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What was once a sleepy farming community is now waking up to a new way of life? Celina is on State Highway 289 and Farm Road 455, fifteen miles northwest of McKinney and twelve miles north of Frisco in northwestern Collin County. It was established in 1879 and named by John T. Mulkey for his native town, Celina Tennessee. The first post office opened in 1881 and by 1884 the town had a population of 150, a school, a Methodist church, and a cotton gin and gristmill, as well as several general stores. When the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway reached the area, the town moved to its present location, one mile north of the original site.
Celina was incorporated in 1907. In 1915 it had the first road in the county built exclusively for automobiles, known as Celina Pike. By 1925, Farmers Gas Company (organized by Lone Star Gas) serviced Celina as did Texas Power & Light. The town continued as a strong farming community with steady growth following World War II. In 1950 there were 1,051 residents. By 1980 that number increased to 1,520 and by 1990 to 1,737. In 2000 the community had 135 businesses and 1,861 inhabitants. Today, Celina has over 4,000 residents and 200 businesses. Evolving from a one time farming community to a major focal point for new commercial growth and residential developers, is both exciting and exacting for the officials and residents in Celina. The challenges… manage the growth, manage the growth, and manage the growth. |
