Mckinney, TX: Profiler by The Pescatore Avrit Team

McKinney

The annual Artistic Krewe of Barkus parade in downtown McKinney is a canine-oriented Mardi Gras celebration which includes prizes for pet costumes and float designs, as well as servings of jambalaya and king cake.

Description
McKinney, 30 miles north of Dallas, boasts gently rolling hills, tree-lined neighborhoods and a historic downtown. City leaders estimate the population at around 112,000, more than double the number counted in the 2000 Census, making McKinney one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.
The original Collin County Courthouse – now the McKinney Performing Arts Center – stands at the center of McKinney's downtown square. Collin County Regional Airport, at the convergence of U.S. 75 and State Highways 121 and 380, is emerging as a regional corporate airport.
With its slogan "Unique by Nature," the city has supported a "green" initiative, encouraging local businesses to build environmentally friendly facilities. Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney, the nation's first LEED-certified automobile dealership, joined Wal-Mart's "McKinney Experiment" as high-profile, environmentally friendly businesses operating in McKinney.

History
McKinney was named for Collin McKinney, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The town is the county seat of Collin County, also named for Mr. McKinney.
On March 24, 1849, William Davis, who owned 3,000 acres where McKinney now stands, donated 120 acres for the town site. Ten years later McKinney was incorporated, and in 1913 the town adopted the commission form of government.
For the first 125 years of its history, McKinney served as the principal commercial center for the county, providing farmers with flour, corn and cotton mills, cotton gins, a cotton compress and cottonseed oil mill, as well as banks, churches, schools, newspapers and, since the 1880s, an opera house.
Farmers and manufacturers were able to ship their goods on the Houston and Texas Central Railway, which reached McKinney in 1872, and, beginning in 1881, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. From 1908 to 1948 the Texas Electric Railroad, running from Denison to Dallas and Waco, served McKinney.
By 1953 McKinney had a population of more than 10,000 and 355 businesses. The town continued to serve as an agribusiness center for the county until the late 1960s, but by the mid-1980s, the town had become a residential area for commuters working in Plano and Dallas.

McKinney: Anchored by it's past

When it came time to put down roots, Jay Halderman and his wife, Lori, considered several cities: Seattle, Austin, Houston, Las Vegas and the town of Angleton, near Houston. But they decided on McKinney. The clincher was a visit to the city’s historic downtown.
“The area has this heart that had been preserved,” said Mr. Halderman. “It reminded me of the little town in Ohio where my dad grew up.”

McKinney has a small-town feel, he says, yet offers proximity to “big-city amenities” such as shopping and culture. The couple moved from Los Angeles in 2000. Lori Halderman, an obstetrician, has established a busy practice at McKinney Medical Center; Mr. Halderman works from home as a freelance video producer. The Haldermans have two children, ages 6 and 4, and consider McKinney a good place to raise kids.

Many families think likewise. City leaders estimate the population at about 112,000, more than double the number counted in the 2000 U.S. census, making McKinney one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. “A lot of young, middle-class families are moving into the area,” said Chris Harden, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a McKinney resident. “It has every kind of shopping you could want, but there is also a quiet, country feel.”

McKinney is home to a 289-acre wildlife sanctuary and has many biking and hiking trails.
“You see rolling hills here,” said Mr. Halderman. “I almost feel like I’m in Vermont.”
McKinney residents face a hefty commute into Dallas, which is 30 miles south. But many residents work in McKinney — home to Blockbuster, Raytheon and other big employers — or at one of the many corporations headquartered in nearby Plano.

The area east of Central Expressway includes historic neighborhoods as well as the downtown, with the original Collin County Courthouse at the center. The courthouse was reborn in 2006 as McKinney Performing Arts Center, a 480-seat theater. An assortment of specialty shops, antique stores, galleries and wine shops offers shoppers a wide variety, but the area feels more “lived-in than touristy. Most newer developments are west of the expressway and offer properties ranging from starter houses to large homes in upscale country-club communities.
“McKinney is a place where first-time buyers can get in,” said Mr. Harden, who estimates the general new-home price range at $100,000 to $2 million. Small, fixer-upper homes can still be priced as low as $50,000 in parts of McKinney.

New shopping and dining places “are popping up nearly every day” at the intersection of Eldorado Parkway and Central Expressway and throughout the western half of McKinney, notes the city’s Web site. Kathy Burt, who moved to McKinney from Dallas in 1988, said it’s nice to have choices, but she worries the growth could get out of hand. “When we moved here, Steak Country and the Dairy Queen were the main restaurants,” she said. But she says the city government is doing a good job of managing the influx. When fire struck her 100-year-old home while the family was traveling two years ago, neighbors alerted the Burts. When they arrived home around midnight after a 14-hour drive, dozens of people were waiting on their front lawn, ready to help. “Our neighbors offered us unbelievable support we’ll never forget,” she said.
That kind of story wouldn’t surprise Mr. Harden, who says, “McKinney is just a very friendly, down-home place.”

