This guide is for the many thousands of newcomers relocating to Collin County.  Included is a summary of the hottest new developments, urban living with walk-ability, shopping, restaurants, nightlife, family fun, fitness, and pro sports venues that you’ll want to live near or at least visit.  We’ve also highlighted some of the best single family home subdivisions with neighborhood amenities such as community pools, playgrounds, trails, parks and in an array of price ranges in the Plano, Frisco area.  Literally everything can be found within a 12.5 mile stretch along the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) between Plano and Frisco.

An Overview of the Plano / Frisco Area along the North Dallas Tollway

LEGACY WEST – Work, Shop, Dine, Play, Live in PLANO

The list of corporate headquarters calling Plano home keeps growing with the addition of Boeing Global Services, along with Toyota, Liberty Mutual Insurance, JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, FedEx Worldwide and Fannie Mae at the $3 billion, 250-acre mixed-use project.  Plano is already home to Cinemark Theatres, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Frito-Lay, HP Enterprise Services, Pizza Hut and Alliance Data Systems.

Grand Opening of Legacy West – June 2-4, 2017.

The first retail store to open in Legacy West was the furniture retailer West Elm, then Kate Hudson’s activewear line Fabletics.  May openings include retailers like Bonobos, Coach,  Johnny Was, Peter Millar, Pockets Menswear, Venetian Nail Spa, and the Tesla showroom. Barnes & Noble is planning a new concept store that will span over 9,000-square-foot and will serve wine and beer.

The first two restaurants to open in Legacy West were Del Frisco’s Steakhouse and the Shake Shack, a modern burger house, with many others opening in May 2017. June 2-4 is the grand opening where we can all get our first taste of the hottest new restaurants including: Bistro 31, Earls Kitchen, Fogo de Chao, Haywire, Mesero, North Italia, Planet Blue, Starbucks Reserve, Taverna, True Food Kitchen, and Toulouse. In September, a 55,000 tri-level food hall will open where chef’s prepare a variety of foods on the main floor, and diners enjoy a casual dining area overlooking a music stage on the 2nd level, and a brewery on the top level. The Renaissance Hotel at Legacy West is also scheduled to open in June, and is located just steps from many shops and restaurants.  

                                                                                                                                         

For those looking for the newest and finest in urban living, Legacy West will have many to choose from. The Grand at Legacy West (now open) offers 600 1 or 2 bedroom, and efficiency luxury rentals, in a 30 story apartment high rise. Palladium USA is another luxury tower containing 300 spacious apartment homes. Real Estate for purchase in Legacy West will include Windrose Tower, a 24-story luxury condominium, and prices will start at $650,000, ranging upwards to $5.5 million, averaging $750 per square foot. The Villas at Legacy West will range from 2033-3000 sf starting in the $600,000’s.
Location: S/W intersection DNT/Dallas Pkwy, between Legacy and Hwy 121, Plano.

 

The Shops at Legacy was the first of its kind in Plano with a walkability factor for living, working and playing. This unique urban center is in a small downtown-like setting.  The outdoor mall features high end boutiques, over 60 restaurants, a movie theatre (Angelica) and lively bars with entertainment.  A few restaurants that have made it to the Top 10 include: Seasons 52, Whiskey Cake, Capital Grille, Urban Crust, Kenny’s Smoke House, Jasper’s, Bob’s Steak & Chop House, according to TripAdvisor.com.  The Brixton just opened, and combines music, food, cocktails and a lounge.
Location: Across from Legacy West @ N/E intersection of DNT /Dallas Parkway @ Legacy
5741 Legacy Dr. Plano.

FRISCO’S Booming ‘5 Billion Dollar Mile’

The ‘Mile’ was conceived in 2013 when The Dallas Cowboy’s decided to make Frisco their new home, now located at The Star on One Cowboys Way Frisco, Texas. The $5 Billion Mile along the Dallas North Tollway is now upwards of $5.4 billion and includes The Star, Frisco Station, The Gate and Wade Park. 

The Star is a $3 billion, 250-acre mixed-use project anchored by the Dallas Cowboys Corporate Headquarters and The Ford Center at The Star.  The corporate offices are a 6-story, 400,000 sf office building that includes a fitness facility overlooking 2 outdoor practice fields.  The Ford Center is a 12,000 indoor stadium and multi-use event center shared between the Cowboys and the City of Frisco and Frisco ISD, for football and youth events throughout the year. Omni Frisco Hotel with 300 rooms is set to open this summer and will be connected to The Star.
Location: West of Dallas North Tollway (DNT), between Warren Parkway and Gaylord Parkway. Dallas Cowboys Headquarters – One Cowboys Way, Frisco.  The Ford Center – 9 Cowboys Way, Frisco.

