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Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States, and a northern suburb of Dallas. Allen is located between Plano, which lies predominantly to the South and McKinney, which lies to the North. Other bordering cities include: Fairview to the East and Frisco to the West.
Demographics
As of April 2007, there were 77,465 people living in Allen. This is a dramatic increase from the city's 2000 Census figures showing just over 40,000 people, 14,205 households, and 12,045 families. The racial makeup of the city was 87.14% White, 4.40% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.98% of the population.
There were 14,205 households out of which 55.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.6% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 11.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.9% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 40.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 2.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city in 2006 was $85,986, and the median income for a family was $101,120.
Education
The Allen Independent School District has 13 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 1 freshman center, 1 alternate school, and 1 high school (Allen High School). Allen ISD serves almost all of Allen.
In December of 2007, Texas Monthly Magazine named 7 Allen ISD schools as "Best Public Schools in Texas." Ereckson Middle School ranked among the highest performing middle schools in the state based upon consistent high performance in all four subjects measured (reading, math, writing, science). Ford Middle School and Curtis Middle School also made the list. Bolin Elementary School, Green Elementary School, and Norton Elementary School were named as three of the top elementary schools in the state. Lowery Freshman Center also made the top high school list. The rankings are based on data compiled by the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA), which is a research division of the University of Texas at Austin.
Small portions of the Allen city limits extend into Lovejoy, McKinney, and Plano ISDs. In the fall of 2006, new 9th grade high school students in the Lovejoy ISD boundaries began attending the newly opened Lovejoy High School. A new grade level is to be added each subsequent school year, making the school a full 4-year high school in the 2009-10 school year. Existing Allen High School (Classes 2008 and 2009) students within the Lovejoy ISD boundaries continue to attend Allen High School. Allen High School was a Texas Recognized school and also honored as a Blue Ribbon School in 2002.
Norton Elementary School in Allen ISD was named as a 2007 National Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education. The prestigious award, which recognizes schools that are academically superior, was given to twenty-two Texas schools and a total of 287 schools nationwide. Eight of the twenty-two 2007 Blue Ribbon Schools are located in north Texas.
The Allen Eagle Escadrille, Allen High School's marching band, performed in the 2006 Tournament of Roses Parade and Bandfest in Pasadena, California. The Escadrille has 650 members, including the band, drill team, and color guard. The Escadrille is the largest high school band in the world. It was also a special participant in the 1994 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, 1995 and 1999 Texas Gubernatorial Parades, and 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Allen hosts a campus of the Collin County Community College District, which is located inside Allen High School.
Notable residents
The following is a list of past and current residents of Allen, who have obtained notability outside of the community:
* Sean M. Welch, Artist
* Burton Gilliam, actor
* Matt Barr, actor
* David Shea, Actor/Model
* Carly Patterson, gymnast-Olympic Gold Medalist
* Tony Dorsett, Dallas Cowboys player
* Casey Dick, University of Arkansas quarterback
* Alex Reyes, Texas Tech University punter, Minnesota Vikings punter
History
The town was founded in 1870 as a railroad stop for the Houston andTexas Railroad, connecting the railway with nearby farms. The firstrailway dam used to facilitate the railway still stands at ExchangePark. The town was named after former Texas attorney general andrailroad promoter Ebenezer Allen.
In 1878, a gang of robbers led by Sam Bass committed what is believedto have been the first train robbery in Texas at the RR crossing onwhat is now McDermott.
During the 1990s, children's television shows such as Barney & Friends, Wishbone, and ZOOM were filmed in Allen.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, after buying the Chase Oaks Golf Course the city has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68.2 km²).26.3 square miles (68.2 km²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Source: Wikipedia (All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.)
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