McKinney Grew from a Donated Townsite into the County Seat

In 1849, William Davis donated 120 acres of his 3,000-acre tract for the town of McKinney. The town was named for Collin McKinney, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. McKinney replaced Buckner as the county seat because Buckner was not close enough to the geographic center of the county.

The arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railway in 1872 helped McKinney grow as a trade hub. Five more rail lines followed by the 1890s. Through much of the twentieth century, McKinney stayed a small county seat while Plano grew rapidly to the south. Today McKinney is one of the fastest-growing cities in North Texas.