The Community
Melissa, Texas – “Cardinal Nation” – is located in Northeast Collin County along US-75, just north of McKinney. The city population has seen steady growth beginning in the 1980s, and has recently more than doubled in the last 10 years to 10,500 residents in 2018. Melissa is expected to continue to grow along with the expansion of highway 121, and new businesses including Bucees and Braum’s are following.
The City of Melissa is a charming, tight-knit community. On any given Friday night in the Fall, you’ll find most of the community at Cardinal stadium to cheer on the high school students. The Melissa Mighty Cardinal band achieved a 6th place at the UIL Marching Contest in 2018, and the football team won the 2A state title in 2011.
The city is served by the Melissa Independent School District. In 2007 Melissa graduated their first class with 46 students. There are currently two elementary schools – Harry McKillop (est. 2008) and North Creek (est. 2018) – pre-k – fifth grade. Melissa Middle School (6th-8th grades) now meets in the old high school building, and Melissa High School (9th-12th grades) has a new campus on the east side of town that opened in the Fall of 2018. The education ratings in Melissa ISD have been A-rated for many years.
In 2017 Melissa Texas was ranked the #6 most successful city in Texas by Zippia, a career expert website. The findings were based on Median Income, Employment Rates, and Crime levels.
HISTORY OF MELISSA, TEXAS
Melissa is located seven miles northeast of McKinney just off State Highway 75, in north central Collin County. From this community came many individuals and families who have been prominent in the business and professional life of Collin County. Some of the first settlers came from the old Highland community, which is located two and one-half miles north of the present day Melissa. It was here that C.H. Wysong settled as early as 1846. A Post Office was established and Isaac N. Foster became the first Postmaster on September 9, 1853. The location of the Post Office was located at Foster Crossing about 3 miles north of Melissa.
The rich soils of the Blackland Prairie and the waters of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River attracted settlers to the area in the 1840s when the Peters Colony was opened to settlement. In 1872 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was built through the community and the town of Melissa was laid out. Many of the residents of Highland, which was not on the railroad route, moved to the new location. The pioneers who settled near Melissa were Dr. William Throckmorton, R. E. Moore, G. W. Taylor, T. M. Scott, John and William Fitzhugh, Albert Sherley, Lewis Shirley, James M. Graves, Hogan Witt, John Coffman, Thomas Rattan, Josiah Nichols, Jesse Martin, John M. Nicholson, Lindsey Lewis, J. M. Kincaid and the Orenduffs.
Sources disagree as to the origin of the name of the town. Some state that Melissa was named for Melissa Quinlan, daughter of George A. Quinlan, an official of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, while others say that it received its name for Melissa Huntington, daughter of C. P. Huntington, a prominent railroad executive. On May 16, 1873, James R. Rogers was appointed to be Melissa’s first Postmaster.
In 1886 Melissa had a flour mill, two cotton gins that shipped 3,000 bales of cotton annually and several business houses. It became a stop on the Interurban (The Texas Electric Railway), linking Dallas and Denison in 1908. This transportation network made Melissa a commercial and community center for area farmers. By 1914 its population had reached 400. Unlike many rural communities in Texas, Melissa had electric lights, a telephone exchange, and paved roads before 1920. It also had five churches, a large school, and a number of businesses, including a bank.
A tornado struck the town on April 13, 1921, killing thirteen people, injuring fifty-four, and demolishing many homes and businesses. Eight years later, August 8, 1929, a fire destroyed many of the buildings that had been rebuilt after the tornado.
The Great Depression, the mechanization of farming, and job opportunities in the Dallas metropolitan area after World War II further slowed community growth. The population of Melissa declined from a high of 500 in 1925 to 285 in 1949. In 1966 it was 375. Melissa was incorporated in the early 1970s. In 1980 it had a population of 604 and nine businesses. In 1990 its population was 557.
GEOGRAPHY
Melissa is located in north-central Collin County at 33°17′01″N 96°34′19″W. It is the 242nd largest city in Texas based on official 2017 estimates from the US Census Bureau.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Melissa has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26.4 km2), of which 10.1 square miles (26.2 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.66%, is water.
POPULATION
Melissa, Texas’s estimated population is 9,212 according to the most recent United States census estimates.
| Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017) | 9212 |
**United States Census Bureau
The population density is 839.97 people/mi² (324.31 people/km²), with a household density of 69.11 people/km² (178.99 people/mi²).
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2017 | 9,212 | 628 | 7.32% |
AGE AND SEX
The overall median age is 32.4 years, 31.5 years for males, and 33.8 years for females. For every 100 females, there are 95.7 males.
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 9.4% |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 33.3% |
| Persons 65 years and over, percent | 4.6% |
| Female persons, percent | 51.1% |
**United States Census Bureau
HOUSEHOLD
Based on data from the American Community Survey, in 2017 there were 1,963 households in the city, with an average size of people per household. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%, with a median rent of $2066/month. The median house has 7.7 rooms and has a value of $193,100.
The median income for households in Melissa, Texas is $101,518, while the mean household income is $116,599. The per capita income is $, and % of families and % of individuals are below the federal poverty line. % of those under 18 are in poverty and % of those 65 years or older.
Melissa Tx Household Types
| Type | Owner | Renter |
| All | 88.6% | 11.4% |
| Male | 84.5% | 15.5% |
| Female | 78% | 22% |
| Married | 89% | 11% |
| Non Family | 94.6% | 5.4% |
88.6% Rate of Home Ownership
HOUSEHOLD TYPE
| TYPE | COUNT | AVERAGE SIZE | OWNED |
| All | 1963 | 3.49 | 88.6 |
| Married | 1556 | 3.83 | 89 |
| Non Family | 186 | 1.45 | 94.6 |
| Female | 118 | 2.46 | 78 |
| Male | 103 | 3.21 | 84.5 |
3.64 – Average Family Size
3.49 – Average Household Size
4.4% – Unmarried (Opposite Sex)
0% – Unmarried (Same Sex)
EDUCATION
| EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT | COUNT | PERCENT % |
| Less Than 9th Grade | 57 | 1.54% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 61 | 1.64% |
| High School Graduate | 783 | 21.09% |
| Some College | 1,118 | 30.12% |
| Associates Degree | 391 | 10.53% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 966 | 26.02% |
| Graduate Degree | 336 | 9.05% |
The city is served by the Melissa Independent School District. In 2004, McKinney ISD and Anna ISD refused to educate anymore Melissa ISD high school classes. In 2007, Melissa High School graduated their first class with 46 students. Harry McKillop Elementary School opened its doors as the elementary school in fall 2008, housing pre-k to third grade. The former Melissa Ridge Elementary School campus was converted to Melissa Ridge Intermediate School, serving fourth and fifth grades, and Melissa Middle School, serving sixth, seventh and eighth grades. In 2015, Melissa Middle School was awarded “A School to Watch” which gives them a high rank of schools in Texas.
**worldpopolationreview.com
Texas Education Agency
Department of Performance Reporting
Preliminary 2018 Accountability Ratings
| District Name | Accountability Rating | Student Achievement | School Progress | Closing the Gaps | District Rating |
| Melissa ISD | A | A | A | A | A |