Plano, TX is a great place to live!  The following details were shared on Facebook, highlighting the awesomeness that is Plano!  They’ve recently been honored as the 3rd best city to live in by MONEY magazine and are leaders in their Green Living movement.

Checkout the following Facebook posts!  Should you make the wise choice of living in this great city, be sure to like their pages on Facebook.  They’ll keep you up to date on the latest activities and provide ample opportunities to join the fun!

We Planoites know that we are lucky to live in a city that often appears at the top of lists of desirable places to live, work and raise a family. But the most recent honor bestowed upon Plano is quite a big deal. MONEY magazine announced this week that Plano was named #3 on its Best Places to Live 2016 list. Plano was also the top city in Texas on the list.

A variety of factors contribute to the magazine’s decision, but among them are population size, job growth, crime level, home values, health care and quality of schools. MONEY specifically cited the remarkable number of large corporations that have recently chosen Plano as their home base, as well as the number of jobs created by these moves.

MONEY also recognizes the fact that Plano’s diversity (about 43% of our residents are not white, and approximately 80 languages are spoken in our schools) is one of our city’s key strengths.

The City of Plano threw a little party Wednesday afternoon in downtown Plano’s McCall Plaza to celebrate the announcement. Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere addressed the small crowd assembled to celebrate. He was clearly pleased (and maybe a little giddy) about our spot on the list. He applauded the fact that Plano still feels like a small city, and that despite our population of over 270,000, “you can feel that you know your neighbors and those around you.” He also joked that when people from other cities ask if Plano is really that good, we must reply, “Plano, Texas, baby–believe the hype!”

New Plano business owner and long-time executive chef Tre Wilcox (of Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine and TRE Cooking Concepts) was contacted by MONEY to contribute his thoughts on what makes Plano a great place to live. He cited that fact that he could not only safely raise his 15-year-old daughter in Plano, but that the city’s restaurant scene is rapidly growing. “I know that people say down south, which is Dallas now, that there’s no reason to go past 635, what does Plano have to offer? We got some amazing food up here, we have some amazing chefs up here.”

Jamee Jolly, president and CEO of Plano Chamber of Commerce, spoke to the crowd as well, giving thanks to the multitude of citizens who’ve contributed to making Plano one of the best cities to live in. Among those she listed were small business owners, developers like Fehmi Karahan (responsible for the Shops at Legacy), our school teachers, our nonprofit organizations, our City of Plano employees and our public servants.

Jamee concluded by saying, “Congratulations to my fellow Planoites, you made this possible.”

Living Green in Plano

Plano’s innovative living green program encourages residents and businesses to proactively search for ways to improve the environment and become better stewards of our planet.  Sponsoring events like the upcoming Great American Cleanup rallies residents and encourages them to participate as a community in the city’s beautification.

The city-wide Great American Cleanup is Saturday, April 8. Registration is now available! Residents are encouraged to clean up their neighborhood streets with friends and family. Live near a school? Contact your principal or PTA to organize a campus cleanup! Businesses can clean up their corporate campuses, parking lots and surrounding streets too! New this year is a map to show which parks and creeks are available. There are so many ways to participate in beautifying Plano. Don’t forget about the Post-Cleanup Beach Party! Get all the details and register today!

Great American Cleanup

https://www.facebook.com/livegreeninplano/videos/1440725486001303/

We have so many litter cleanup volunteers in Plano that pitch in and pick up during the Great American Cleanup.  This year we are celebrating their efforts following the clean-up event on Saturday, on April 8 at a Beach Party with free pizza, Slurpees, games, prizes and much more! Last year, we had more than 1,800 volunteers register and participants collected 734 bags of litter, weighing nearly 11 tons! This year, our goal is for 2,500 volunteers to register and cleanup 15 tons of litter. Register now at plano.gov/gac.

Live Green in Plano / City of Plano, Texas Government was just designated as a SolSmart Bronze City! SolSmart designation recognizes communities for taking steps to reduce the cost of solar energy to homes and businesses. We’re thankful for the support and the ongoing passion our Plano residents continue to have in sustainable-conscious living in our community. #BeSolSmart