Name: Plano, TX
Rating: 0.0

( 65 Ratings )

Living in Plano, TX

Ranks better than 83% of areas Follow

Population

288,870

Median Age

38.9 Years

Plano Area Facts

Plano has a Livability Score of 83_/100, which is considered exceptional
Plano crime rates are 25% lower than the Texas average
Cost of living in Plano is 41% higher than the Texas average

What do the locals think about Plano?

74%

Family friendly

43%

Public transit is accessible

28%

Walkable to grocery stores

58%

Yards are well-kept

68%

Lots of parks

34%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

51%

A quiet area

55%

Sense of community

Based on 53 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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Plano Reviews

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Goodbye Plano, Texas! 1.5 rating By Anonymous ( May 15, 2021) First of all, we lived in Plano for 8 years (2012-2020). When we arrived, it was nice and relaxed. Through the years it became increasingly busy and stressful. A couple of years ago, Toyota, Farmers, and a few other mega corporations moved their headquarters to Plano and everythi ...Read More ng changed.
Now, the traffic is impossible, 75 became a huge parking lot. We used to drive to downtown in 15 minutes, now it may take more than one hour. We used to have many pastures and open fields, now all of them are McHouses and apartment buildings.
So, we moved to Northern California, and we LOVE IT!
Back to Plano.
Pros:
Diversity: There is a nice mix of white, Latinos, Hindus, Chinese, blacks, Africans, and much more! We loved to have all kinds of people around us. BTW, I totally second the comments of the person who criticized that idiot racist. Well said! I am MEXICAN, and I have two Masters' Degrees, I am a School Teacher, Museum Educator, Artist, and Web Developer, I speak many languages, I traveled the world, and my IQ is close to genius. What I mean to say is, race, color, religious beliefs, money, or country of origin have very little to do with your values and worth as a human being. I cannot believe that in the 21st Century, in the most powerful country in the world (USA), there's still millions of people who believe in white supremacy and other idiotic ideas. In any case, Plano is diverse and most of the people are open to other cultures.
DFW: You have access to all the great cultural (and not so cultural) activities in the Metroplex.
Jobs: The area is exploding. You have a very good chance to land on a job.

CONS:
Population: Thousands of people are moving here and the city's infrastructure can't catch up with it. Too many people.
Roads: Totally insufficient for the same reason. If you will work in Dallas, be ready to spend a good chunk of your day sitting inside your car. If you really decide to live in Plano, you better get a job in Plano, and close to your home.
Nature: There are many parks and trails, but nothing really to see. Compared to California, Plano is flat and boring. Still, there are plenty of places to go for a walk with your dogs or bike for miles. No ocean, no rivers, no mountains, no forests. This is one of the main reasons why we moved out. If you care about shopping and not about the scenery, then this will not be an issue for you.
Cost of living: The idea of "cheap living" in Plano is vanishing. We bought our house for 180K and sold it for 315K in just a few years. The cost of living in Plano has increased dramatically, and it won't slow down. California is much more expensive, but interesting enough, we make much more money now, and our acquisition level increased! Of course we live in a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, but still our life in Plano was not that affordable.
Weather: OMG, I lived 25 years in Texas, and one thing I will never miss is the weather. Winters are mild, but we have huge storms every few years and people crash on the roads (nobody knows how to deal with icy conditions), and it is a mess. Spring and fall last a couple of weeks, and summer lasts FOREVER. High temperatures never go down from May to October. By night time is hot, hot, hot, and by day time, it is hell. You open the door of your car, and the heat coming out basically melts your face. Here in California, days are beautiful year round. And even when is hot during the day, as soon as the sun goes down, it is fresh and nice. The other problem is humidity. It makes the heat feel much worse. Best months? April and October. Good luck with the rest.