Frisco Station is 242 acres of urban development including a combination of corporate office towers, shopping and entertainment plazas, urban living residential and apartment homes, a health and wellness district.North of the Ford Center at the Star.  Frisco Station is currently under construction.
Location: West side of DNT @ Gaylord Parkway and John Hickman Parkway.

Wade Park, once completed, will be the largest mixed-use development spanning over 175 acres set to include offices and residential living space, retail, restaurants and hotels. The 1st phase set to open sometime in 2018 includes a Whole Foods Market, iPic Theaters and Pinstripes Bowling and restaurants including Sur La Table, Yard House, Bocce Bistro, The Rustic, Arhaus, Thirteen Pies, Steel City Pops, Torchy’s Tacos, Bread Zepplin, MiniLuxe, The Lash Lounge, Tyler’s and Steak 48. A Hotel ZaZa and Langham Hotels & Resorts will also highlight Wade Park.
Location: East of DNT between Lebanon Rd and John Hickman Pkwy.

The Gate, currently under construction, is another development in a walk-able environment with amenities to live, work and play. The 40.95 acres will also include a natural pond and over half of the area should be greenery, open spaces and connecting walkways. The first to open will be Domain At The Gate, a multifamily family development anticipated to open in the summer of 2018.
Location: North of Frisco Station, west side of DNT @John Hickman Parkway and Lebanon Road.

Frisco Square near Old Downtown Frisco on Main Street blends perfectly for those who thrive on the energy of the urban lifestyle in an ‘old but new‘ town setting. This quaint, pedestrian-friendly development holds holiday and other family friendly events throughout the year. At the Farmers Market you can also find pasture meats, fresh eggs, breads, honey and gourmet items every Sat starting mid Apr-Oct.  Enjoy Music in the Square every Friday evening in June.  Christmas in the Square runs from Nov-Jan. and features over 175,000 choreographed lights to music and on Fridays and Saturdays you might experience snow flurries every 15 minutes while strolling the sidewalks. The Frisco City Hall and Public Library are also located in The George A. Purefoy Municipal Center toward the south of the Square.
Location: East of DNT @ Main Street. Intersection of Main and Coleman Blvd.
Across from Toyota Stadium.

Grandscape in The Colony is a large mixed use development with over 3.9 million square feet of office, retail, entertainment, dining, hospitality,and attractions. The retail anchor Nebraska Furniture Mart of Texas opened in 2015 with 1.86 million sf of furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics. Mi Cocina, Rock and Brews (founded by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS). Lava Cantina opened in May featuring a Creole-Mexican restaurant and a concert venue. Known for its rock and roll vibe, but it’ll include country, pop and heavy metal concerts, too. Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX 75056

Truck Yard and Galaxy Theatres (a luxury 16-theatre venue with a state-of-the-art digital sound & projection and stadium recliner seating) will open in the spring of 2019. Scheels All Sports is building a 300,000-square-foot store, a 16,000-gallon aquarium, a 65-foot Ferris wheel, and wildlife mountain and sports simulators has an opening set for 2020.
Location: W. of DNT / So. of 121 between Plano Parkway and Spring Creek , The Colony.  Nebraska Furniture Mart Drive, The Colony  http://www.grandscape.com

The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano is an upscale and modern shopping mall with over 200 stores including anchor stores such as Crate & Barrel, Dillard’s Macy’s and Neiman Marcus, and other popular stores like Apple Store, Aqua Shop, Banana Republic, Coach, H & M, Restoration Hardware, Z Gallerie and The Aqua Shop. Kids of all ages will like Aqua Shop with its ‘FlowRider’ wave machine located inside the store (these are normally found on cruise ships or at theme parks.) This mall is an attraction for all ages, is typically not crowded and has comfortable seating (for the non- shopper) and a great play area for kids.
Location: N/W Intersection of DNT/Dallas Parkway @ Park Blvd.
Address: 6121 W Park Blvd. Plano

Stonebriar Centre and The Centre at Preston Ridge in Frisco contains more than nine million square feet of retail and dining space, which includes everything from small boutique clothing shops to large department stores inside the mall. Restaurants, discount stores such as Target, TJ-Max, Sam Moon multiple furniture stores and Ikea surround the mall.
Location: East of DNT/N of Hwy 121; Between Parkwood Blvd and Preston Road
Address: 2601 Preston Rd. Frisco.

