Known for big business, old money, tech company headquarters, and the most valuable sports franchise in the world, Dallas, Texas, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. However, roughly 35 miles north lies a small Dallas suburb making its mark as one of the metroplex’s most walkable dining and entertainment districts, attractive to both businesses and families alike. Once relatively unknown, McKinney has grown into a thriving city with a population over 225,000. It’s big on charm, attractions, and options but hasn’t lost the quintessential Americana roots that originally attracted settlers to its lands more than 100 years ago.
On any given day, the historic town square teems with children skipping through the central sidewalks and parks. Families and friends share meals at one of the 56 downtown restaurants or enjoy wine and charcuterie at locally owned wineries. Graduates and newly engaged couples use the area’s countless murals, art installations, and unique storefronts as backdrops for milestone photoshoots and engagement celebrations, while retail addicts and window shoppers weave in and out of specialty stores like Texas Monkey Business, Mom & Popcorn, Carpe Diem Comics, The Groovy Coop, and Spice & Tea Merchants.
City officials have made preserving and recording McKinney’s history a top priority throughout its colorful evolution. In a world constantly racing toward modernization, McKinney has maintained its small-town appeal and founding principles while also becoming home to sports venues, music festivals, and a vibrant nightlife.
Art galleries, mom-and-pops, and entertainment abound in McKinney
Founded in 1848 and named after Collin McKinney, an original signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, McKinney boasts a charming historic downtown, which is centered around the four streets of Virginia, Louisiana, N. Tennessee, and N. Kentucky — the street names highlighting the town’s patriotic roots. Small mom-and-pop shops, distinctive restaurants, government buildings, and public parks flank the city’s central streets, while historic homes and retro-industrial commercial office buildings make up its treelined outskirts…