Neutral (Depends on your lifestyle):
Shopping: If you like shopping, this is paradise. Every single store you can imagine is here. We are not into shopping malls, so this was not an important thing for us.
Schools: My son was in PISD from K to 5th grade and he was really happy. My wife and I taught in PISD, and did not like it that much. People are superficial, and snooty. Many of them were hypocrites, bible thumpers, and so full of themselves. We loved when we worked for Richardson ISD and the International Leadership of Texas in Garland.
Church: Plano has the highest ratio of churches/people in the world (or at least clos to it). There are mega churches of millions of dollars all over the place, small churches, and every single flavor of Baptists. Also, you can find many temples for other religions. So, if church is your thing, look no more, Plano is for you! We are Free Thinkers, so those many churches did nothing for us. Still, I enjoyed visiting different temples/religions.

I hope this review helps you. Read Less

Steal You blind? 3.5 rating By Anonymous ( Dec 05, 2019) Was just reading YOUR review (croneathome Oct 01, 2015). You don't just sound racist, you are racist, and you know it.

You said "You haven't been swindled until you have been swindled by a Mexican." Listen, fool, according to your own story, you weren't swindled by any Mexic ...Read More an - you (and all of us!) are being swindled by the system! You made some legitimate points, but you blame the wrong people! If you were born poor in Mexico, Guatemala, or wherever, YOU would've moved to the USA too - just like all of our ancestors did when life was unbearable in the old country. And don't say you would've done so LEGALLY - no - these people CANNOT come here legally - and the vast majority of our ancestors came to this country at a time when there was no such thing as legal or illegal immigrants - people just bought a ticket on a ship and showed up!

So don't blame them, and stop being a dupe of conservative media, which tells you to be a racist and punch down - hating and blaming the poor and powerless. Be smart and blame the people with all the money and power - the tiny, secretive billionaire aristocracy that owns this country and totally corrupts our democracy! They DESPISE you, me, and everyone else in the bottom 99.9%. They like illegals more than peasant citizens, because illegals have no rights, are terrified, never complain, and can be exploited like slaves. That's the future they envision for ALL of us bottom 99%.

You said it yourself - "Even when a workplace is raided and the illegals rounded up the business waits a few days and everyone is back." Who is responsible for this situation? The illegals? NO! The business owners who hire them and most of all, the people who bribe our politicians to write laws allowing them to do this and who make sure that only the bottom 99.9% ever get punished for anything, while the aristocrats (born billionaires!) can get away with murder, and with betraying this country and its citizens, destroying the middle class and taking ALL of the pie for themselves. Wake the F up already and stop being an idiot and a racist. Punch up, not down - or at least put the blame where it belongs!

Just imagine if instead of sending Gestapo storm troopers to terrorize immigrant families, tearing SCREAMING BABIES out of mothers' arms, and throwing them in disgusting concentration camps, our government instead arrested and jailed business owners who hired illegal aliens. You'd only have to jail a handful and publicize that in the media and that would be the end of it! People who don't have the right to live and work here would be fired and gradually self-deport! And that solution would cost pennies compared to the billions we are spending on this stupid Gestapo approach that is making our country look like Nazi Germany (to say nothing of Wall Street bankster bailouts and our never-ending War of Terror, which has cost us over 10 TRILLION so far and destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of patriotic American volunteer soldiers and their families).

As for Plano - great place to raise a family - no matter what your race is - racists will be disappointed because this area is already diverse and increasingly so. Big corporations prefer to hire foreigners - legal, illegal, any kind - just so they're not citizens and have no rights. Just know that your property taxes will be through the roof, and you better turn off the cell phone and drive PERFECTLY, and actually follow the speed limit (hint - it changes often!) and make d@mn sure your car is in PERFECT order (all lights working, etc.) or you will be pulled over and cited. Needless to say, your papers better be in order - license, registration, insurance - all up to date. You better park your car perfectly too - always to the right, never to the left, as many people do in narrow residential streets - this is actually illegal and the ticket is steep!