Frisco Fresh Market will be a permanent farmers market with more than 70,000 sf of indoor and outdoor selling space and specialty lifestyle retail center on Main Street. The new project is designed to include two office buildings, five retail and restaurant buildings and a total of 597 apartments.  Currently under construction.
Location:  East of the DNT @ Main. 6427 Main Street,Frisco. Intersection of Main and Frisco Street and Next door to Toyota Stadium. Frisco Fresh Market

Frisco Rotary Farmers Market is open every Saturday between 8:00-1:00 (or sell out) starting May 6 through October 21, 2017.  Local growers offer melons, peaches, tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob and lots more. You can find baked breads, meat from local ranchers, honey, arts and crafts.
Location: 8821 4th Street between Main & Elm, Frisco.

Family Fitness and Sports Venues

The Arbor Hills Trail is 200 acres nature preserve, of recreational trails, paved and natural unpaved trails for pedestrians only and a designated off-road cycling trail. An observation tower provides a view of the three ecoregions found at the preserve. This is definitely the best kept suburban secret in Plano.
Location: W of DNT.  6701 W. Parker Rd. Plano.

Tom Muehlenbeck Center is a beautiful facility that includes a fully-equipped gym, an indoor track, lockers for storage, a stationary bike room for classes, an open room for personal workouts and classes, ping-pong tables, 3 swimming pools (1 for laps, 1 for swim lessons and recreation, and 1 with a water playground for children), 3 basketball courts.
Location: E of DNT.  5801 W Parker Rd. Plano (3.5 miles from Toyota headquarters)

Frisco Athletic Center has over 100,000 sf of Indoor Family Fitness. It also has an indoor and outdoor Aquatic Center. The Frisco Water Park is located next door to the center.
Location: E of DNT @ Preston Rd. and Wade Blvd.
5828 Nancy Jane Lane. (4.7 miles from Toyota headquarter)

Fieldhouse USA an event and league based facility that caters to the Select, Club and Recreational Teams across the United States for Tournament play. It also serves the Frisco and area residents in league play. Indoor league sports are offered year round and consist of basketball, soccer, volleyball, flag football and futsal.
Location: 6155 Sports Village Rd. Frisco, TX.                                                          

The PIT Performance Indoor Training is the largest indoor soccer facility in Texas offering elite soccer training and instruction by Peter Luccin Academy for indoor and outdoor players.
Location: 7255 Meadow Hill Dr. Frisco.

The Colony Five Star Complex is 80-acre sports facility includes six baseball fields, six soccer fields, two football fields, and one softball field, two playground areas, three group pavilions, and nearly 1.3 miles of hike and bike trails.
Location: North of 121 @Paige Rd, The Colony (across from Grandscape). http://www.tcfivestar.com

Top Golf Entertainment Complex with hi-tech driving range with 102 bays over 3 floors and a roof top terrace. Before noon is $20/hr; after noon is $40/hr.
Location: 3760 Blair Oaks Dr. The Colony, North of 121 @ Blair Oaks (across from Grandscape).

Hawaiian Falls Water Park has thrilling water rides and slides all summer long.
Location: 4400 Paige Road @ 121/Sam Rayburn Tollway, The Colony (across from Grandscape).

World Class Sports Venue’s  and Home to 5 Professional Sports Teams

• NFL’s Dallas Cowboys at The Star
• FC Dallas Major League Soccer Toyota Stadium
• Rough Riders minor league baseball at Dr Pepper Ballpark
• Texas Legends NBA Developmental League at Dr Pepper Arena
• NHL Dallas Stars home practice facility at The Stars Rink https://www.visitfrisco.com/sports/calendar-of-events/

Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters 

• The grand atrium of the 6 story building has a beautiful dancing LED display with more than 19,200 white LED lights embedded in 160, 40-foot-long, on stainless steel mirrored rods hanging from the ceiling.
• Italian marble floors include names and quotes of Dallas Cowboys players and coaches.
• A complete collection of sports memorabilia  including the 5 Super Bowl Trophies and Rings.
  Location: One Cowboy Way, Frisco

 

 

Rough Riders at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark – Minor league baseball team and the top-drawing Double-A franchise for the past 13 years (affiliated with The Texas Rangers).  This beautiful ballpark features a first-of-its-kind 3,000-square-foot, 68,023 gallon lazy river pool and hospitality area.
Location:  East of DNT between 121 and Gaylord Pkwy. Address: 7300 Roughriders Trail, Frisco.

