Money Magazine named McKinney, TX “Best Place to Live” in 2014, and the city still ranks high today as one of the best places to live in the United States. McKinney offers all the luxuries one could want from a big city by existing only half an hour outside Dallas, while simultaneously holding true to its historic identity. It is the epitome of history and vibrance.
McKinney, TX lives at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and U.S. Highway 380. This existence is fitting for a city that deserves so much more than a passing-through. McKinney is instead the picture of healthy progress.
McKinney is best known for her picturesque downtown, where farmer’s markets rave, and locals and tourists alike eat at favorite local restaurants. The majority of the shops downtown are family-owned, an aspect of their culture that McKinney holds extreme pride in. One of the most beautiful businesses in downtown McKinney is “Hugs Cafe”, a restaurant that has gained national spotlight for being staffed by adults with special needs. Some others include Harvest, which provides organic food from locally-grown sources, and Spoons Cafe, which offers a constant flow of live music. Tourists enjoy the inviting attitudes of locals, who pull them into a fresh culture, and locals enjoy sharing their love for life.
Despite McKinney’s quaint eccentricity, it still manages to grow and fund its high-ticket maintenance. McKinney houses the headquarters of several large corporations, such as Raytheon, whose openings have transformed McKinney from a suburb, to a city with suburbs of its own. In the case of most cities, corporate growth like this leads to destruction of local businesses, but McKinney’s ability to balance the two is one of the reasons it has earned a place at the top.