Just me or is Mckinney completely undeveloped and lame (Plano: how much, Home Depot)

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by Ishad

If you are happy where you live I don't see the point of slamming another suburb.

Exactly

[LauraLama]

McKinney is very big and some parts are lovely and green and have decent size lots but other are absolutely generic low end subdivisions. If I didn't have to commute to work or had school aged children then I wouldn't mind moving there. Hell, at right price, I would retire in Sherman.

[unknown00]

Originally Posted by jdallas

perhaps is the very lack of a big box retailer on every corner that make it #1...?

yes it is the lack of that. the city is very undeveloped imo

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

I don't see how this is a a bad thing. They mostly sell thing in bulk - how often are you going there?

at least once a week

Originally Posted by Ishad

If you are happy where you live I don't see the point of slamming another suburb.

i'm not really slamming it, just stating facts, and wonder what the hype is about due its big lack of commercial development

[keribeth818]

Maybe the hype is from folks that think commercial development (like in West Plano) is lame...

[In_Correct]

Originally Posted by unknown00

I really don't understand why it's rated #1 Best Place to Live. I think its completely undeveloped and lame. I know this is a very biased question and I'm just stating my opinion but here are my thoughts...

• Everything I mention below is talking specifically about west of 75 and south of University/380, close to Frisco border
• I currently live in west Plano. Currently from my house within 5min or LESS I can get to a Sam's, Super Walmart, gym, Super Target, mall, Home Depot, and more. The ONLY thing that I have to drive 10-15min for is Costco.
• From McKinney (the area I mentioned above), it takes around 15min (that's TRIPLE the time) to get to a Sam's, Super Walmart, gym, Super Target, mall, Home Depot, and Costco. You either have to go to Frisco or Plano or all the way north McKinney for any of these
• There's a lot of land in this area, lots are commercial zoning, but nothing is being built. If I search the forum, people talk about things like Costco/HEB being built many many years ago but now its 3 years+ later and still nothing.

I wonder if McKinney is ever going to get built out and become more of a city city like Frisco/Plano instead of just a bunch of land. People may respond "Yes of course just give it a couple years" well that's the same response people have been giving 5 years+ ago and 5 years later still nothing

I like how you called McKinney "undeveloped and lame" It's a very nice suburb, but it is very overrated.

[FriscoTex]

So I googled the Best Places to Live ranking list you are referring to and the reason why Mckinney was # 1 is because it
has nature and parks, affordable living, historic downtown and job growth.

I am not sure how Mckinney got #1 instead of other suburbs in the DFW metroplex but their #2 was in Minnesota
and that's a headscratcher for me.

Anyway, the point is that it was NOT #1 because it had lots of shopping on every corner.

Here is the ranking list:
http://time.com/money/3312309/mckinn...laces-to-live/

[TheOverdog]

They might have considered Plano on the cusp of "too big" or something, as their cutoff was 300k in population. If you look at their stats, McKinney & Plano are equal or Plano comes out slightly ahead in almost every single category, except age where McKinney is younger, and diversity, where Plano is way more diverse. Does that make you feel better?
McKinney, Texas - TIME
Plano, TX - TIME

City: Plano
State: TX
Population: 279,408
Census region: South
Financial
Median family income: $104,800
Cost of Living Index score (100 is national average): 103
Sales tax: 8.3%
State income tax rate (highest bracket): 0%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket): 0%
Average auto insurance premium: $1,620
Projected job growth 2013 – 2018: 13.3%
Median home price: $235,000
Average property taxes: $5,418
Colleges, universities, and professional schools (within 30 miles): 22
Reading test scores (% above state average): 21.9%
Math test scores (% above state average): 16%
% students attending public/private schools (within town limits): 90%/10%
Air quality index (% days AQI ranked as good): 85%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000 people): 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000 people): 23
Median commute time (in minutes): 23
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer: 15%
% population who walk or bike to work: 3%
Movie theaters (within 15 miles): 90
Restaurants (within 15 miles): 6,546
Bars (within 15 miles): 498
Public golf courses (within 30 miles): 187
Libraries (within 15 miles): 83
Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles): 83
Ski resorts (within 100 miles): 0
Arts funding ($ per person of state funds spent on arts): $0.21
WeatherAnnual rainfall (inches): 34.7
% clear days in the area: 64%
High temp. in July (° F): 92.7
Low temp. in Jan (° F): 31.1
Median age: 37.2
Residents who completed at least some college: 79%
Married: 54%
Divorced: 10%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average): 153.2