Allen, TX : The Face of Recreation

Trends: Media Room Moving out of Dark Ages

Media rooms moving out of the dark ages
09:37 PM CST on Saturday, February 23, 2008
By KATE GOODLOE / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Media rooms may no longer be the media centers of new homes.
Dallas-area builders say more buyers are spreading televisions and sound systems throughout their houses, and even asking for windows or balconies in their media rooms so they can be converted to an extra bedroom or exercise space in the future.
"It's very different from a couple of years ago, when the whole market was basically saying no windows in the media room," said Lisa Suarez, director of strategic marketing for the Dallas office of Centex Homes. "Now we give that buyer an option to decide if they want that room to be truly a media room, always a media room."
Builders say the shift is a result of several things. Among them: function and technology.
Media rooms became popular as dark, windowless spaces where families could watch movies, said Jamie Smith, owner of Flagstone Custom Homes in Dallas. But he is now installing windows in the room, making it multifunctional.
"A lot of people are using those rooms for something else besides a media room," Mr. Smith said. "So we give them that option ... instead of saying, 'Hey, this is a dark, windowless room, and this is what you're going to do with it.' "
Making the room more useful increases the home's resale value, he said.
Some families are focusing on media centers in other parts of the house, too.
One popular idea: a game room that looks like a sports bar, with five or more televisions on a wall so people can watch several football games at once. Chuck Morrill, president of CnC Audio Visual in Dallas, said one of every 15 to 20 of his clients asks for this setup.
"It's totally social," said Mr. Morrill, who works primarily on homes worth $1 million or more. "They just build the whole thing around games and entertainment."
Mr. Smith said he's even seen family rooms set up as de facto media spaces, with projectors and screens that retract into the ceiling when not in use.
"You have a theater in there without having to dedicate the entire room," he said.
Some of the push to spread media throughout the house is simply the result of having more TVs in new homes, builders said. Steve Burke, the director of production for luxury builder Hawkins Wellwood, said he's installed 19 televisions in a single house – but knows of projects with more than 40.
It's also a social change. Even buyers who want an actual media room are asking for it to be in an area of the house where the family usually gathers, builders said.
Mr. Smith said he used to build media rooms above the garage, but now families want them downstairs near their family and living areas. Ms. Suarez of Centex Homes said that the builder has one floor plan where the media room is directly off the family area.
"It makes sense because if you have a young family, mom is in the kitchen, dad is in the media room and the kids can be watching TV in the family area, and everyone can be near each other," Ms. Suarez said. "I guess the new thing is going to be a TV in every room."
businessnews@dallasnews.com
WHERE TO WATCH
Here are some spaces that buyers are turning into media centers:
Game rooms, set up with five or more TVs to resemble a sports bar
Family room, with projectors and screens that retract into the ceiling when not in use
Master bedroom, where flat-screen televisions can be installed with an art lift so that the TVs are covered by artwork when they're not in use
Kitchen, with smaller TV sets under cabinets to provide entertainment while cooking

Texas Trends: Formal Living Rooms Phased Out

Formal living rooms are dying off
By KATE GOODLOE / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Formal living rooms are on the wane, as North Texas buyers focus on expanding the informal spaces of their homes for work or play.

The formal living room has traditionally been at the front of a home, a showpiece to entertain visitors, said Karen Marti Hale, of Virginia Cook Realtors in Dallas. But many buyers are moving beyond "untouched" formal rooms and using the space as a game room, playroom, study or secondary bedroom.

In Dallas, many buyers turn living rooms into studies. That conversion costs between $900 and $1,500, says Lisa Suarez, director of strategic marketing for Centex Homes.
In fact, more than half of participants in a 2007 survey by the National Association of Home Builders said the formal living room will vanish from the average home by 2015. The survey named the informal family room as the space most likely to increase in size.
Ms. Hale has seen bachelors put a pool table at the front of the house and families use it as a toy storage space and play area. "It's based on what their lifestyle is," she said.

In Dallas, many buyers are turning the room into a study, a popular option offered by many area builders. That conversion costs between $900 and $1,500 – to enclose the room, add French doors and install a ceiling fan with an additional light, said Lisa Suarez, director of strategic marketing for Centex Homes.

