Curious as to where modern Plano's industrial roots originated? Thinking of taking a walking tour of Plano's historic properties and wondering what the people who originally owned the homes would have done for employment? Simply pondering the history of rotary air lock valves? Whatever your reason for visiting this page, it will provide you with an overview of Plano's history with industrial development. You'll find that many aspects reflect the history of Texas as a whole, while some are unique to the Plano area.
Early Days
European settlers first came to the Plano area in the early 1840s. They came from as nearby as Kentucky and Tennessee and as far away as England and Spain. In those days agriculture and livestock raising were the primary means of support for most people, and local Native American tribes were making it difficult for the settlers by staging attacks and cutting tubes used for irrigation. The settlers persisted, however, and industry soon followed in the form of William Foreman's grist and sawmill. There workers, usually local farmers, ground wheat into flour and turned trees into wood suitable for building.
The Arrival of the Railroad
The community remained largely agricultural throughout the 1800s. After the Confederacy, of which Texas was a part, lost the Civil War, the reconstruction period brought settlers from the North who had knowledge of swaged fittings and industrial machinery. These people helped to change the landscape of the South. By 1872 the Houston and Texas railroad was completed and Plano was a stop on the line. This, coupled by the fire of 1881 which destroyed most of the old downtown, helped to turn Plano's leaf. When it was rebuilt, the economy took a new industrial direction and the city became a trading center for many different types of goods.
Post World War II
While many cities in the United States experienced a boom in industrial production during World War II because of the armed forces' insatiable need for armor, bullets, and transportation, Plano didn't get its boost until after the war. In the 1960s, technology firms began to find Plano's wide open spaces and grid layout attractive. Their research and production resulted in Plano's industry turning to copper lugs, cables, computer chips, and electronic parts as the demand for household appliances in the United States boomed.
The 1980s and Beyond
The subsequent population explosion from the tech company moves in the 1960s and 1970s further boosted Plano's appeal to large companies, who began arriving in droves in the 1980s. Now the cable sheaves of Plano are alive with news of business dealings. There are 162 manufacturing firms in Plano. They turn out computer parts, telephones, semi conductors, electronic components, navigational equipment, and medical instruments. |