Frisco

Frisco is located about 30 miles north of Dallas in western Collin County on State Route 289 and Farm Road 720. Part of the community is also located in eastern Denton County. Frisco was originally named Emerson, after Francis Emerson, who owned the farm on which the town was located. McKinney banker Emerson had promised to have a national bank in the town if named after him, but it never came into being. Because Emerson’s name is similar to Emerson in Lamar County, the town was renamed Frisco City in honor of St. Louis, San Francisco, and Texas Railway Company, often referred to as the Frisco System, when the post office was established in 1902. The town name was later shortened.

Frisco was established in the first decade of the 20th century and grew due to the influx of residents from nearby Erudia and Lebanon who wanted to take advantage of the rail line. Originally a retail and shipping location for farmers, Frisco was home to a farmer’s cooperative with many cotton gin and grain elevators. By 1914, the population was estimated to be 1,000. The Reinbert Electric Company began servicing the community in 1913. Texas Power and Light acquired Reinbert in 1924 and built a 110,000 kW power plant in 1955, just outside the town on State Highway 289. In 1921, the Lone Star Gas Company
organized Farmers Gas Company to supply gas to small towns, including Frisco.