Frisco is one of the best places to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. Although it has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, it has managed to retain that small town atmosphere where everybody seems to know everybody. For most families, that kind of environment is a very good place to raise children.

It’s located about 30 minutes north of Dallas and is 20 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. There are plenty of commuting options if you want to go visit the big city.

When the pioneers first arrived in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, particularly in the area which would become Frisco, they came by way of wagon trails. Actually, they traveled on the Preston Trail, which is now Preston Road where the Stonebriar Center can be found.

Back then, this community was known as Lebanon. A US Post Office was established in 1860, making it official. When the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway cut across the town, naturally people lived around it. Commerce grew as the population increased. Those who lived in Lebanon (which is where Preston Ridge is today) then moved to this growing community, which was eventually called Frisco City. The name was derived from the railway.

The median income for residents of Frisco is around $120,000, which is almost double the average household income for the US. As of 2017, the population of this city was 177,286 and it still continues to grow.

The city is being served by the Frisco Independent School District, which features 42 elementary schools, 17 middle schools, and 10 high schools, as well as three special programs. There are typically 60,000 students that are enrolled in the public school system.

What to Do in Frisco

The Stonebriar Center located along Preston Road is where most people converge. The AC is a good way to beat the summer heat and there are plenty of dining areas or coffee shops to sit in while you relax. It’s a mid-level shopping center with its own movie theater and six department stores, including JCPenney, Forever 21, Nordstrom, H&M, Dave & Buster’s, Dillard’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. For book lovers, there’s a local Barnes and Noble at the shopping center.

For those who want a safe haven where they can exercise, walk their pets, or bring the kids, there’s the Frisco Common Park that has stretches of paved and unpaved trails. It also has its own amphitheater, picnic tables, a fishing pond, and a children’s playground. Frisco also has a Central Park where you can marvel at the statues that carry a Western theme.

The Limestone Quarry Park, meanwhile, covers 15 acres and features public art, a basketball court, a playground, a picnic shelter, a pond, and lots of trails.

Dog lovers everywhere will be pleasantly surprised that Frisco has its own space for their beloved pets. It’s a place where your dog can run free and there’s a partition so the small dogs and big dogs don’t mingle. It’s a great way for dogs to socialize and get a break from being at your house. The people who go there are dog lovers, too, so it’s a good opportunity for you to make new friends or just share stories involving your pets.

What most people probably don’t know is that the hit TV series Dallas was filmed here, particularly at Brinkmann Ranch, which was known then as the Cloyce Box Ranch. However, now you can only see a skeleton of the ranch after it was gutted by a fire in 1987.

Frisco Real Estate

The community is very diverse but you get a sense that most everybody cares about the city. There are 11 main neighborhoods in Frisco, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It’s best to contact a knowledgeable realtor who can explain to you the benefits and drawbacks of each neighborhood.

Most of the conveniences that you would expect from a city can be found in Frisco. There are parks, plenty of shopping and dining options, police and fire departments, hospitals, schools, recreation centers, and libraries. Call up the police if you have an emergency and they can be in your area within minutes.

The water quality and air quality are good. You won’t have to worry about air pollution the way you might if you lived in a dense urban environment like Dallas.

Houses here are less expensive and you can buy a decent sized house even if you have a modest budget.

The median home price here is around $300,000 and that should get you a comfortable 3-4 bedroom house with 2-3 baths, along with a large yard. The home price here is higher compared to the average in Texas.

However, most of the residents here own their houses, although some are also renting, particularly those who work in Plano, Little Elm, or Allen. If you plan on renting, you can expect to pay around $1,300 each month.

The high household income brings down the home to income ratio, which means that houses here are generally affordable for what residents earn in wages and salaries.

There are still a lot of ranches here while housing development sprout up around them. Residents of new subdivisions, for instance, will pass by livestock, horses, and cows on the way to their homes. Cornfields and wheat are also abundant, which gives the city that rural feel.

Frisco gets a little bit of snow.  Just enough to cover the ground with a powdery white layer as you enjoy the cooler climate during winter. But it’s not like the Midwest or New York where winters can be brutal. Winter in Frisco is just cool enough to be a good change of pace.

You can still go out with some warm clothes on and enjoy the cold weather while you bond with your kids at the park or walk your dog for that much-needed exercise. There is generally some winter sunshine so you can soak in some heat to balance out the cold.