Our McKinney logo carries the Texas longhorn above ‘Texas Republic — Est. 1845,’ the shared retro emblem of our Texas towns; the longhorn stands for the cattle-and-frontier heritage and the star for the Lone Star, and 1845 marks the year Texas joined the Union. Rendered in black-and-white, like an old cattle brand or rodeo poster, it ties McKinney to every other Texas town we make. What makes this one McKinney is the town behind the brand — the square, the 1875 courthouse, and the man who helped sign Texas into being.
The name goes back to the founding of Texas itself. Both the city and Collin County are named for Collin McKinney — a surveyor and pioneer who was one of the five men who drafted, and a signer of, the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, and the oldest of all the signers. He never actually lived in the town that carries his name, settling instead farther east near the Red River. Collin County was created in 1846; in 1848 the county seat moved here, and the next year William Davis donated 120 acres for the townsite.
Why People Visit McKinney
Visitors choose McKinney for its handsome square, approachable museums, and easy walkability. It balances small-city heritage with everyday outdoor spaces, from the courthouse and Chestnut Square to the Heard sanctuary and the park trails. Families and day-trippers find a friendly layout and an unhurried pace, with year-round appeal in its parks, paths, and public spaces — and the historic square always at the center of it.
