Fairview

There’s something special about this small town located right across the street from Allen. For many years, even Allen residents didn’t know Fairview existed.

Although the town of Fairview touches Central Expressway on its west side, for decades there was never an exit sign identifying it. The only thing people saw driving by at 70 miles per hour was large open fields. To find Fairview, one had to take the sleepy, two-lane Stacy Road east to Greenville Ave. There, you’d see a sign that said, “Keepin’ it Country,” and that’s it. You had to go hunting for the Fairview town offices, which were attached to their little all-volunteer fire department.

Fairview’s mature trees and hilly terrain always impress those who find it, says Realtor Tom Grisak with Keller Williams Luxury. River Oaks, one of the first major residential developments, reminds you of the Hill Country. Oakwood Estates came along shortly afterward, with its gorgeous homes and beautiful, wooded lots. Not long after that Stone Creek was developed. The most recent custom home development, called Tranquility Farms, is in the final stages of completion.

But this town isn’t just about million-dollar homes. Although it’s rare these days to find a home in these parts under $400K, there are opportunities to update older homes on acreage. We’re not quite to the point where older homes on one-acre lots are being taken down, Grisak said, but he is already seeing older homes on 2- to 3-acre lots being demolished for new construction.

“It’s the sizes of the lots makes Fairview feel special. With only a couple of exceptions, every home is on at least one acre of land. Believe it or not, that’s because public sewer is very limited,” Grisak said. “Without public sewer, homes are required to be on no less than one acre for the individual septic systems to work efficiently. Talk to anyone in Fairview who understands the area, and they’ll be the first to tell you they don’t want public sewer.”

The only place you’ll find public sewer in Fairview is in Heritage Ranch, an active older adult living development built around a wonderful golf course, and also on the west side of town. The Village at Fairview, the economic engine behind Fairview, required public sewer, so it was brought in to serve that area.

fairview-town-hall

Fairview, with only about 8,500 people, owns its own three-story town hall office building. It also maintains a fully staffed and equipped police and fire departments. Not many towns of only about 8,500 can claim that.

Fairview is also nature! East Fairview still has that country charm with big tracts of land with cattle and horses. One of the real treasures of Fairview is technically not even in Fairview. It’s the fabulous Heard Wildlife Center in McKinney. The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center in Lucas, right next to Fairview, is also a well-kept secret.

Besides the topography and large lots, there is something else that’s always attracted families to Fairview, and that’s Lovejoy ISD. Created in 1917, the school district was part of Allen ISD for many years but later split off to form its own district. It’s small and especially well funded.

“We move families into Fairview every year who have taken their kids out of private schools — even the Park Cities schools — and not once have I ever heard from them there was a drop off in the quality of education,” Grisak said. “Lovejoy ISD is a small school district, so the kids know each other and they know the teachers. Lovejoy ISD is small when compared to massive Allen ISD right next door, but that’s the appeal to many families.”

Not one school, elementary, middle school, or high school has ever earned less than the highest accountability rating awarded by the Texas Education Agency … ever. That pretty impressive and shows the commitment the administration and parents have made to excellence in education. Every year, Lovejoy ISD holds their Denim and Diamonds fundraiser, which raised well over $100K for the district.

In Fairview, you won’t have neighbors living right on top of you. Kids can ride their bikes or golf carts around the neighborhoods. They can play ball in their front or back yard, or even ride a horse. Their parents can take them to a hockey game or concert at the Allen Event Center. Or they can go hit balls on a rainy day at Top Golf. They can water ski at Allen’s Hydrous Water Park, or ride their skate boards at The Edge. All of these are on the east side of Allen, just short minutes away from Fairview.

“I call this close-in country living,” says Grisak. “You feel like you’re living in the country, but you’re really just minutes from all the conveniences of the city.”

People wave when you drive by. They stop during their walks to chat about their dogs or the weather. Crime is almost non-existent, and they know who should be in their neighborhood and who looks out of place. And they are all here for the same thing: Quality of life and tremendous schools.

To learn more about Fairview, visit fairviewtexas.com.

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