Plano, TX

 is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 269,776 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth most populous city in the state of Texas (Corpus Christi is ranked at #8 and Laredo is ranked at #10) and the 70th most populous city in the United States.[4] Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The city is home to many corporate headquarters: Alliance Data, Cinemark Theatres, Dell Services, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Ericsson, Frito-Lay, HP Enterprise Services, Huawei, J. C. Penney, Pizza Hut, Rent-A-Center, Traxxas, and Siemens PLM Software.
Just minutes north of Dallas, Plano is home to many exciting attractions including the infamous Southfork Ranch from the “Dallas” TV show; Historic Downtown Plano; Interurban Rail Museum; Historic Home Tour; and the Courtyard Theater.

If shopping is your bag, there is no place better. Plano is in the center of some of the best shopping in Texas. Plano has several places for shopping: Shops at Legacy, Shops at Willow Bend, Lakeside Market, Plano Market Square, Preston Park Village and Collin Creek. In addition, other shopping facilities surround the area including an outlet mall, regional mall and much more. Plano is a shopper’s paradise.

Plano, the Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas, is also home to the state’s largest balloon festival held each September. Other annual events include: Fourth of July Celebration and Christmas in Old Downtown. Come experience Plano for yourself. Over 4,000 affordable hotel rooms and 700 restaurants for every budget and appetite-a perfect end to a fun-filled day. For more information, contact the Plano Convention & Visitors

Plano is one of 12 suburbs in the Dallas area that opts into the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) public transportation system. During most of its membership in DART, Plano was lightly served by bus lines, but in recent years, the Red Line of the DART Light Rail project has opened stations in Downtown Plano and at Parker Road, which provide access to commuters traveling to work elsewhere in the Dallas area. Approximately 1% of the city's population uses DART. The Parker Road station began charging for parking for non-member city residents on April 2, 2012. The program is called the Fair Share Parking initiative.

Plano was the first city in Collin County to adopt a master plan for its road system. The use of multi-lane, divided highways for all major roads allows for higher speed limits, generally 40 mph (64 km/h), but sometimes up to 55 mph (89 km/h) on the northern section of Preston Road. Plano is served directly by several major roadways and freeways. Central Plano is bordered to the east by U.S. Highway 75, the west by Dallas North Tollway, the south by President George Bush Turnpike, and the north by Texas State Highway 121. Preston Road (Texas State Highway 289) is a major thoroughfare that runs through the city.

Plano opened a new interchange at Parker Rd. and U.S. 75 in December 2010. The single-point interchange is the first of its kind in Texas. The design is intended to reduce severe congestion at this interchange.