Settlers made the area around what is now Plano, Texas their new home in the early 1840's.  There were some conveniences nearby - a sawmill, gristmill, & a store.  These things brought more settlers to the area, & mail service was shortly thereafter established.  When it came to naming the town several suggestions were rejected.  The terrain of Plano, Texas is very flat.  The Spanish word for flat is llano.  Some of the locals mistakenly thought they were suggesting the Spanish word for flat, and so we have Plano, Texas.  As with most towns of that day, the completion of the Houston & Texas Railroad helped Plano grow, & in 1873, the city was incorporated. 

The modest population of 3,695 in 1960 exploded to 128,713 by 1990.  During these years, Frito-Lay &   JC Penney & many other big corporations moved their headquarters to Plano, Texas largely due to the population growth.  Folks wanted to live closer to where they worked.  Mainly due to Plano's flat terrain, the town was brilliantly planned with a grid layout.  This enabled the city to easily keep up with the population burst in terms of sewers, street expansion, & school growth.

Plano, Texas has a list of past & current famous residents:  Troy Aikman (former Dallas Cowboy quarterback), Anousheh Ansari (first female space tourist), Lance Armstrong (seven-time Tour de France winner), Steve Harvey (comedian & radio show host), Stephen Katz (television & film writer), H. Ross Perot (businessman & two-time presidential candidate), Deion Sanders (former Dallas Cowboy cornerback & current NFL sports commentator) just to name a few.

Today Plano is land-locked.  Because they are surrounded by other municipalities, there is no direction in which the city can continue to expand.  Nevertheless, with over 250,000 residents, this determined & successful city goes on to flourish.  For more information you can visit the official City of Plano website.  Also, be sure to check out Plano Ballon Festival's website for information on this fun annual family event.

Plano ISD, formed in 1895, has a current enrollment of over 54,000 students.  This district is made up of 68 schools - 3 preschools, 43 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, 5 high schools, 3 senior high schools, & 2 special programs centers.  You can learn more about the school system by visiting the Plano ISD website.

References:
City of Plano, Texas official website:   http://www.plano.gov/
Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plano,_Texas#Education
PISD official website:  http://www.pisd.edu/