Also, despite a reputation as one of America's safest "big" cities (population over 300,000) - Plano is NOT perfectly safe. We live in the most expensive zip code in Plano, and our house was broken into in broad daylight. Even worse, a bank near us was robbed, and when the getaway car stalled, the robbers jumped a wall into our neighborhood, knocked on a door and barged in when the door opened, tied up the family and hoped to escape the police that way (they were found, somehow, after a few hours of our neighborhood feeling like a war zone, with cops everywhere, helicopters hovering, etc.

That's America for you - even the safest city is not that safe, because inequality is through the roof and there are so many desperate people who can't get a job and are afraid of becoming homeless and dying in the street, so they turn to crime. Richest country in the world, but homeless citizens begging and dying in every city! Why? Because billionaire psychopaths own both parties and nearly every politician, and get the laws, tax system and society they want - they are turning us into Ye Olde England - a vicious, third world class system where you're either born super rich and above the law, or else you're a poor peasant/slave (bottom 99%). Plano is one of the last middle class areas in the country, but there are tons of poor, desperate people a hop, skip and a jump away. Read Less

Over-reaching city laws 2.5 rating By BrittaniNoel ( May 12, 2018) I would say Plano is a mix of conservative and liberal. Lots of people think they're conservative but act like liberals.ProsIf you need to buy services or products, you'll find them here. There's plenty to do if it's man-made. Rec-center membership is cheap and gets you access ...Read More to A LOT. Diverse culturally, which makes it quite interesting. Big beautiful trees everywhere, but very manicured and planned.ConsThis is not a place for you if you like having a say over your own property. You will get fined or harassed for parking a travel trailer for a day on the street, having too-long grass, having your garage open, or having a vehicle with out-of-state plates- the city will say it's abandoned. And you're lucky if you don't have an HOA that bosses the crap out of you as well, telling you when you can and cannot take your garbage out to the street, etc.The drivers are stupid and impatient- always tail-gating.There's very little by way of natural, open spaces. Maybe because it it would just be dirt? Lots of concrete, grass, and trees- everything is manicured, which is fine except when you're used to western Oregon. Flat land.The law-makers are OCD, I think. Read Less

Steal You blind! 2.5 rating By croneathome ( Oct 01, 2015) Was just reading your review. Sounds just like Vegas, where I am currently living.
I am searching for a place with a mainly white population. I know that sounds racist, but after living in Las Vegas for almost two years I am tired of working with people who either don't speak o ...Read More r refuse to speak English. When I was growing up I was taught that it was rude to whisper to someone in front of someone else. I think it is just as rude when your fellow workers speak back and forth in Spanish in front of someone who is not fluent in the language. I'll tell you what really gets me though. In every interview either the first or second question is, "Do you speak Spanish?" Damn, I shouldn't have to! I am an American seeking work in America. Your problems of rudeness and crazy driving are nothing compared to seeing your line of work disappear to Mexicans, because they will work cheaper. I won't go into detail about how they manage that. Even when a workplace is raided and the illegals rounded up the business waits a few days and everyone is back.
You haven't been swindled until you have been swindled by a Mexican. Read Less

Show All Reviews

Over-reaching city laws 2.5 rating By BrittaniNoel ( May 12, 2018) I would say Plano is a mix of conservative and liberal. Lots of people think they're conservative but act like liberals.ProsIf you need to buy services or products, you'll find them here. There's plenty to do if it's man-made. Rec-center membership is cheap and gets you access ...Read More to A LOT. Diverse culturally, which makes it quite interesting. Big beautiful trees everywhere, but very manicured and planned.ConsThis is not a place for you if you like having a say over your own property. You will get fined or harassed for parking a travel trailer for a day on the street, having too-long grass, having your garage open, or having a vehicle with out-of-state plates- the city will say it's abandoned. And you're lucky if you don't have an HOA that bosses the crap out of you as well, telling you when you can and cannot take your garbage out to the street, etc.The drivers are stupid and impatient- always tail-gating.There's very little by way of natural, open spaces. Maybe because it it would just be dirt? Lots of concrete, grass, and trees- everything is manicured, which is fine except when you're used to western Oregon. Flat land.The law-makers are OCD, I think. Read Less

