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PROSPER, TEXAS

Collin County & Denton County, North Central Texas

33° 14' 18" N, 96° 47' 27" W (33.238333, -96.790833)

1 Miles W of Highway 289
Just N of Hwy 380
10 Miles NW of McKinney the county seat
14 Miles E of Denton
ZIP code 75078
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972
Population: 24,579 Est. (2019 )
9,423 (2010) 2,097 (2000)

Book Hotel Here › McKinney Hotels | Denton Hotels

Sunrise in Prosper Texas
Sunrise in Prosper
Photo courtesy Justin Parson

History in a Pecan Shell

One of the last towns in Collin County to be established, Prosper came into being as a stop on the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railroad in 1902. A post office was granted the following year. The auspicious name is credited to railroad officials. With every new railroad town (at least in East, Central and Northern Texas) another town or two disappeared. In Prosper’s case the disappearing community was Rock Hill. Prosper incorporated in 1914 when their were 500 reported residents. Prosper is included in the famed rich Blackland Prairie, and thrived as a cotton producing and shipping point.

Although the population dropped to 400 in the early 1920s, the town was complete with paved roads, electricity and a water works. The Great Depression took its toll on Prosper and by 1940 the population reached a low of 271. It wasn’t until 1970 when the town broke the 1914 population figure. The population explosion of Dallas and Collin Counties in the 1990s included Prosper and the 2000 Census reported
2,097 residents.

Prosper United Methodist Church Texas
Prosper United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007

Prosper Texas Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007
More Texas Churches

Prosper Texas Street Scene
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007

Prosper Texas Car dealership
Prosper old car dealership?
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007

Prosper Texas Grain Elevators
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007
More Texas Grain Elevators

Prosper Texas Water Tower
Prosper Water Tower
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007
More Texas Water Towers

Prosper, Texas Forum

Subject: Prosper Texas

My G-G-Great Grandfather Benjamin Naugle was awarded land in an area just north of Prosper for his service with the Texas Rangers during the Mexican War. Over the years, the town of Prosper would grow around his farm.

My grandfather, Chester Hays married the granddaughter of Benjamin Naugle and through marriage acquired large portions of the holdings. At one time the homestead consisted of several hundred acres. Today the land is covered with subdivisions. My cousin and her husband currently live on four acres that is all of the original land still in the hands of the family.

Chester Hays was married to Leta Robinson. They had two boys, Bill Hays and Dennie Hays. Dennie Hays was my father. Uncle Bill became the unofficial historian of Prosper, Texas and wrote several books detailing the history of the town and its families. Bill Hays Middle School in the Prosper ISD is named for him.

Chester Hays served as Mayor, School Board President and owned several businesses in the city. In the early 1930s the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde would occasionally stop in Prosper and buy gas from his gas station.

As a child I remember the Prosper city limit sign showing a population of 495 (in the 1970s) Last time I checked the population was near 100,000 with a 6A high school with two more being planned.

Fortunately the center of Prosper has remained unchanged from my childhood as the growth has been mainly towards the expressway. - Donald Hays, August 18, 2020


Take a road trip

North Central Texas

Prosper
, Texas Nearby Towns:
McKinney the county seat
Denton
See Collin County | Denton County | Dallas County

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McKinney Hotels | More Hotels
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