Dallas Stars at The Stars Rink – Dr Pepper Arena serves as the home practice facility for the NHL Dallas Stars. Team practice sessions are free and open to the general public (Sept-Apr). The rink is open to the public for ice skating, hockey lessons and figure skating lessons. Hockey leagues are also available for all ages.
Location: East of DNT/North of Hwy 121. Address: 2601 Avenue of the Stars, Frisco.

Texas Legends at Dr. Pepper Arena is NBA Developmental League Team is an affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.
Location: East of DNT/North of Hwy 121. 2601 Avenue of the Stars, Frisco.

FC Dallas Major League Soccer at Toyota Stadium and Soccer Center a 20,500 seating capacity and is home for FC Dallas.  Toyota Stadium hosts a number of sporting events and live concerts throughout the year.  New amenities being added include the National Soccer Hall of Fame, to be completed in 2018.
Location: Located across the street from Frisco Square.  East of DNT @ Intersection of Main /World Cup. Address-9200 World Cup Way, Frisco.

For the golf enthusiast Plano and Frisco have 8 courses.  Chase Oaks, Glen Eagles, Ridgeview, Pecan Hollow, Los Rios are located in Plano. The Trails of Frisco, Stonebriar Country Club and Plantation Golf Club are in Frisco. http://www.thegolfnexus.com/cities/tx/Plano.

Frisco Will Open 4 More Schools in 2018

Due to the highly rated schools the area is very popular for homebuyers.  In order to prevent overcrowding and maintain smaller classrooms for the growing student population in Frisco, some shifting of students will be done for the 2017-2018 school year. Attendance zones will change once the new Memorial High School, Lawler Middle School, Liscano Elementary School and Talley Elementary School open for 2018-2019.   Some ISD boundary lines overlap to another city, so always verify before making your home buying decision.  Parts of Frisco feed into Little Elm, Lewisville or Prosper ISD; The same goes for Plano as areas feed into Frisco, Allen, Murphy or Lewisville ISD.
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/account/2016/distlist.html

Location Determines Home Values

Real Estate is all about Location, Location, Location! It determines the price you pay within a city, a neighborhood and location within that neighborhood. Be aware that residential homes backing to a busy street are considered a less desirable location. Even at a slightly lower price, the noise factor at high traffic times or at night when you’re trying to sleep may not be worth it.

Price Ranges for Subdivisions With Community Amenities

Buyers relocating to the area often request homes with a community swimming pool or other amenities.  The list below includes an example of several residential subdivisions with HOA’s Home Owners Association and their different amenities, starting in the high $200’s located in Frisco, Plano, The Colony and further north into Prosper and Celina along the DNT.

Collin County’s Population to Double by 2030 and Surpass Dallas County in 2045

According to a presentation given by Collin County Judge, Keith Self, and statistics compiled by the Texas Demographic Center, Collin county is expected to double its population by 2030.  “By 2040 we will grow to more than 2.5 million people.  We are at 900,000 people today—these are just staggering numbers.” The other significant fact from the chart is at about 2045, is when Collin County’s population surpasses Dallas County.
https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/mckinney/city-county/2017/02/21/collin-county-judge-county-population-double-2030/

The Outer Loop: Connecting Denton – Collin – Rockwall – Dallas Counties

With the projected population growth comes a need for more highways. The future Outer Loop will extend from Denton County, through Collin and Rockwall Counties, into Kaufman and Dallas Counties.  Phase one in Collin County now runs 4.6 miles from US 75 in Anna to SH 121 just north of Melissa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_County_Outer_Loop#References

Trivia – Did You Know?

Plano was recognized by:

5 Celebrities that called Plano home: Dion Sanders, Troy Aikman, Lance Armstrong, Ross Perot, Steve Harvey.

Plano was voted “Best Place to live in the Western United States” by CNN.

Money named Plano “America’s Safest City.”

Forbes listed Plano as one of the highest high school graduation rates and 10th best public schools in the country.

Frisco was recognized by:

Frisco made Money Magazine’s List of the Nation’s top Places to Live.

Forbes named Frisco one of the Best Places to Relocate.

HubPage named Frisco as #7 -The Best 25 Places to Move for Work.

Men’s Journal named Frisco Best Place to Raise an Athlete.

In NerdWallet, Frisco Tops the list of best places to raise a young family

D/FW International Airport:

Occupies it’s own zip code
The third busiest airport in the world
64,177,618 passengers serviced in 2015 (that averages to 175,829.09 per day)
Larger in size than Manhattan Island
Access to every major city in the continental United States in 4 hours

Dallas Love Field:

Serviced 14,500,000 passengers in 2015 (that averages 39,726 per day)

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