Centex began offering the study option several years ago, after meeting with a focus group of homebuyers. While the buyers they spoke with had living rooms, "not one person we interviewed was using it as a formal living room," Ms. Suarez said.
Converting the living room into a second bedroom is also popular – but trickier, because it requires an additional wall, a solid door and a closet with shelving, said Bob Carter, architectural director of Choice Homes in Arlington.

Part of the change is that buyers want more living space on the first floor. Jamie Smith, owner of Flagstone Custom Homes in Dallas, said buyers want their master bedrooms and studies downstairs, and many now want that extra guest bedroom downstairs, too.
With an average lot "you can only fit so much on the first floor," Mr. Smith said.
Price is also a factor. Adding square footage on the first level increases costs because it adds to the size of a home's roof and foundation. "The thing that gets sacrificed is the living room," he said.

Young buyers are also less likely to have living room furniture – or to buy it – especially if they are moving into a starter home from an apartment, Ms. Suarez said.
Buyers are also more comfortable inviting guests into kitchens and family rooms than in years past, Mr. Carter said. "They invite people into the heart of their home," he said, not to a "parlor room where you greet guests."
Mr. Smith said he sometimes talks with buyers who have beautiful living room furniture and want a formal room for it. But "usually that gets overruled," he said.
"People are living more informally," Mr. Smith said. "The dining room could be the next victim."


REPLACEMENTS
Here are some spaces buyers choose instead of a formal living room:
•Study
•Playroom
•Game area
•Bedroom
•Hobby room
•Craft area
•Media room

Walk-throughs KEY Before Closing

Walk-throughs key before new-home closing
Do it 2 days before closing to make sure a new home is just right
03:21 PM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By KATE GOODLOE / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
When buyers first walk through a new house after the construction dust settles, they can become smitten. But it's important to take time to see that everything meets the contract specifications.

Buyers should schedule the final walk-through to take place two days before closing, advised Jon Boyd, the 2007 president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. That leaves time for the builder to fix any problems so the buyer can walk through again hours before closing.
Walking through an average-size home should take between two and four hours, Mr. Boyd said. The home inspection should have been conducted already (about three weeks before closing, ideally), and buyers need to check during walk-through that all inspection issues have been resolved.
"It's just like going to the doctor," said Lillie Young, senior vice president and broker at Allie Beth Allman & Associates in Dallas. "You should prepare ahead of time and have lists and checklists."
Checklists are also recommended by the National Association of Home Builders and other construction trade groups.
"That is something we encourage buyers to utilize to make sure they get a thorough understanding of the components of the home," said Paul Cauduro of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas. "It's the last piece of the puzzle, the walk-through."
Buyers should expect their new house to be finished at the same quality as the builder's model home, Mr. Boyd said.

Make sure the manufacturer's specifications for fixtures and appliances have been met. Door manufacturers, for example, usually call for all sides to be painted, including top and bottom, to prevent warping, he said.
See that primer doesn't show through paint and that kitchen cabinets are aligned. Walk around and check for floor squeaks, something that can usually be corrected, Mr. Boyd said. He recommends taking along sticky notes or blue painter's tape to use as flags.
Steve Ritchey, a buyer's agent in Dallas, recommends doing an orientation walk-through a month before the final to learn about the air conditioning, heating and other technical aspects of the house, including the warranty. Any problems noticed can be reported then and followed up on during final walk-through, he said.
If minor problems remain, builders can write a list of exceptions for the buyer to sign off on during closing, Mr. Ritchey said. That typically gives the builder extra time – about 30 days – for repairs without delaying closing.
Such time frames change with homes costing $1 million or more. For example, Steve Burke, director of production for luxury builder Hawkins Wellwood, doesn't give buyers a deadline for reporting any issues. Instead, he returns to fix any problems after buyers have lived in a home 30 days.
"I tell them right up front there are going to be adjustments that will need to be made," he said.
Buyers must be prepared to postpone closing if major problems with the builder arise.
"Be emotionally ready to delay the closing if there is lack of agreement or if a builder says they can't finish things," Mr. Boyd advised.

THINGS TO CHECK
The paint job: Make sure the finish coat of paint is complete and the wood trim is smooth.
Surfaces: Go over all counters, floors and walls to be sure nothing's damaged or unfinished.
Manufacturer's specifications: Look closely at doors, fixtures and appliances. If something looks wrong, see if it was supposed to be installed or finished a different way. Open and close windows.
Lights, plumbing and other working parts: Turn all lights on and off. Flush toilets. Run every faucet. Kate Goodloe

GET A CHECKLIST you can use when you make a walk-through of a newly built home.

