Community guide · Collin County
Collin County’s largest city: established neighborhoods, the Legacy corporate corridor, four DART rail stations and a combined 2025 tax rate of about 1.71%.
By Shayla Eadler, REALTOR® · TREC #0747934 · Based in Van Alstyne · Updated
Plano, Texas
Yes — living in Plano, TX suits buyers who want an established city with big employers, rail transit and finished neighborhoods, about 24 minutes from downtown Dallas without traffic. The trade-offs: most homes are resale rather than new construction, Plano ISD is shrinking and consolidating campuses, and US-75 and the Tollway are busy at rush hour.
Plano is the largest city in Collin County, with a small slice on the Denton County side. It grew up around the railroad — the tracks arrived in 1872 and the town incorporated in 1873 — and the old downtown along 15th Street still has a DART station a short walk from Haggard Park. The Census Bureau estimated 293,028 residents in July 2025, about the same as in 2023, so this is a mature city rather than a boomtown. To the west, the Legacy area holds Toyota Motor North America’s headquarters, JCPenney’s headquarters and big regional campuses for JPMorgan Chase and Liberty Mutual.
I’m based in Van Alstyne, about 31 miles up US-75, and a lot of my clients drive to work in Plano. Some decide to live here, close to the job and the rail line. Others decide the extra 35 minutes buys them more land and a newer house up north. I’ll show you both honestly, and when you look at Plano TX homes for sale, I’ll check the county, school district and tax stack for every address.
Plano’s population has leveled off: the Census estimates show 293,395 in both 2023 and 2024 and 293,028 in 2025. Growth now shows up as jobs and redevelopment. Legacy West opened in June 2017 next to the Toyota, JPMorgan Chase, Liberty Mutual and JCPenney campuses, with about 415,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and offices, a 303-room hotel and more than 1,300 residential units.
The next big change could be at Willow Bend. On June 8, 2026, the City Council approved a non-binding letter of intent with the Dallas Stars’ parent company for an arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend, plus a tax increment reinvestment zone of more than 900 acres around it. Partial demolition of the mall is expected to start in early 2027. Transit is settled for now: in February 2026 the city cancelled its DART withdrawal election and signed a six-year agreement that returns about $61 million to Plano.
The honest version
Every town has trade-offs. Here’s what I tell my own clients before they buy.
Pros
Cons
For sale now
Plano is mostly established resale neighborhoods, with apartments and townhomes around Legacy and only limited new construction. The city estimated the average homeowner’s 2025 city tax bill at $1,978.
Most of Plano’s housing is resale homes on finished streets with mature trees, many served by rear alleys — the city’s trash carts go out to the alley. Inspections, roof age and updates matter more here than builder incentives.
Apartments, townhomes and single-family streets around the Legacy corporate campuses. If you work at Toyota, JPMorgan Chase or another Legacy employer, a short drive or a walk to the office is the draw.
The streets around Haggard Park sit in a city heritage district, close to 15th Street and two DART stations. Heritage district rules can affect exterior changes, so I check them before you write an offer.
New construction in Plano is limited compared with the towns to the north. When it shows up, it’s usually infill lots or townhome projects, so I watch for it closely.
Be the first to know
I’ll send new listings, price drops and my Coming Soon homes in Plano — with my honest notes on each one.
Getting around
Plano is one of the few Collin County cities with commuter rail. The DART Red Line runs from downtown Plano and Parker Road south to downtown Dallas. On Oct 25, 2025, DART opened the Silver Line: 26 miles through seven cities, from Shiloh Road in Plano to DFW Airport’s Terminal B. The new 12th Street station is where the Silver Line meets the Red Line, with the Orange Line adding trips at peak hours.
Plano’s DART membership was on the line in 2026. On Nov 5, 2025, the council called a May 2, 2026 withdrawal election, then cancelled it on Feb 23, 2026, after DART agreed to return about $61 million to Plano over six years for local transportation projects. The agreement runs through Sept 30, 2031. If rail matters to you, I’ll show you which homes are within walking or a quick drive of a station.
| Station | Lines | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parker Road | Red (Orange at peak) | North end of the Red Line, opened 2002 |
| Downtown Plano | Red (Orange at peak) | On 15th Street by Haggard Park, opened 2002 |
| 12th Street | Red and Silver (Orange at peak) | Transfer station, opened Oct 25, 2025 |
| Shiloh Road | Silver | East end of the Silver Line, opened Oct 25, 2025 |
Sources: DART, Community Impact and Wikipedia, 2025–2026. Schedules and frequencies change — check DART before you count on a train.
