tax to fund the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) rather than DART, the regional transportation body. The effectiveness of the FEDC, whose primary purpose is to reallocate such tax dollars to commercial ventures, is a matter of public debate.
Frisco also built Frisco Square, a mixed-use development that will become the new downtown. Frisco Square has about 250 rental residential units, 7 restaurants, about 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of commercial office space and a few personal service locations. The retail component has never really caught on and there are no retail locations in Frisco Square at this time. The major development in the project is the new City Hall and main library and a public commons.
Education
Primary and Secondary
Most of Frisco is a part of the Frisco Independent School District. Some parts extend into Lewisville Independent School District, Little Elm Independent School District, and Prosper Independent School District.
Frisco ISD has four high schools Frisco Centennial High School, Frisco High School, Frisco Liberty High School, and Frisco Wakeland High School. The latter two are 3A schools for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. By 2008, the number of students will qualify both as 4A, per UIL standards. Frisco ISD has the stated intention of keeping all high schools at a class 4A level to maximize student participation in school activities. Additional bond measures have been approved to construct three additional High Schools, and plans for an 8th High School to be drawn.
Higher
The Preston Ridge campus of the Collin County Community College District opened on Wade Boulevard in Frisco in August of 1995.
Dallas Baptist University opened up a regional academic center in Frisco's Hall Office Park in January of 2006, located at Warren Parkway and Internet Boulevard.
Recreation
Frisco has built the Frisco Athletic Center, which features 18,000 square feet (1,700 m²) of indoor aquatics elements and about 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of outdoor aquatic features. Some may refer to this as the "natotorium".
Sports
The Texas League AA minor league baseball team Frisco RoughRiders play in Frisco at the award-winning Dr Pepper Ballpark. The Dallas Stars National Hockey League is headquartered in Frisco and the team practices at the Deja Blue Arena there. The Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League have been based in Frisco since the fall of 2003, and shortly after the NAHL moved its main offices to Frisco. The Frisco Thunder of the Intense Football League began playing indoor football in Spring 2007 at the Deja Blue Arena. FC Dallas (formerly the Dallas Burn), a Major League Soccer team who formerly played at Dallas' Cotton Bowl, moved their home to Pizza Hut Park at the corner of the Dallas North Tollway and Main St. in Frisco in August 2005. A major international youth soccer tournament, The Dallas Cup, is hosted in Frisco each year and draws teams from around the world. Frisco is also home of the Superdrome, one of the top outdoor velodromes in the nation. The Southland Conference, an NCAA Division I athletics organization, relocated to Frisco in 2006.
External links
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