Downtown McKinney, TX | Unique by Nature

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A little about McKinney

Located just 30 minutes north of Dallas and steeped in smalltown charm, McKinney is a world away from the big-city bustle. From our historic downtown district with upscale boutiques and galleries to pristine natural settings and lots of outdoor recreation, McKinney is rich in tradition with new reasons to visit every year. The city has a vivid and diverse spirit developed from the history that shaped it. McKinney was named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Established in 1848, the city has grown from a cotton town to a vibrant modern city. Despite its growth, McKinney has retained its charming qualities and sense of community, a special heritage we can attribute to the pioneer spirit of the city’s earliest settlers.

The history of McKinney

The area we now call Collin County was originally settled by pioneers offered free land by colonizers like William S. Peters and associates. Colonizers were hired by the state of Texas to introduce settlers into this area, which was at first was called Peter’s Colony. The offer typically included up to 640 acres of land, a gun and help building a cabin. The Peter’s Colony settlers came in 1841. Settlers arrived in wagons pulled by oxen or horses and braved the threats of weather, wild animals and native Indians for the promise of free land and a better life. They found that life here in the fertile land was rich but hard. Some left, abandoning their claims, but many stayed on and still more came, establishing farms, communities and commerce. Over the next 50 years, cotton became a major source of revenue in Collin County. In 1860, the yield was 16 bales, and in 1870 it was 4,371 bales. In 1870, there was one cotton gin in McKinney, but by 1876, there were four.

Contact Information

Phone: (214) 544-1407

Email: info@visitmckinney.com

Address:
400 W Virginia St
McKinney, Texas
75069

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Businesses in McKinney, Texas

Here is a collection of downtown McKinney, Texas businesses. Clicking on the thumbnail image, or the blue "View Member" will take you to that businesses page. We've included some jump links so that you can easily navigate to different categories of businesses. Those, can be found directly below as icons. Or, there is a list of categories in the menu bar.