What’s changing
The Dallas Stars have their eye on west Plano. On June 8, 2026, Plano’s City Council approved a non-binding letter of intent with the Stars’ parent company, a $15 million incentive agreement with Centennial, the mall’s owner, and a tax increment reinvestment zone covering more than 900 acres around The Shops at Willow Bend.
Nothing is final — the city has said the letter of intent is non-binding, and 10 of the 12 residents who spoke at the meeting opposed the plan over traffic, noise and safety. If you’re looking at homes near Park Boulevard and the Tollway, I’ll walk you through what’s planned and how close a home sits to the site.
| Part of Willow Bend | Plan as approved June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Inline mall space, theater, Dillard’s, Crayola Experience | To be demolished, starting early 2027 (about $25.3M) |
| Equinox, Crate & Barrel, Neiman Marcus building | Stay |
| Restaurant district and parking structures | Stay |
| New visitor center | About 6,500 square feet |
| Arena | Stars home games, practices and other events — no opening date set |
Source: Community Impact, June 2026. Plans can change until a final agreement is signed.
Where to live
Plano is big, and the right part of town depends on where you work, whether rail matters and which school district you want. Here’s how I break it down.
Historic · Near rail
Older homes in the Haggard Park heritage district, steps from the 15th Street shops, the Interurban Railway Museum and the Downtown Plano and 12th Street DART stations. Heritage district rules apply to exterior changes.
Plano ISD
West Plano · Near the jobs
The corporate corridor between Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway, home to Toyota’s North American headquarters, JCPenney and big JPMorgan Chase and Liberty Mutual campuses. Legacy West adds shops, Legacy Hall and more than 1,300 residential units.
Plano ISD or Frisco ISD — confirm by address
West Plano · Changing
Established neighborhoods around The Shops at Willow Bend near Park Boulevard and the Tollway. This is where the proposed Dallas Stars arena would go, so expect redevelopment and construction here starting in 2027.
Plano ISD
East of US-75 · Parks
Neighborhoods near the 800-acre Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve, Collin College’s Spring Creek Campus and the Shiloh Road Silver Line station. Plano East Senior High is on this side of town.
Plano ISD
County line · Varied districts
A small part of Plano lies in Denton County, and small parts of the city are zoned to Frisco, Lewisville or Allen ISD instead of Plano ISD. Near the edges of town, the county, school district and tax stack can change from one street to the next.
Confirm by address
Subdivision names are a starting point. Lot sizes, HOA rules and school zoning vary street by street — I’ll confirm all of it for any home you’re considering.
Cost of living
For tax year 2025, the combined rate for a home inside Plano city limits and Plano ISD on the Collin County side is about $1.71 per $100 of value. The City of Plano raised its rate from 0.4176 to 0.4376, and the city has proposed keeping 0.4376 for 2026. Plano ISD lowered its rate from 1.04245 to 1.03955, and Collin County held its rate at 0.149343.
Plano also offers its own exemptions on top of the state school exemption: the city takes 20% off a homestead’s value ($5,000 minimum), and Collin County takes 5%. That makes the effective tax on a homestead noticeably lower than the 1.71% headline rate.
Schools
Most of Plano is in Plano ISD, which had 47,753 students in 2023–24 and about 14 students per teacher. In the 2025 TEA ratings (school year 2024–25, released August 2025), the district earned a B. Plano Senior High, Plano West Senior High, Plano East Senior High and Academy High School all earned B ratings. The district’s four-year graduation rate was 95.3% for the class of 2023, against 90.3% statewide.
Plano ISD is shrinking. Enrollment peaked at 55,659 in 2011–12 and was 43,905 on Sept 5, 2025, and a demographer told the board in January 2026 that it could fall below 40,000 by 2029–30. The district closed Davis and Forman elementaries and Armstrong and Carpenter middle schools starting in 2025–26, which changed some attendance zones. Plano ISD also has an unusual setup: Plano Senior High and Plano West serve only grades 11–12, fed by separate 9–10 high schools, while Plano East serves 9–12. Small parts of Plano are in Frisco, Lewisville and Allen ISDs, so I confirm the district and campuses for every address.
Getting around
US-75 (Central Expressway) runs north–south through east Plano, the Dallas North Tollway runs along the west side, the President George Bush Turnpike crosses the south and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH-121) the north. Drive times below start in downtown Plano; from west Plano, Legacy and the Tollway are much closer.