Melissa, TX: Add 5 min, A lifetime of Enjoyment

Add 5 minutes and a lifetime of enjoyment in Melissa
7 miles from McKinney, the town takes part in northward migration of commuters
06:01 PM CST on Saturday, February 2, 2008
By MARY JACOBS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Most potential homebuyers don't start out shopping in Melissa. But when they discover it, J.J. Chapa says, they fall in love with the northeast Collin County town of 4,300.
Mr. Chapa, a broker-associate with Keller Williams Realty, sold 10 homes in Melissa last year to families originally looking to buy in Allen, McKinney or Frisco.

JUAN GARCIA/DMN Julie Anderson was happy to find a new home in the Liberty subdivision. "You go to the gas station or to the doughnut shop, and there's a friendly conversation everywhere."
"I asked, 'Would you be willing to look a little farther up the road?' he said. "For an extra five-minute commute, you can get a lot more house for your money."
That extra five-minute commute involves going north on U.S. 75 – Melissa is seven miles north of McKinney and 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. State Highway 121 also bisects the city, connecting Melissa to major roads in Dallas and Fort Worth.
And like the other Collin County towns along that corridor, Melissa is growing. Mayor David Dorman expects Melissa's population to top 5,000 easily in 2008. But he's focused on the community that his grandchildren, who also live in Melissa, will experience in the coming decades.
"I think Melissa could become the next Frisco or Richardson," he says. The city has enough space for a population of more than 100,000.
Plans under way now, he says, will create an infrastructure to support a community of that size. In March, the city will break ground for a town center that will feature a new city hall, a farmer's market and parks. A parcel of land is set aside for a DART rail station in the town center area.
Those plans could put Melissa back on track for a future that derailed in the early 20th century. When the Houston and Central Texas Railroad came through Melissa in 1872, prominent Texas families with names such as Throckmorton and Fitzhugh settled there. Eventually, the population grew to 1,200. But in 1921, a tornado struck.
"Melissa never quite recovered," said Mr. Dorman. "When I moved here in 1990, the population was around 300."
But the Collin County growth engine has pulled into Melissa, and so have the homebuilders. Virtually all of the homes available in Melissa are new or nearly new. Prices in the half-dozen new subdivisions range from the $100,000s to half a million dollars, with a few topping $1 million.
"It's very rare to find a home built before 2000 in Melissa," said Mr. Chapa.
Julie Anderson was happy to find a new home in the Liberty subdivision. She discovered Melissa two years ago while looking online as her family planned to move to Texas from Kansas.
A big attraction was the city's small school district. Melissa schools were rated "exemplary" in nearly every category and earned some of the highest test scores in Collin County. The school system has purchased $7 million in land to build five additional elementary schools as the need arises.
But Ms. Anderson says that what she couldn't see on the Internet was the town's close-knit atmosphere.
"I think it started with the people who have lived here the whole time," she said. "You go to the gas station or to the doughnut shop, and there's a friendly conversation everywhere."
businessnews@dallasnews.com
TOUR more than two dozen Dallas-Fort Worth communities.
dallasnews.com /neighborhoodprofiles

MELISSA AT A GLANCE
History: The town was laid out in 1872, after the railroad arrived. A deadly 1921 tornado caused much damage; a 1929 fire destroyed a lot of what had been rebuilt.
2007 estimated median home value: $169,231
2007 home sales*: $40,000 to $1.19 million
Shopping: Stonebriar Centre in Frisco
Schools: Melissa ISD
2007 crime: No murders, 1 rape, 7 aggravated assaults, 23 burglaries, 57 larceny thefts, 2 auto thefts
More information:
www.cityofmelissa.com
www.movetomelissa.com

Allen, TX: On the Map

Allen’s growth puts it on the map
Collin County town has grown to 77,000 — from 19,000 in ’90

The first time Theresa Brandt heard about Allen, she said, “Where?” And even after she and her husband bought a house there 10 years ago, friends and acquaintances had the same response: “Where’s Allen?”
That’s changed. Allen had about 19,000 residents in 1990, but city estimates now put the Collin County city’s population at more than 77,000. Allen is 23 miles north of Dallas.
Young families are hearing about Allen and moving there.

DARNELL RENEE/Special Contributor Theresa Brandt came to Allen for the schools for her children, Colson, 9, Kendal, 11, and Kate, 3. Before moving there, she was considering home-schooling.
Ms. Brandt says the friendly feel that first attracted her family remains. “I love being able to run into my grocery store and see people I know,” she said. “And even the people I don’t know are friendly.”
The Brandts have three children, ages 11, 9 and 3, and like many Allen residents, the family moved there for the schools.
“I was considering home-schooling,” Ms. Brandt said. “But the schools were so good we decided to give them a shot, and they’ve been great.”

