Driving up the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) towards Frisco, Texas all you can see are the rows of new developments that line the feeder roads. Gone are the days when Frisco was a residential bedroom community of North Texas where most locals had to commute to a nearby city for work. Stop and talk to the original Frisconians, and they can tell you Frisco dates back as far as the 1840s and was once located along The Shawnee Trail, also known as The Texas Roadway stretching from Texas up to Missouri. Later it would be called the Preston Trail (hence the name Preston Road).

Fast Forward to 1908, Frisco incorporated, and had grown to a population some estimate to be 1000 people. Around 1940, Frisco became part of “the great cotton belt”, which was unique in that it was nestled in both Collin and Denton County. Around the 1970s, the cotton gin business began to dwindle, and real estate developers and their investors began buying cheap land bordering Preston Road. By 2000, Frisco had grown to almost 34,000 residents; in 2019, the city had over 200,000+ residents. Frisco was no longer that little town outside of Dallas. It was on its way to becoming named one of the “Best Places to Live” in the nation.

What changed and spurred this growth? The answer depends on whom you ask. In my opinion, the change began in 1994 when State Highway 121 was extended along with the extension of the DNT to 380 in 2007. You then add Stonebriar Mall in 2000 at the intersection of 121 & DNT and life becomes easier for those in the suburbs of Big D. Frisco’s city manager at the time realized it was time to develop a long-term plan for the city, and they began to focus on sports. They added the Frisco Rough Riders in 2003 and in 2016 America’s Team, The Dallas Cowboys moved in. Development became key and everyone wanted a little piece of the pie.

Today, if you ask residents if they love Frisco, you will get mixed reviews. The original Frisconians believe the city has lost the heart and nostalgia of what it once was. Frisco leaders have forgotten that the heart of Frisco is and will always be its residents. For the last several years, the biggest complaint from residents is density which is the number of people living in a particular area and an important aspect of how a city functions.

In 2019, the Dallas Morning News did an opinion piece by Sharon Grigsby about how residents are tired of bright-and-shiny change, and they are working to become more effective in fighting city hall and the city council. Now in 2023, Frisco is congested with traffic on most side streets, major intersections, and feeder roads exiting the highway. Yet, residents continually hear from the council about how their traffic studies tell them these developments will not affect them. Residents are now calling it “BS” and are demanding change, and many believe it starts with the head of the snake, Mayor Jeff Cheney. So, who is Jeff Cheney?