Allen, Texas, United States

🇺🇸 Allen is a city in Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb of Dallas. A Allen is located approximately twenty miles (32.2 km) north of downtown Dallas and is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area.

History The Allen area was previously home to the Caddo, Comanche, and other indigenous peoples. The first immigrants from the United States and Europe arrived in the early 1840s. The town was established by the Houston and Texas Central Railway and named in 1872 for Ebenezer Allen, a state politician and railroad promoter. The railroad allowed sale of crops across the country before they rotted, causing a shift from the previous cattle-based agriculture. On February 22, 1878, a gang led by Sam Bass committed in Allen what is said to be Texas's first train robbery.

From 1908 through 1948, Allen was a stop along the Texas Traction Company's interurban line from Denison to Dallas. Allen was a small town of a few hundred residents when it was incorporated in 1953. Since this time, it has grown dramatically due to the construction of U.S. Route 75, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and the development of nearby Dallas and Plano. Among the more recent developments is the Shaddock Park neighborhood.

Geography According to the City of Allen, the city has a total area of 27.1 square miles (70 km²). None of the area is covered with water except the small ponds scattered throughout the city.

Economy In 1992, Allen citizens approved the creation of the Allen Economic Development Corporation, which is funded by a 0.5% sales tax.

Allen serves as the corporate headquarters for the following companies: MonkeySports, CVE Technology, PFSweb, WatchGuard Video, PINSTACK, Boss Fight Entertainment, Brass Roots Technologies, Cytracom, No Magic, Lyrick Studios, WiQuest Communications, and Credit Union of Texas. Lyrick Studios ceased to exist in 2001 when it was purchased and incorporated into HiT Entertainment.

The city also has a 79,000-square-foot convention centre (Watters Creek Convention Center) owned and operated by Marriott Hotels. In addition, Allen also has a multi-purpose arena, the 7,500-seat Credit Union of Texas Event Center, owned and operated by the City of Allen. There are three major malls/shopping complexes in the city: Allen Premium Outlets, Watters Creek, and The Village at Allen. These shopping complexes attract many visitors to Allen, Texas on a daily basis.

Allen also boasts many luxury hotels often used by visitors and business-people: Hyatt Place Dallas/Allen, Hilton Garden Inn Dallas-Allen, Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Allen at Allen Event Center, and Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen.

top Emmployers

According to the city government's 2014 facts & figures, the top employers in the city were: 1 Allen Independent School District; 2 The Village at Allen and Fairview; 3 Allen Premium Outlets; 4 Watters Creek at Montgomery Farms; 5 Experian; 6 City of Allen; 7 Frontier Communications; 8 Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital; 9 Jack Henry & Associates; 10 PFSweb.

Parks and recreation Allen has two major recreation centers: Joe Farmer Recreation Center and Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium. Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium boasts a large-scale indoor aquatic park with many swimming lanes, a rock-climbing wall, and a fitness center. Allen also boasts the Allen Community Ice Rink, Ford Pool, The Courses at Watters Creek, and Allen Senior Recreation Center. Most notably, Allen has The Edge Skate Park and Visitor Center, a 37,915-square-foot outdoor skate park making it one of the largest skate parks in Texas.

Allen is also home to 60 natural and man-made parks with over 1,188 acres of park land in total. Some of the more notable parks are the following: Allen Station Park, Bethany Lakes Park, Celebration Park, Glendover Park, Spirit Park, Stacy Ridge, Twin Creeks Park, Waterford Park, and Windridge Park.

Every year, Allen hosts the Allen USA Celebration on the last Saturday of June, which usually falls on the Saturday preceding the Independence Day holiday. The celebration boasts a large assortment of food trucks/stalls, sports drills, music concerts, a car show, bounce houses, and a large fireworks display - regarded as one of the largest in Texas. In previous years, there have been performances by Pentatonix, Jerry Jeff Walker, Vince Vance & the Valiants, Survivor, James "J.T". Taylor, Eddie Money, 38 Special, Three Dog Night, Commodores, Michael McDonald, and Lou Gramm. Now, the event draws in around 100,000 people annually and is considered to be the largest event in Allen.

Sport In October 2004, the City of Allen purchased Chase Oaks Golf Club in Plano, Texas, adjacent to the southern city limits of the City of Allen. Chase Oaks, since renamed The Courses at Watters Creek, is a public golf course, and residents are entitled to discounted fees.

A multi-purpose arena, the 7,500-seat Credit Union of Texas Event Center, was completed in November 2009. It is home to the ECHL's Allen Americans and the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Arena Soccer League.

Colleges Allen hosts a campus of Collin College, which is located inside Allen High School and mainly serves dual-credit high school students. A separate Collin College Technical Campus, opened in 2020, is located in west Allen. The 340,000 square-foot facility serves more than 7,000 students when fully occupied and is dedicated to workforce education.

Public libraries The city of Allen possesses one sole library located in Downtown Allen: Allen Public Library. As of the 2019 City of Allen Facts and Figures, Allen has 147,772 volumes and 406,595 people were said to have visited the library.

Transport Allen is served directly by several major roadways and freeways. Allen is bisected by U.S. Highway 75 and bordered to the west by Texas State Highway 121. Some of the major roadways in Allen are: Stacy Road, Exchange Parkway, McDermott Drive, Main Street, Alma Drive, Greenville Avenue, Ridgeview Drive, Allen Heights Drive, Angel Parkway, and Bethany Drive. Currently, with the large increase in its population and its ongoing retail and business development, traffic has become congested.

Currently, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) train system in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex does not extend into the City of Allen, though there has been ongoing discussion of possible expansion into Allen. Active Red Line service is unable to expand further north because Allen is currently unable to levy the 1% sales tax required for DART membership. Allen levies sales tax at the maximum rate of 8.25% set by Texas law. Redirecting 1% sales tax for DART membership would require scrapping funding for the Allen Economic Development Corporation and the Allen Community Development Corporation.

Allen is roughly 30 miles north-east of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which is the primary airport serving Allen residents and visitors. It is also roughly 30 miles north-east of Dallas Love Field Airport.