H.R. No. 740
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents from Collin County are gathering at the
State Capitol on March 7 and 8, 2011, to celebrate Collin County
Days, and this event provides an opportunity to pay tribute to its
many prosperous communities; and
WHEREAS, Once inhabited by the Caddo Indians, this North
Texas area began attracting settlers in the early 1840s; both the
county, which was created in 1846, and the present county seat,
McKinney, which was established in 1849, were named in honor of
pioneer resident Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration
of Independence; and
WHEREAS, Collin County has experienced one of the fastest
growth rates in Texas in recent years, and much of its 886 square
miles has been transformed into a bustling urban area; more than
780,000 people now make their home in the county; and
WHEREAS, With a population of nearly 260,000, Plano is the
largest city in the county and a thriving commercial center that
recently added 4,000 new jobs from 39 new businesses; designated an
All-America City by the National Civic League in 1994, it is the
first Texas city to be rated AAA by all three major bond-rating
agencies, an accomplishment that is a credit to respected longtime
city manager Tom Muehlenbeck, who retired in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Visitors to Plano can enjoy shops and malls with
many pleasant amenities and a restored downtown square, which
features brick sidewalks, turn-of-the-century lampposts, and
numerous specialty stores, galleries, and restaurants; this
charming community is home to Amy Chayao, winner of the 2010
International Science and Engineering Fair, who was invited to join
First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2011 State of the Union address;
and
WHEREAS, McKinney, the county seat and second-largest city,
boasts a population of more than 131,000; it ranked fifth among the
"Best Places to Live" by Money magazine and was honored as one of
the "Top 100" places to raise a family by Best Life magazine;
moreover, the city's Main Street program has been jointly
recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the
Texas Historical Commission, and the city is also home to the Collin
County Regional Airport and other assets; and
WHEREAS, The site now occupied by the city of Frisco was once
a Native American campground; with the arrival of the railroad in
the county in the 1870s and the subsequent growth of the area's
cotton industry, Frisco became a commercial center for farmers and
ranchers; incorporated in 1902, the town grew slowly until the late
1980s, when it had a population of 5,000; today that figure stands
at nearly 117,000, and the city serves as a hub of regional and
international business; Frisco is home to several professional
sports teams, including FC Dallas, the Texas Tornado hockey team,
the Frisco Rough Riders baseball team, and the Texas Legends
basketball team, and to the corporate headquarters of the Dallas
Stars hockey team, and it hosted the 2011 NCAA Division I football
championship on January 7; the town has also emerged as a vibrant
center for cultural offerings; and
WHEREAS, The city of Allen is home to two especially
well-known residents, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Carly
Patterson and artist Amanda Dunbar; it has a population of more than
84,000 and was ranked 16th among the "Best Places to Live" by Money
magazine; its citizens are dedicated to the development of a
quality community with an exceptional education system,
family-oriented residential areas, innovative recreational
facilities, and premier business developments; and
WHEREAS, Wylie is another great place to call home; rated the
eighth fastest-growing suburb in the United States by Forbes
magazine, it numbers over 41,000 residents and benefits from a
skilled police force and a fire department that has earned a coveted
ISO Class 1 Fire Protection Rating; in addition, Wylie has an
outstanding school district and an annual championship rodeo and
has made significant investments in infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, Other communities add much to Collin County's
allure; Parker was rated the "Most Desirable Suburb in North Texas"
by D Magazine and is the home of Southfork Ranch, the filming
location for the television series Dallas; Celina has gained
statewide fame for its Bobcats high school football team, which has
captured eight state titles and recently appeared in a Kenny
Chesney music video; true to its name, the town of Prosper has grown
larger in recent years and now has excellent access to the
Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, thanks to the opening of a Dallas
North Tollway extension; that community's residents are especially
appreciative of their skilled firefighters and paramedics, whose
courage and quick action have saved numerous lives; and
WHEREAS, Farmersville boasts two businesses that have been in
operation for more than 125 years, the Farmersville Times and
Independent Bank; it is also the hometown of Audie Murphy, the most
decorated American combat soldier of World War II, while the
community of Princeton served during that same war as a German
prisoner-of-war camp; the city of Murphy has undertaken $15 million
in capital projects to improve parks, streets, water systems, and
landscaping and is consistently cited for its desirability;
Melissa, platted in 1872, now features a new city hall and a stellar
school district, and residents are cheering the top-ranked Melissa
High School boys' basketball team; and
WHEREAS, The city of Anna was recently presented with the
2010 Hardworking Rural Community Tall Texan Award by Texas
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, and its school district's
five-star rating from the Texas comptroller is a testament to the
exemplary and cost-effective educational approach of the
community; as a dedicated Tree City USA, Fairview is committed to
preserving the area's country lifestyle while providing
opportunities for economic development; Sachse, with a population
of 20,000, is completing a major bond program that includes park
renovations, thoroughfare improvements, and a municipal complex;
in southeastern Collin County, Royse City maintains a small-town
atmosphere with close proximity to the large municipalities of the
Metroplex; and
WHEREAS, Also contributing to the development of Collin
County are citizens from Blue Ridge, Copeville, Josephine, Lavon,
Lowry Crossing, Lucas, Nevada, New Hope, St. Paul, Westminster, and
Weston, along with parts of Dallas, Garland, and Richardson, and
those communities play an important part in the county's
flourishing, diversified economy and its commendable quality of
life; and
WHEREAS, An excellent educational system is critical to the
strength of any community, and Forbes magazine has lauded Collin
County schools for their impressive performance; that media outlet
has also dubbed Plano the safest city in America, and the rest of
the county enjoys a similar reputation for safe streets, schools,
and neighborhoods, with McKinney and Murphy also recently
recognized as standouts; and
WHEREAS, The citizens of this notable North Texas county are
working to preserve the best of their past even as they look forward
to a bright and promising future, and they are sure to figure
prominently in the growth and prosperity of the Lone Star State in
the years ahead; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize March 7 and 8, 2011, as Collin County
Days at the State Capitol and extend sincere best wishes to all the
county residents who have traveled to Austin for this event.
Taylor of Collin
Madden
Laubenberg
Paxton
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 740 was adopted by the House on March
8, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House