Originally established by the Houston and Central Texas Railroad and named in 1872 for Ebenezer Allen, a state politician and railroad promoter. Allen was a small town of a few hundred residents when it was incorporated in 1953. Since this time, it has grown dramatically due to the construction of U.S. Route 75, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and the development of nearby Dallas and Plano. The US Census listed the population at 98,143 as of July 1st, 2015.
Most of Allen is served by Allen ISD. There are 17 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 1 freshman center, 1 Alternative Education Center, and 1 high school. 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. The school became a full 4-year high school in the 2009-10 school year.
Allen High School’s football team has won the 5A Div 1 state championship several times. They play in the new Eagle Stadium (opened on August 31, 2012, at a cost of $60 million).
Some of the major employers in Allen are:
- Allen Independent School District
- The Village at Allen and Fairview
- Allen Premium Outlets
- Watters Creek at Montgomery Farms
- Experian
- City of Allen
- Frontier Communications
- Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
- Jack Henry & Associates
- PFSweb
Allen also has a multi-purpose arena, the 7,500-seat Allen Event Center. It is home to the ECHL’s Allen Americans, the Texas Revolution who play in the Champions Indoor Football League, and the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Arena Soccer League.
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