Richardson

Sister cities

• Rio de Janeiro

History

Emigrants from Kentucky and Tennessee settled near present-day Richardson in the 1840s. Before the Civil War, a small settlement called Breckenridge, located near present-day Richland College, was established. In 1873, the Houston and Texas Central Railway built a depot northwest of Breckenridge. After the H.&T.C. purchased acreage for a townsite from two local land-owners, the site was surveyed and laid out in blocks and lots, which the railroad began selling in 1874. The town was named after the secretary of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, Alfred S. Richardson. In 1908, the Texas Electric Railway, an electric railway known as the Interurban, connected Richardson to Denison, Waco, Corsicana and Dallas. In 1910 the population was approximately 600. A red brick schoolhouse was built in 1914 and is now the administrative office for the Richardson Independent School District. In 1924 the Red Brick Road, the present-day Greenville Avenue, was completed. The completion of the road brought increased traffic, population and property values. The town incorporated and elected a mayor in 1925. In 1940 the population was approximately 740. After World War II the city experienced major increases in population, which stood at approximately 1,300 by 1950. Throughout the 1950s the city continued to see growth including the opening of the Collins Radio Richardson office, Central Expressway, a police department, shopping centers, and many homes. Texas Instruments opened its offices in Dallas on the southern border of Richardson in 1956. This was followed by significant gains in land values, population, and economic status. In the 1960s Richardson experienced additional growth including several new parks, facilities, and the creation of the University of Texas at Dallas within…

Geography

The cities of Dallas, Plano and Garland constitute almost all of the Richardson border apart from the municipality's extreme northeastern "panhandle." Richardson borders the Lake Highlands area of northeast Dallas to the south, North Dallas to the southwest, Far North Dallas to the west, West Plano to the northwest, East Plano to the north, the city of Murphy to the northeast, Sachse to the east, and Garland to the southeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.32%, is water. Approximately two-thirds of the city is in Dallas County, with the northern third of the city in Collin County. Of the contained within the borders of the city of Richardson, lie in Dallas County; the other are in Collin County. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Richardson has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,632
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,361
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  19,662
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,205
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  15,186
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,817
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,273
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,956

Largest nearby schools

• SACHSE H S
  High · SACHSE · 2,997 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• LAKE HIGHLANDS H S
  High · DALLAS · 2,896 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• N GARLAND H S
  High · GARLAND · 2,802 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• RICHARDSON H S
  High · RICHARDSON · 2,773 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• GARLAND H S
  High · GARLAND · 2,484 students · 16:1 ratio
• PEARCE H S
  High · RICHARDSON · 2,443 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• BERKNER H S
  High · RICHARDSON · 2,290 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• NAAMAN FOREST H S
  High · GARLAND · 2,221 students · 17.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-05-01
  7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-01
  7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2019-10-01
  8 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2019-07-08
  4 km SSE of Rendon, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2019-06-24
  1 km NW of Pottsboro, Texas
• M 3.4 — 2018-05-19
  8 km NW of Venus, Texas