Steal You blind! 2.5 rating By croneathome ( Oct 01, 2015) Was just reading your review. Sounds just like Vegas, where I am currently living.
I am searching for a place with a mainly white population. I know that sounds racist, but after living in Las Vegas for almost two years I am tired of working with people who either don't speak o ...Read More r refuse to speak English. When I was growing up I was taught that it was rude to whisper to someone in front of someone else. I think it is just as rude when your fellow workers speak back and forth in Spanish in front of someone who is not fluent in the language. I'll tell you what really gets me though. In every interview either the first or second question is, "Do you speak Spanish?" Damn, I shouldn't have to! I am an American seeking work in America. Your problems of rudeness and crazy driving are nothing compared to seeing your line of work disappear to Mexicans, because they will work cheaper. I won't go into detail about how they manage that. Even when a workplace is raided and the illegals rounded up the business waits a few days and everyone is back.
You haven't been swindled until you have been swindled by a Mexican. Read Less

No, Plano is really very safe. 4.5 rating By Ling ( Mar 02, 2015) I was reading reviews of my town as I was attempting to assess how accurate the reviews were of other town. After the alarming review I read about Steal you blind etc. below I felt I had to write and in rebut. That review is laughable except for driving which is somewhat true a ...Read More lbeit it is the same all over the DFW area. I live on the East side of town which for Plano is the older part of town. I have no fear walking outside my house alone any time of the day or night. There is no trash issues. As for dead bodies and people trying to run you down? LOL. Seriously this is a safe clean suburb. This a big suburb, I believe we are around 250000 people, and you can find bad neighborhoods and drugs if you look for them. If you are used to a very small town this place might seem busy but the area vibes assessment seems very accurate to me. I have lived here for 20 years, raised 3 kids here. I am not afraid. As I am looking for a place to retire and I use Plano as my comparison city all the time. Read Less

Steal you blind, rob you, shoot you, or run over you 0.5 rating By pab271 ( Jan 27, 2015) I lived here for 3 months because of my job, and I must say, Wylie, Sachse, Garland, and Plano area is by far the worst place I have ever been. The people are rude, drive like maniacs, almost every driving law is broken non stop. The people exceed the speed limit by 15 mph or mor ...Read More e, make illegal u-turns in the middle of the road, and the presence of cops is almost non existent. Anyone and everyone will rob you blind. This is the only place I have been that someone with a run down, falling apart mobile home that would be considered condemned where I'm from, has security cameras and full perimeter fences guarding junk so no one will steal everything they have. Walking down the road, people will run over you. Dead people are found almost daily lying on the highways from being run over. Hit and runs are common. Most of the time you will have to step off in the ditch to avoid being run over. Also, they is so much trash everywhere, people throw trash bags full of trash in the ditches. Everywhere you look has trash and litter. To say Plano gets a A+ for crime, is total lie, people will rob you just for you cell phone, they will steal your UPS packages right off your porch, or even break into your house in the middle of the day to steal anything they can get their hands on. I am leaving this terrible awful state, and area. I came to Texas for the warm winter weather, and that was a huge mistake. Not even the warm weather could make up for the rude and dishonest people here. I will never come back here. I would pick Chernobyl as my home before Texas. Read Less

Little India 0.5 rating By kdwalton ( Aug 16, 2014) I moved to Plano 15 years ago and loved it. However, the demographics have changed drastically. If you are Indian you will love it. If not, you will be a minority, period. I am not saying this is good or bad, just stating facts. Plano has the largest population of Indians, p ...Read More ercentage, wise than any other city in the country!

The majority of the city is showing its age, the main areas that are nice are west of the Tollway.
Where I used to shop for books, there is now a Condom Sense store and an Oriental Massage next door and a large bar across the street. The traffic throughout the city is terrible at any day and hour.

