Your guide to Richardson: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more

Head north on Central Expressway and you’ll find Richardson, the first of Dallas’ numerous northern suburbs.

The city emerged in the 1870s as a product of the region’s railroads, but has grown into a formidable city with a robust telecommunications sector and some notable cultural events like the Cottonwood Art Festival and Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival. The city is also home to the University of Texas at Dallas.

Here’s your guide to Richardson:

Population: 118,217
Median age: 33.8
Median income: $104,379
Unemployment rate: 4.4%

• One race, white: 53.8%
• One race, Black or African American: 10.7%
• One race, American Indian or Alaska Native: 0%
• One race, Asian: 19.1%
• One race, Native Hawaiian: 0%
• One race, some other race: 2.8%
• Two or more races: 13.2%
• Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): 18.9%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 47.7%

For ages 18-24 (roughly 15.1% of the population)

• Less than high school degree or equivalent: 7%
• High school graduates (or equivalent): 21.7%
• Some college or associates: 46.4%
• Bachelor’s degree or higher: 25%

For ages 25+ (roughly 65.4%)

• High school graduates (or equivalent): 14.4%
• Bachelor’s degree: 33.6%
• Graduate or professional degree: 23.6%

46,504 units; 45,022 occupied (96.8%)

• 22,619 Owner occupied
• 22,403 Renter occupied

Unit types

• 25,338 1-unit detached
• 1,631 1-unit attached
• 19,365 multi-unit
• 57 Mobile Homes
• 113 RVs, Boats, Vans, etc.

Median home value: $460,500
Median rent: $1897

Compiled by staff researcher Rachel Friend. Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Tables S0601, S1501, S1903, S2301, DP04.

Settlement in the area dates to a settlement called Breckinridge that emerged around 1858, according to the Texas State Historical Association. That town was bypassed by the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1873 in favor of Richardson, an entirely new settlement.

The town got a post office in 1874, but early growth was slow, per TSHA. The town’s population was less than 150 people by the turn of the century. The town was connected to Dallas and other cities via interurban rail in 1908, which helped spur its growth. Several innovations arrived around that time, too, as the town added a telephone company (1901), bank (1904) and power company (1912). 

The Richardson Pike, later renamed Greenville Avenue, connected cars from Dallas to Richardson by way of a red brick road in 1924, according to the city’s website. The town was officially incorporated in 1925. Public waterworks and a volunteer fire department followed, according to TSHA.

Richardson’s population numbered around 700 in 1940, but grew quickly post-World War II, surging to nearly 17,000 by 1960. The 1950s saw a few major developments that transformed the city from an agricultural town to a booming North Texas suburb. Most notable are Central Expressway (U.S. 75) reaching the city in 1954 and the subsequent arrival of major technological companies Texas Instruments and Collins Radio to the area.

The Southwest Center for Advanced Studies was dedicated in Richardson in 1961. By 1969, the center had been donated to the state and became part of the public university system as the University of Texas at Dallas, according to the city.

Population growth continued through the 1960s and 70s, surpassing 72,000 residents by 1980. That growth brought with it vast residential development, according to the city, with 40% of the current homes in Richardson built during the 1970s. 

Today, nearly 120,000 people live in Richardson. The city is home to a robust business sector known as the Telecom Corridor, with early arrivals like TI and Collins joined by companies like AT&T, Cisco and others.

DFW Chinatown: This shopping center near Central Expressway is a major regional hub for Asian cuisine, shopping and more.

Cottonwood Art Festival: This decades-old festival takes place at Cottonwood Park in Richardson twice a year in May and October. The event is highlighted by a juried fine arts show that brings more than 200 artists from across the nation to North Texas.

Here’s a look at some notable parks and trails in Richardson:

• Breckenridge Park and Trail
• Central Trail
• Cottonwood Park
• Crowley Park
• Duck Creek Trail
• Huck Finn Trail
• Huffhines Park
• Sherrill Park Municipal Golf Course
• Spring Creek Nature Area and Trail
• University Trail

Find more information here.

• Cottonwood Art Festival
• Eisemann Center for Performing Arts
• Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival

University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson played a small part in one of North Texas’ most infamous true crime sagas. Wylie ax-killer Candy Montgomery had an affair with Allan Gore at the Como Motel, a now-demolished historic motel in Richardson. The story spawned two TV series in recent years, Hulu’s “Candy” starring Jessica Biel and HBO’s “Love & Death” with Elizabeth Olsen in the lead role.

Related: How the Como Motel in Richardson became a local landmark with help from Candy Montgomery