Richardson City Hall is located at 411 Arapaho Road West, Richardson, TX 75080.
Phone: 972‑744‑4206.
Neighborhoods
The incorporated boundaries of the City of Richardson lie partly in Dallas County and partly in Collin County.
Beginnings [1]
Prior to the arrival of the first white settlers, the area that is now Richardson, Texas was inhabited by Comanche and Caddo Indian tribes that hunted the deer and buffalo that wandered the nearby grasslands and prairies. In the 1840s, settlers began arriving from Tennessee and Kentucky, clustering around the town of Breckinridge, near today's Richland College. Breckinridge consisted of a general store, a blacksmith shop and an inn in 1857, the year of its founding.
Following the Civil War, the railroad became a driving force in shaping the future of the entire country. The village of Breckinridge was bypassed by this vital transportation link and eventually disappeared from the map. Richardson, to the northwest, became the new center of activity. John W. Wheeler donated approximately 100 acres for the town site and railroad right-of-way, but declined to have the village named in his honor. Instead, the town was named for contractor E.H. Richardson, who built the railroad line from Dallas to Denton. Richardson was chartered in 1873 and soon many of the Breckinridge settlers relocated to be nearer the new town. The original town site was situated generally between present-day Greer and Phillips Streets on the north and south, and between Central Expressway on the west and Greenville Avenue on the east; a small section did lie west of Central Expressway in its present alignment. Originally, there were three businesses—a general store, a post office and a drug store—which faced the railroad on Texas Street, south of Main Street.
By the turn of the century, many Richardson residents were taking the train to Dallas to work. In 1908, the Interurban, an electric railway, began service north to Denison, south to Waco, southeast to Corsicana, and west to Fort Worth. In 1924 the Red Brick Road (Greenville Avenue) was completed, bringing an increase in both traffic and population. The following year, the town was incorporated and elected its first mayor under the commission form of government. Bonds were issued and in 1926 waterworks were completed so that homes on the system could be furnished with indoor water. Soon after, a sewage treatment plant was constructed, the volunteer fire department began operating, and utility franchises were awarded to Lone Star Gas and Texas Power & Light Company. Few significant events took place during the 1930s, but by this time 27 businesses were located in Richardson off of Greenville Avenue. The separation between the town and the center of Dallas was enough to support the commercial activities of the area.
Nearby Towns: Garland City • Plano City •