Richardson is a city in Collin and Dallas Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 91,803, while according to a 2007 estimate, the population had grown to 101,400. Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of the Telecom Corridor with a high concentration of telecommunications companies. More than 5,000 businesses have operations within Richardson's 28 square miles, including five of the world's largest communications/networking companies: AT&T, Cisco Systems, Samsung, Fujitsu and Nortel.
In 2006, Richardson was ranked as the 15th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. This ranked Richardson the 3rd best place to live in Texas.
In 2007, the Morgan Quitno 14th Annual America's Safest and Most Dangerous Cities Awards pronounced Richardson the 69th safest city in America. In the same study Richardson ranked the 5th safest city in Texas.
In 2008, Richardson was ranked as the 18th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. This ranked Richardson the 4th best place to live in Texas.
In 2009, Business Week's annual report on the "Best Places to Raise Kids," ranked Richardson 2nd in Texas.
History
Early Years
In the 1840s, settlers from Tennessee and Kentucky began arriving in the Richardson area which was inhabited by Comanche and Caddo Native American tribes. Several of the earliest families clustered around an area later named Breckinridge in honor of John C. Breckenridge, Confederate Secretary of State and General, and Vice President of the United States from 1857–1861. The town was situated near what is now Richland College and consisted of a general store, a blacksmith shop and the Floyd Inn.
After the American Civil War, the new railroad bypassed Breckinridge and an area to the northwest of Breckinridge became the new center of activity. William J. Wheeler donated land for the town site and railroad right-of-way, but declined to have the village named in his honor. Instead the town was named for railroad contractor E. H. Richardson, who built the line from Dallas to Denison.
Richardson was chartered in 1873. Originally, there were three businesses: a general store, a post office and a drug store. In 1908 the Interurban, an electric railway, began service north to Denison, Texas, south to Waco, Texas, southeast to Corsicana, Texas and west to Fort Worth, Texas. By 1910, residents had seen their first telephone, electric light and gravel street, and had grown in number to about 600. In 1914, a red brick schoolhouse, presently home to the administrative offices of the Richardson Independent School District (RISD), was built.
Major Growth Period
In 1924, the Red Brick Road (Greenville Avenue) was completed, bringing an increase in traffic, population and property values. The following year the town incorporated and elected its first mayor, Thomas F. McKamy. All taxable property was assessed at a value of $515,292, and a total of 15 businesses were in operation. Bonds were issued and in 1926, waterworks were completed so homes could be furnished with indoor water. A sewage treatment plant was then constructed, the volunteer fire department began operating and, soon after, utility franchises were awarded to Lone Star Gas and Texas Power and Light Company. By 1940, the population stood at about 740 but after World War II, the city experienced a new surge in population. By 1950, the city boasted a population of approximately 1,300. Additional municipal services, such as emergency ambulance, police protection and parks and recreation facilities, became available to residents.
In 1951, Collins Radio opened a Richardson office, ushering the city into the electronic era. U.S. Highway 75 opened in 1954 and the agricultural city of the past became a community of shopping centers and homes. In 1955, Richardson’s first police department was organized; consisting of a chief and two officers. On June 26 , 1956 , voters adopted a home rule charter and a council-manager form of government that still operates today. Door-to-door mail delivery became available to the 5,000 residents and funds were approved for a park and city hall. Also in 1956, Texas Instruments opened its offices just south of the Richardson border and land values increased dramatically as the city made significant advances in population and economic status. More than 500,000 people moved into the Dallas area in the period between 1940 and 1960.
In 1969, Erik Jonsson and other Texas Instruments executives donated the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies to the state and it became part of the University of Texas System called University of Texas at Dallas. In 1972, the population stood at approximately 56,000, and this same year the Richardson Independent School District had an enrollment of approximately 32,000 students in 16 elementary schools, seven junior high schools and four high schools.
The city is no longer the bedroom community of the 1950s and 1960s, but is itself home to a significant employment center, the Telecom Corridor, where more than 80,000 people work each day. The city is currently experiencing a second major growth period with wide spread New Urbanism development and revitalization.
Recent History
On January 8, 1991, Richardson High School student Jeremy Wade Delle fatally shot himself in front of his English class, an incident that inspired the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy."
The city of Buckingham, after being completely surrounded by Richardson, was annexed into the city in 1996.
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) completed construction on three light rail stations for the city in the late 1990s. In 2002 a fourth DART station and the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations opened in the Galatyn Park Station urban center.
Richardson was a "dry city" with no alcohol sales until November 2006, when the local option election passed to allow the sale of beer and wine only. A notable exception is the affluent former city of Buckingham, which was annexed by Richardson in 1996. Because Buckingham allowed the sale of all alcohol, including liquor, prior to its annexation, such sales were allowed to continue.
Richardson City Council members unanimously approved a smoking ban on May 12, 2008. The smoking ordinance went into effect January 1, 2009. Smoking is prohibited in work places, restaurants, bowling alleys, bingo parlors, public parks, at outdoor special events, and within 25 feet of any door, operable window, vent or other openings to an indoor enclosed area. Exceptions to the smoking ban include private residences, retail tobacco stores with 90 percent or more of gross revenue derived from tobacco products, unenclosed patios associated with a restaurant or bar, bars that derive 70 percent or more of gross revenue from the sale of alcohol. Bars that derive 50 to 70 percent of gross revenue from the sale of alcohol are also exempt as long as they build a separate smoking room not open to any other establishment or area where smoking is prohibited. All businesses that are smoke free or allow smoking are required to post signs, designed by the city, which inform patrons of their smoking status. Council member John Murphy was quoted in The Dallas Morning News saying "I cannot remember a more potentially divisive issue to come before this council,".
Richardson received local media attention for removing its Rocket Slide and other Space Age and Cold War Era playground equipment from Heights Park in July 2008.
In the fall of 2008 Peter Perfect, a Style Network television show came to Richardson. The business-makeover show remodeled SpiritWear an apparel and embroidery store located in the city's historic downtown area. The episode first aired on January 22, 2009. In addition to the store makeover the women that run the store received personal makeovers. It was the first episode of the series to be filmed outside of California.
Geography
Dallas and Plano border most of Richardson with a few exceptions. North East Dallas(Lake Highlands) borders the south, North Dallas borders the southwest, Far North Dallas borders the west, West Plano borders the northwest, East Plano borders the north, Murphy borders the northeast, Sachse borders the east and Garland borders the southeast.
Richardson is located at 32°57′56″N 96°42′57″W / 32.965628°N 96.715707°W / 32.965628; -96.715707 .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the