The only good thing I can say about this city is that the shopping is good, esp. the Shops at Legacy.

I do not enjoy living here now and am moving soon. Read Less

Plano might be OK if it were not in Texas 0.5 rating By naseller ( Jul 26, 2014) FLAT land, very commercialized, lots of strip malls. Ugly place with an arrogance that defies logic. You might be able to hide in the schools and the loose community, but you are still in Texas where rich greedy white men run the state. There is shopping, very expensive high en ...Read More d stores, even the outlets are expensive. No diversity of race. Insanely high taxes, insurance costs, no healthcare, and the weather, if you enjoy 6 mos of not even being able to step outside because of the 100 plus humidity then maybe this is the place for you. Forget biking, hiking or even swimming in a pool. Too hot to go outside. If you are from the South, you have grown to live with the weather, which has become more brutal as Global Warming continues. There is NOTHING to do, In a month even museums in Dallas will be exhausted for you, no nightlife. If you MUST live in Texas, in Austin at least you get some return for your money. Read Less

One of the best place to raise a family and retire 5 rating By FriscoFrappe ( Feb 05, 2014) You get all you need.

Good location
Great schools
Shopping
Dinning
Entertainment
Parks
Rec centers, gyms, pools
Nature trails
Low tax
Responsible city government
Great police,fire fighters, teachers
Top notch Medical facilities, libraries
Employers
Everything DFW near by
Great ...Read More neighborhoods
Two great downtowns
Great mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary homes
Established neighborhoods with sense of community and tree lined streets
Great home resale
Balloon Festival, Music Festival, July fireworks etc

Wealthy part of the town is on West Side that borders North Dallas. We enjoy living here, raising our family is fun and intend to retire here as well. Read Less

Plano has its pros and cons 2.5 rating By SheilaThomas ( Nov 02, 2013) Plano is a large city, so there is no "family feeling" of a smaller community. People are from diverse backgrounds. There are a lot of transients, who are not here to put down roots in the community, and therefore have no real interest in making a contribution; in my opinion, tha ...Read More t is one of the biggest problems with this area. I take my child to a church day school in the area, most of the other moms are snotty and unfriendly. Plano has great parks and schools, although the public high schools are too large. Nightlife is almost non-existent. Read Less

Great Place For All Stages of Life 4.5 rating By Quiet Man ( Aug 23, 2013) Plano is a great place for young and old alike. Excellent schools, award-winning parks and library systems, and outstanding police and fire departmentsand make Plano one of the safest cities in the U.S. Plano was recently named "the best run city in America", which helps to ex ...Read More plain the low city property tax rate.

Housing is a bargain in Plano. Good choices in all price ranges. $250,000 will get you a well-built 15 year old house of 2,500+ square feet in a good neighborhood with great schools.

Excellent night life in Legacy Town Center and in Historic Downtown Plano make it a destination for singles as well as couples.

A strong employment center, Plano has world headquarters for Pizza Hut, JC Penney, Dr. Pepper/Snapple, Rent-a Center, Frito-Lay, etc. It also is home to major installations of Capital One, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Denbury Resources, Encana, and many others. Read Less

Surprising Plain Old Plano, Texas 5 rating By Anonymous ( Dec 21, 2011) Plano, Texas is a pleasant city. Driving through the tree lined streets of "downtown" Plano you can tell the town does okay financially. All the storefronts have busy businesses. Something not every small to medium sized city in America can say these days.

There is a good mix o ...Read More f colors in the Plano population. Nearly two thirds of Plano citizens are Caucasian. Another third shared evenly between Asian and Hispanic families. The rest are affluent black Americans.

Key words to describe Plano are families and affluent. Plano is a family oriented city if ever there was one. Plano is also highly affluent and received recognition more than once, as the wealthiest or richest city of its size in America. There are two reasons for that distinction. Texas is oil country. If you do not have income from oil, in Texas you may have a great job and salary working in some type of oil related industry. Plano is the headquarters for some major corporations or their subsidiaries.