Van Alstyne
36 min≈ 31 mi
via US-75 N
Downtown McKinney
20 min≈ 14 mi
via US-75 N
Legacy West
19 min≈ 14 mi
via Bush Turnpike / Dallas North Tollway
The Star (Frisco)
22 min≈ 16 mi
via Bush Turnpike / Dallas North Tollway
Downtown Dallas
24 min≈ 19 mi
via US-75 S
Love Field
29 min≈ 21 mi
via US-75 S / I-635 / Tollway
DFW Airport
39 min≈ 28 mi
via US-75 S / I-635
Downtown Sherman
50 min≈ 46 mi
via US-75 N
Typical drive times without heavy traffic. Rush hour on US-75 and the Tollway can add 15–30 minutes.
Local favorites
Plano mixes big-city shopping and dining with surprisingly large nature preserves and a historic downtown on the rail line.
Shops and restaurants along 15th Street, with Haggard Park — donated to the city in 1928 — and the Downtown Plano DART station right there.
In Haggard Park, in a former depot of the Texas Electric Railway, which ran between Dallas and Denison from 1908 to 1948. Admission is free, with a suggested donation.
Hot-air balloon launches, evening glows and laser shows every September at Oak Point Park. The 2026 festival ran Sept 17–20.
About 800 acres in east Plano, and home to the Balloon Festival’s event field on Spring Creek Parkway.
A 200-acre nature preserve — an easy place for a walk or a trail run without leaving town.
Legacy West’s shops and restaurants opened in 2017. Legacy Hall is a three-story food hall with more than two dozen stalls and a brewery.
A preserved 1891 farmstead museum — a look at Plano long before Legacy and the Tollway.
West Plano’s mall. Under the proposed Dallas Stars plan, the inline mall and Dillard’s are slated for demolition starting in 2027, while the Neiman Marcus building, Crate & Barrel and the restaurant district stay.
Before you move
Plano runs most of its own services, which makes moving in simple. Here’s what I go over with every Plano buyer before closing.
FAQ
Quick answers to the questions I hear most from people moving to Plano.
Plano is a good fit if you want an established city with big employers, DART rail and finished neighborhoods about 24 minutes from downtown Dallas. Plano ISD earned a B in the 2025 TEA ratings and the 2025 combined tax rate is about 1.71%. The trade-offs are mostly older resale homes, a shrinking school district and rush-hour traffic.
For tax year 2025, a home in Plano city limits and Plano ISD on the Collin County side pays about $1.71 per $100 of value: Plano ISD 1.03955, City of Plano 0.4376, Collin County 0.149343 and Collin College 0.08122. Homesteads also get the $140,000 school exemption, a 20% city exemption and a 5% county exemption.
Most of Plano is in Plano ISD, which earned a B in the 2025 TEA ratings, as did Plano Senior High, Plano West and Plano East. Small parts of the city are zoned to Frisco ISD, Lewisville ISD or Allen ISD. I confirm the district and assigned campuses for every address.
Downtown Dallas is about 19 miles from downtown Plano — around 24 minutes via US-75 without traffic, and much longer at rush hour. You can also ride the DART Red Line from Parker Road, Downtown Plano or 12th Street stations. DFW Airport is about 39 minutes by car, or a ride on the Silver Line.
No, not for now. Plano called a May 2026 withdrawal election, then cancelled it on Feb 23, 2026, after DART agreed to return about $61 million to the city over six years. That agreement runs through Sept 30, 2031.
Maybe. In June 2026 Plano’s council approved a non-binding letter of intent for a Stars arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend, along with a tax increment zone and a $15 million incentive for the mall’s owner. Demolition of parts of the mall is expected to start in early 2027, but no final agreement has been signed.
Not much in population. The Census Bureau estimated 293,028 residents in July 2025, about the same as in 2023 and 2024. Growth now comes from jobs and redevelopment, like Legacy West and the proposed Willow Bend arena, rather than new subdivisions.
Some, but not much. Plano is mostly established neighborhoods, so new homes tend to be infill lots and townhome projects. If you want a new build with a yard, I often show clients McKinney, Anna, Melissa or Van Alstyne alongside Plano.
Compare nearby towns
Collin CountyAllenNext door to the north on US-75; Allen ISD earned an A in the 2025 TEA ratings.Read the Allen guide 
Collin CountyFriscoWest across the Tollway, with The Star, Fields and newer neighborhoods.Read the Frisco guide 
Collin CountyMcKinneyAbout 20 minutes north: the county seat, a historic square and more new construction.Read the McKinney guide 
Grayson CountyVan AlstyneMy home base, about 36 minutes up US-75, with bigger lots and acreage.Read the Van Alstyne guide Facts on this page were checked against public sources in October 2026. Tax rates, school ratings and road plans change — confirm anything important for your decision.
Ready when you are
I’ll show you around — the neighborhoods, the schools and the places locals love — and put together homes in Plano that fit your budget.