Enrollment at Allen ISD has more than doubled since 1989, to almost 16,000 in kindergarten through 12th grade, and is projected to increase at a rate of about 9 percent a year over the next 10 years, according to the district.
Eight Allen ISD campuses were rated exemplary last year. (Residents are quick to mention the Allen Eagle Escadrille, Allen High School’s 600-member marching band, color guard and drill team. The Escadrille represented Texas at the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., in 2006.)
Residents also praise Allen’s more than 1,000 acres of parks, and hiking, biking and nature trails, as well as its extensive kids’ sports program.
The city is also witnessing a surge in office and retail construction along U.S. Highway 75. Some $350 million in new developments — such as the 15-acre, eco-friendly Angel Field Center on Bethany Drive — will add almost 2 million square feet of commercial space. Next to the center, 300 apartments plus retail space are popping up at Watters Creek, a mixed-use development.
Allen ranks among the fastest-growing cities in North Texas, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, but all this growth will soon come to an end. City leaders project that Allen will reach its “build-out” by 2012, with a maximum population of about 98,000.
The city is handling growth wisely, says Lynna Smith, a resident and Realtor with Keller Williams. She thinks Allen’s limited capacity for growth will maintain property values. And having learned about the city’s planning while attending the “Leadership Allen” educational program, she’s convinced that city leaders are making solid plans for the future.
The mayor, city planner and City Council are “being careful and thinking things through,” she said. “They understand that they have a finite piece of land, and they are working with that.”
Rather than staying content as a bedroom community, says Ms. Smith, city leaders are “working hard to create a diverse community that can sustain itself after all our kids are grown up and leaving the house.”

Plano, TX: Close to everything, far from ordinary

Transplants grow in Plano
12:02 PM CST on Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By DEBORAH FLECK/Staff Writerdfleck@dallasnews.com

Plano, once a sleepy farming community, is now the largest city in Collin County. It has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, especially during the past two decades.
The population has boomed from 17,800 in 1970 to more than 250,000 today.

NAN COULTER/Special Contributor Joanne and Bob Buck moved to Plano from Maryland two years ago. “We love it here,” Mrs. Buck said. “Everything is so convenient.”
Its flat landscape is now covered with bustling neighborhoods, top-notch schools, high-end retail centers and countless restaurants.
And it’s home to 6,000 businesses — including corporate giants Dr Pepper, Electronic Data Systems, Frito-Lay, J.C. Penney and Cinemark USA. Relocations and Plano’s location 15 miles north of Dallas, have been the big draw over recent years.
“We love it here,” said Joanne Buck, who moved to the city two years ago from Maryland. “Everything is so convenient.”

She and husband Bob Buck purchased a home near the Dallas North Tollway and Bush Turnpike, with an array of shopping, eateries and other amenities nearby.
“I’ve never been so spoiled,” Mrs. Buck said. She’s found another plus, too: Residents have been welcoming.
Although Plano is sometimes labeled bland and aloof, a closer look unveils an active community filled with transplants who bring other cultures to the mix.
Mrs. Buck joined a group that typifies the city’s variety, with members from many far-flung places. The Newcomer Friends of Plano has Marion Crawley, who moved from Montreal; Ellen Dutkowsky from Mexico; Anna Eberhard from Poland; Sue O’Driscoll from England; and Jane Teng from Singapore among its 250-plus members.
According to the Plano Chamber, the city’s ethnic mix has evolved with its recent growth. Between 1990 and 2000, the Asian population quadrupled, from nearly 5,000 to 22,500. The Hispanic population tripled, and the African-American population doubled. The city is about 27 percent nonwhite.
A few years ago, the city created a Multicultural Outreach Roundtable to fulfill Mayor Pat Evans’ promise to make Plano a multicultural-friendly city. One of the roundtable’s outreach efforts is the annual International Festival, set this year for Oct. 20.
In addition, the city’s arts groups have become diverse. Along with the Plano Symphony Orchestra and the Plano Community Band, the city is home to the Texas Performing Chinese Arts Association and a well-rounded fine arts division at the Collin County Community College District.
Education also is important to the community. The city is ranked 19th in the nation in percentage of college graduates. Many of its schools are exemplary, and its community college will soon become a four-year institution.
The fast-growing city doesn’t seem to be slowing down. With its continual growth and diverse population, its reputation for sameness is fading. It may now live up to its tourism motto, “Plano — Close to everything, far from ordinary.”