You might think such wealth would mean snobbery but this is Texas. Texans are the friendliest people in America. When my employer transferred me to Texas, we lived in Plano. Because of the corporate culture, families move in and move out with job postings. The average stay is about four or five years. A posting in Plano is a bonus during your career. There are the old families and the corporate citizens. Everyone generally gets along just fine.

One Texas sized benefit of the wealth in Plano is the excellent school system. Plano schools have all the bells and whistles. More importantly, the teachers do a great job, as evidenced by nation leading test scores that Plano students and schools produce. Plano is a suburb of Dallas and is a great place to live. Read Less

Plano, TX - A Place Of Art, Trains, and Laser Tag 5 rating By Anonymous ( May 03, 2010) Plano, TX is full of fun activities and attractions for the entire family. We live an hour away, and love to visit this city as often as possible. For the art lover there is the ArtCentre of Plano, the Plano Metropolitan Ballet, and the Plano Symphony Orchestra.

My kids had a bl ...Read More ast at Fairview Far's. It's almost as if you step back in time and see what it was like in the old days. We have seen the mini trains at the Interurban Railway Museum. By far our best time in has been at Plano WhirlyBall LaserWhirld. It's a bit pricey, but LaserWhirld is two stories of fun for the whole family.

My husband's favorite place to visit in Plano is the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. They have expanded the preserve with a great new trail. Hike up and enjoy the view at the lookout tower. Hikers and nature lovers will forget they are in the city in this great park.

If you have children be sure to stop by Animals Crackers for kids clothes. This shop is famous in the area and carries boutique clothing that is out of this world. All in all Plano is packed full of activities and shopping for everyone in the family. Read Less

Plano Awards

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Compare Plano, TX Livability

Plano, TX

Only a 30-minute drive north of Dallas, Plano has one of the hottest housing markets in one of the nation’s hottest states. This populous Texan city has a whole lot to love, including a highly-ranked school system, low crime rates, and a sizzling job market. True, the homes in Plano are slightly above the national average, but you are paying for above-average amenities.

The two top reasons many families settle in Plano are safety and education. Typically, Plano has annual crime figures that are well below the national average. This city is also well respected for its strong K-12 school curriculum. Plus, there are many prestigious colleges like the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University around Plano.

Another positive for Plano is that it’s incredibly business-friendly. Anyone involved in the IT sector shouldn’t have a difficult time finding a position in or around Plano. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area also has a big reputation in the healthcare industry. Just a few of the major corporations that have headquarters in or near Plano include Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, FedEx, Toyota Motor, Huawei, and Frito-Lay.

But it’s not all business in the Lone Star city. Plano has numerous public parks where you could enjoy a picnic, take the dog for a walk, or go for a jog. Plano’s proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth also means you’ll enjoy easy access to an eclectic array of restaurants and world-class entertainment. As a bonus, Plano hosts the world-famous Hot Air Balloon Festival every autumn.

To help Plano’s residents get to and from work, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) now offers light rail service from Downtown Plano Station. You could quickly get to major attractions like the Dallas Zoo and Convention Center using DART’s service. Plano also has two bus services in the city: one on the city’s eastern edge and the other to the west. In terms of air travel, Plano is a short drive from one of the world's busiest airports: Dallas-Fort Worth International.

As you might’ve already guessed, Plano is well known for its hot & humid weather. Average summertime highs are usually well above 90° F, so be sure you can “handle the heat” before heading into town. Residents of Plano also need to be on high alert for severe hurricanes, hail, and tornadoes. The rainiest months of the year are usually in the spring and autumn.

Bottom line: Plano is a family-friendly city that routinely enjoys high livability scores in terms of crime, education, entertainment, and job opportunities. While the house prices are higher than other cities in Texas, the world-class amenities are significant enough draws for new homebuyers.