FRISCO TEXAS HISTORY/FRISCO TEXAS SCHOOLS

Frisco was born of western spirit as a tiny watering hole and whistle stop, first along the Shawnee Trail and then along the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad. It is from this railroad that "Frisco" got her name, during the days of massive cattle drives in the 1800's.

Settlers first came to this area while traveling the Shawnee Trail, following buffalo herds and camping near natural springs. The settlement of Lebanon (later incorporated into Frisco city boundaries) became an assembly point where cattlemen would meet and plan their trail drives.

As was the case with many cattle trails across the country, the railroad lines followed their pattern. It is only logical that the cattle trails would develop along the shortest, easiest paths to market.

The origin of the railroad that gave birth to Frisco began in 1849 in the state of Missouri. The Pacific Railroad Company was granted a charter to build a line from St. Louis to the western boundary of Missouri. Fifty-three years later, the line had become a part of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad.

With fewer and fewer cattle drives, businesses and residents began moving toward land with rail access. Some physically moved their houses from Preston Road to what is now downtown Frisco. T.J. Campbell literally placed his home on logs and rolled it into the city where it still stands as a historical monument.

By 1869, the laying of track, which would become part of the Frisco line, was completed in Texas. In 1902, one such line was completed from Denison to Carrollton through the center of what is now Frisco. Men at depot stations along the San Francisco line soon shortened the name to "Frisco".

In 1904, the people selected the name " Frisco City" for their town in honor of the railroad that founded the young city. It was soon shortened to "Frisco" and today is experiencing a thriving business economy and continues to develop and prosper.

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FRISCO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION PO BOX 1507 6801 Gaylord Parkway Suite 400 Frisco, Texas  75034-1507 Phone 972.292.5150 Fax 972.292.5166 EDUCATION Award winning public school systems Frisco ISD - 4A Prosper ISD -3A Lewisville ISD - 5A Private Schools Legacy Christian Academy Higher Education The City of Frisco is home to four colleges and universities; with eighteen more within a 60 mile radius. Frisco is home to the following campuses: Dallas Baptist University Amberton University University of Dallas Collin County Community College FISD Growth Projections Frisco College Educated In 1990, Frisco had 159 residents with graduate or professional degrees. In 2000, Frisco had 2,663, an increase of more than 1,500%. 2000 Census data for selected cities: City Number % in 2000 with at least Bachelors Degree Allen 9,442 36.1 Frisco 8,092 37.4 McKinney 9,384 28.8 Plano 51,305 35.6 The Colony 3,007 19.0     Source: 2000 Census