City: McKinney
State: TX
Population: 140,864
Census region: South
Financial
Median family income: $96,143
Cost of Living Index score (100 is national average): 103
Sales tax: 8.3%
State income tax rate (highest bracket): 0%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket): 0%
Average auto insurance premium: $1,620
Projected job growth 2013 – 2018: 13.1%
Housing
Median home price: $217,879
Average property taxes: $5,142
Education
Colleges, universities, and professional schools (within 30 miles): 16
Reading test scores (% above state average): 19.2%
Math test scores (% above state average): 15%
% students attending public/private schools (within town limits): 94.7%/5.3%
Quality of Life
Air quality index (% days AQI ranked as good): 85%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000 people): 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000 people): 20
Median commute time (in minutes): 29
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer: 24%
% population who walk or bike to work: 4%
Leisure/Culture
Movie theaters (within 15 miles): 38
Restaurants (within 15 miles): 3,207
Bars (within 15 miles): 180
Public golf courses (within 30 miles): 154
Libraries (within 15 miles): 37
Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles): 72
Ski resorts (within 100 miles): 0
Arts funding ($ per person of state funds spent on arts): $0.21
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches): 34.7
% clear days in the area: 64%
High temp. in July (° F): 92.7
Low temp. in Jan (° F): 31.1
Meet the Neighbors
Median age: 33.2
Residents who completed at least some college: 75%
Married: 58%
Divorced: 10%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average): 104.6

[unknown00]

Originally Posted by FriscoTex

So I googled the Best Places to Live ranking list you are referring to and the reason why Mckinney was # 1 is because it
has nature and parks, affordable living, historic downtown and job growth.

maybe it's "affordable" because it's so far away from the city and so undeveloped with no retail

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by unknown00

maybe it's "affordable" because it's so far away from the city and so undeveloped with no retail

Okay - you are simply trying to incite an argument. McKinney is actually the county seat of Collin County. At build-out, the population is expected to rival satellite cities such as Arlington.

As the county seat, McKinney actually does have more of a historic aspect than many of the Collin County suburbs springing up from prairie farmland. For example, the thriving and truly historic downtown square - which is a destination for those from all over.

In terms of retail, what type of retail is McKinney lacking? Last time I saw the development along the 380 corridor in McKinney, it didn't seem like they were wanting for any new stores - that's for sure. They have all the "usual suspects" for suburban Dallas there - literally every chain you can think of. Head further up to El Dorado, and you have additional retail and dining options. Not to mention all of the strip malls throughout the city & the retail along 121 near Craig Ranch.

If I lived there, I'd want them to have a Mi Cocina, Nordstrom, etc, but those types of places are available in neighboring towns like Allen, Plano & Frisco.

As far as the "best place to live" ranking, I'm sure the relative affordability of the homes and the fact McKinney has a pretty diverse housing stock were big factors there. I don't think this ranking is about who has the best retail or which area is the most affluent. I interpret as more of "which area has the broadest appeal." I think McKinney is more unique in the sense they do have the impoverished areas on the East side of town + a mixture of low-end Centex style production subdivisions + renowned master planned communities with high end homes (Stonebridge Ranch) all within one city.

There are parts that are visually less flat than some other areas, which is also nice.

I personally prefer many other suburban areas to McKinney just based on my needs and wants, but your assertion about the retail etc is totally ridiculous.

[mikestrong]

Originally Posted by unknown00

maybe it's "affordable" because it's so far away from the city and so undeveloped with no retail

As I posted, not sure how much more retail you want, BUT Mckinney has plenty. You just dont like Mckinney. Thats fine, but it has plenty of it.