Fairview Texas Home Page

Fairview, Texas

You certainly don't have to be a millionaire to live in Fairview ... but you'll sure feel like one when you get here!

There are several easy to explain reasons why Fairview has become such a popular town to live in. One can sum it up like this: small town atmosphere, close proximity to work and shopping, excellent schools, low crime, the spaciousness of homes on acreage, and a high quality of life.

Let's start with the size of the town. It is only 6.4 square miles in size. There are just over 5,000 people in the entire town! Have a question about a city service? Drive right up to the front door of the city offices and walk right in. Talk to one of the friendly (yes, I said friendly) city employees.

How is Fairview such a best kept secret? Fairview actually touches Central Expressway (SH 75), but there is not one sign marking it on the highway. In my opinion, this is the biggest reason people don't know it exists. In fact, many people who live right next door in Allen have never heard of Fairview.

Central Expressway is the main north/south artery out of Dallas connecting it with Richardson, Plano, Allen, McKinney and points north through Sherman and into Oklahoma. Richardson has become known for its' telecommunications companies such as Ericcson and Nortel. These firms, along with Texas Instruments, attract top executives to the area, so there is a big demand for housing within a reasonable drive time. Many of these executives are transferred in and accustomed to living on homes with acreage. They have virtually no options for affordable housing on acreage either south, west, or east, so the only direction left is north. Fairview is about a 30 minute drive up Central Expressway from Nortel even during rush hour traffic.

Now that growth in Allen has taken off, all of the shopping conveniences are within a few minutes drive of any part of Fairview. The retail growth has literally exploded along Central Expressway from Plano all the way to Stacy Road. There is a new Target, K-Mart, Chilis, Starbucks, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. There are two new hospitals, one in Allen and one on SH 121, almost touching Fairview. There is even a new high end outlet mall in Allen with a Cole Haan, Liz Claiborne, Adidas, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Perry Ellis, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Geoffrey Beene, and Dansk. And in early 2007, they finally broke ground on Fairview Village, a high end retail development with over 1,000,000 of rentable space. Click here to see what's happening at this intersection. You can follow the progress of Fairview Village at the bottom of the page. One certainly doesn't have to travel far for all the conveniences of city living. I call this close-in country living.

Fairview's motto is "Keeping it Country" and the city government is trying to do just this! The city master plan mandates one acre minimums, so you have a wide open feel when you drive through the town. There is rolling terrain and large trees with winding, small two lane asphalt roads. This gives it a country feel. The city planners are being very careful to keep the new development consistent with their vision of semi-country living. A home on one acre of land is still very affordable in Fairview, but try to find a home on one acre or an undeveloped one acre lot in Plano, Richardson or anywhere inside the I-635 Loop!

Have you ever wondered why almost every home in Fairview is on no less than one acre and many are on 2 plus acres? There are two reasons:

The townspeople decided long ago that they did not want a neighbor living right on top of them. Many years ago the city planners wisely zoned all of the land they could into a maximum of 1 home per acre.

The lack of sewer in Fairview (with the one exception of Heritage Ranch - a story in itself) mandates that all of the homes in Fairview be situated on at least one acre. As a rule of thumb, about one acre is required by county and state guidelines for homes with septic systems. State of the art septic systems installed on new homes are actually high tech mini-wastewater treatment plants. If they are maintained properly, they are as clean and efficient as any sewer treatment plant used by any major city in America.

When I hear people complain that there is no sewer in Fairview, I gently remind them that if sewer were in place (and some day years from now, it probably will be), we might end up just like Plano or Allen. We would have 4, 5, or more homes on an acre of land, commercial development, retail, gas stations on every corner, apartments, traffic, traffic lights, pollution, and noise. Our quality of life would be completely changed forever. Right now we have the best of both worlds. We have close-in country living with quick, easy access to shopping, major thoroughfares, great schools, and hospitals.

Fairview has long been known for its' little elementary school, called Lovejoy Elementary. This school has been in service since the early 1900's. In fact the original "little red schoolhouse" is still in use today. It is a very, very highly regarded elementary. I have moved several families into Fairview simply because they wanted their children to attend the Lovejoy ISD. It receives exemplary ratings year in and year out. The parents are highly involved with their children and the PTA. Lovejoy ISD is now declared a "property wealthy district" which speaks volumes about the amount of financial support that is available from the townspeople. Lovejoy ISD has just opened up the newer elementary school (Hart Elementary) to handle the overflow and it is everyone's belief that it will carry on in the fine tradition that has been set by the original school. Both schools have carried the Texas Education Agency highest rating (exemplary) for as long as anyone can remember. I personally believe that we will end up with one of the finest little school districts in the entire state of Texas!

If horses or boating are your hobbies, you will be in heaven in Fairview. Many, many people in the area own horses. There are many stables, riding arenas, ferriers, and clubs. The Trinity Trail is a 9 mile equestrian center that winds along Lake Lavon. It is only a few minutes' drive from Fairview. Fairview actually runs along the west side of Lake Lavon, so there is also quick access to several loading ramps.

If golf is your passion, you will be happy to know that there is a brand new course (opened in June 2001) on Stacy Road in Fairview. It is called Heritage Ranch and is a real winner. It rests on a beautiful, rolling, heavily treed tract of land with natural springs. We are all very excited about it. There are 4 great public courses within a 20-30 minute drive of Fairview (Twin Creeks, Chase Oaks, Ridgeview Ranch, and Woodbridge). There are also two private golf courses very close to Fairview. El Dorado Country Club is just 5 minutes north of Fairview. I think it is the best bang for the buck for a private golf club in the entire Dallas area. It has a very nice, well maintained course, beautiful clubhouse, huge pool, great tennis facilities, and it is very reasonably priced. Tom Weiskopf has designed a new golf course in McKinney, about 5 minutes from Fairview. It is a TPC course and located in a new development called Craig Ranch. Finally, there are two great courses in Stonebridge, also just west of Fairview in McKinney. You will find one of the toughest layouts in all of North Texas on their premier course!

Perhaps Fairview's best kept secret isn't even located in Fairview. It's in McKinney, but it touches Fairview. It is the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary. It is one mile east of Hwy 5 and 1378 . This is just a phenomenal place for kids and adults alike. They rehabilitate birds of prey, conduct research, and hold tours for visitors. You can even walk the 289 acres of paths through hills, untouched meadows, and pristine woodlands. You would never know you are in the Dallas area. They also have a native plant sale every April which is just packed with people! This is a "Must See" if you are a nature enthusiast!