Parker is located in southern Collin County at. It is bordered to the north by Allen, to the west by Plano, to the south by Murphy, to the southeast by Wylie, and to the northeast by Lucas. It is northeast of the center of Dallas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, or 0.39%, is water. Parker is the location of the famed Southfork Ranch, the setting used in the television series Dallas.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,811 people, 1,209 households, and 1,073 families residing in the city. The population density was 732.8 people per square mile. There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of 241.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 81.5% White, 3.00% African American, 0.08% Native American, 7.9% Asian, 3.8% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.1% of the population. There were 1,209 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 83.3% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.2% were non-families. 8.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.36. In the city, the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 3% from 18 to 21, 53.1% from 21 to 62, 3.1% from 62 to 65, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. The ratio of males to females was 50.5 to 49.5. As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $101,786, and the median income for a family was $108,560. Males had a median income of $72,344 versus $41,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $54,099. About 1.4% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
The first settlers arrived in the area that is now Parker in the early 1840s. The town was named after William C. Parker, the son of the area's first known settler, John C. Parker. It was incorporated as a city on March 22, 1969. Corinth Presbyterian Church was founded in Parker in 1846, with the current sanctuary built in 1923, and is thought to be the oldest continuing congregation in Collin County.
Nastia Liukin, gymnast, 2008 Olympic Individual All-Around Gold medalist, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars
