{"id":388788,"date":"2026-07-28T08:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T08:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/388788\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T08:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T08:11:16","slug":"your-guide-to-richardson-things-to-do-restaurants-parks-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/388788\/","title":{"rendered":"Your guide to Richardson: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head north on Central Expressway and you\u2019ll find Richardson<\/a>, the first of Dallas<\/a>\u2019 numerous northern suburbs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The city emerged in the 1870s as a product of the region\u2019s railroads, but has grown into a formidable city with a robust telecommunications sector and some notable cultural events<\/a> like the Cottonwood Art Festival and Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival. The city is also home to the University of Texas at Dallas.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s your guide to Richardson:<\/p>\n

Fast facts<\/p>\n

Population: 118,217
Median age: 33.8
Median income: $104,379
Unemployment rate: 4.4%<\/p>\n

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Race \/ Ethnicity<\/p>\n

One race, white: 53.8%
\nOne race, Black or African American: 10.7%
\nOne race, American Indian or Alaska Native: 0%
\nOne race, Asian: 19.1%
\nOne race, Native Hawaiian: 0%
\nOne race, some other race: 2.8%
\nTwo or more races: 13.2%
\nHispanic or Latino origin (of any race): 18.9%
\nWhite alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 47.7%<\/p>\n

Educational Attainment<\/p>\n

For ages 18-24 (roughly 15.1% of the population)<\/p>\n

Less than high school degree or equivalent: 7%
\nHigh school graduates (or equivalent): 21.7%
\nSome college or associates: 46.4%
\nBachelor\u2019s degree or higher: 25%<\/p>\n

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For ages 25+ (roughly 65.4%)<\/p>\n

High school graduates (or equivalent): 14.4%
\nBachelor\u2019s degree: 33.6%
\nGraduate or professional degree: 23.6%<\/p>\n

Housing<\/p>\n

46,504 units; 45,022 occupied (96.8%)<\/p>\n

22,619 Owner occupied
\n22,403 Renter occupied<\/p>\n

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25,338 1-unit detached
\n1,631 1-unit attached
\n19,365 multi-unit
\n57 Mobile Homes
\n113\u00a0RVs, Boats, Vans, etc.<\/p>\n

Median home value: $460,500
Median rent: $1897<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A brief history<\/p>\n

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

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The town got a post office in 1874, but early growth was slow, per TSHA. The town\u2019s 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).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019s website<\/a>. The town was officially incorporated in 1925. Public waterworks and a volunteer fire department followed, according to TSHA.<\/p>\n

Richardson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The statues of Guan Yu, foreground, and other Chinese historical figures stand guard over the heart of Richardson\u2019s Chinatown, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richardson.<\/p>\n

Chitose Suzuki\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Notable landmarks<\/p>\n

DFW Chinatown: This shopping center near Central Expressway is a major regional hub for Asian cuisine, shopping and more.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\"Pork<\/p>\n

Pork and Crab Juicy Steamed Dumplings are seen at Jeng Chi restaurant, Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Richardson.<\/p>\n

Chitose Suzuki\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Things to do<\/p>\n

Bars and restaurants<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 417-acre Breckinridge Park boasts a multipurpose trail, picnic facilities, a playground, soccer and softball fields, ponds and plenty of tranquility. (Robert W. Hart\/Special Contributor)<\/p>\n

Parks and trails<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some notable parks and trails in Richardson:<\/p>\n

Breckenridge Park and Trail
\nCentral Trail
\nCottonwood Park
\nCrowley Park
\nDuck Creek Trail
\nHuck Finn Trail
\nHuffhines Park
\nSherrill Park Municipal Golf Course
\nSpring Creek Nature Area and Trail
\nUniversity Trail<\/p>\n

Find more information here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Cottonwood Art Festival is May 2-3 at Cottonwood Park in Richardson.<\/p>\n

Cottonwood Art Festival<\/p>\n

Entertainment<\/p>\n

Cottonwood Art Festival
\nEisemann Center for Performing Arts
\nWildflower! Arts and Music Festival<\/p>\n

Higher education<\/p>\n

University of Texas at Dallas<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Como Motel in Richardson was built in 1955. (Jason Janik\/Special Contributor)<\/p>\n

Jason Janik\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n

A fun fact<\/p>\n

Richardson played a small part in one of North Texas\u2019 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\u2019s \u201cCandy\u201d starring Jessica Biel and HBO\u2019s \u201cLove & Death\u201d with Elizabeth Olsen in the lead role.<\/p>\n

Related: How the Como Motel in Richardson became a local landmark with help from Candy Montgomery<\/a><\/p>\n

More city guides:<\/p>\n

Your guide to Fort Worth: Things to do, landmarks, history and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Arlington: Find things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Plano: Things to do, what to know about the northern Dallas suburb<\/a>
\nYour guide to Irving: Find things to do, landmarks, history and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Garland: Find things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Frisco: Find things to do, restaurants and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to McKinney: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Grand Prairie: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Denton: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Mesquite: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Carrollton and Lewisville: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to Richardson: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more<\/a>
\nYour guide to the Park Cities: Get to know Highland Park and University Park<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Head north on Central Expressway and you\u2019ll find Richardson, the first of Dallas\u2019 numerous northern suburbs. The city…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[107860,49,5964,15680,160,162,161,4432,89275],"class_list":["post-388788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-arts-entertainment-things-to-do","tag-food","tag-listicle","tag-newcomer","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-things-to-know","tag-tp-richardson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}