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Fairview Relocation & Lifestyle Guide

Living in Fairview, Texas: schools, neighborhoods, and local insights

Fairview is a small town in Collin County (10,783 people per the US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate), and its character is not an accident of history. It is written into the zoning code. Fairview's Ranch Estate districts set minimum lot sizes of three acres, two acres, an acre and a half, and one acre, and the RE-1 district requires at least a full acre excluding road rights-of-way. That structurally caps density, which is why the town grows slowly, why the housing product is estate homes on land rather than production subdivisions, and why the median owner-occupied home value is $597,300, roughly 70% above Anna's. Two things every Fairview buyer has to get right before writing an offer: the school district line, which splits the town between Lovejoy ISD and McKinney ISD; and the demographics, which are older than almost anywhere nearby.

Population
10,783 (US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate). The 2020 Decennial Census counted 10,372.
County
Collin County. Fairview is a Town, not a City, in its own official name.
School Districts
Split. Lovejoy ISD serves the majority of the town; McKinney ISD serves the western side and a small pocket in the northeast. Per the Town of Fairview, McKinney ISD operates no campus inside Fairview. Verify the district for the exact address.
Zoning
Ranch Estate districts with 3-acre, 2-acre, 1.5-acre and 1-acre minimum lot sizes. RE-1 requires a minimum of one acre excluding road rights-of-way.
Median Home Value
$597,300: the median value of owner-occupied housing units, US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year. Not a sale price.
Median Household Income
$109,347 (US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, MOE ±$18,030). Read this alongside per-capita income of $62,345 and the town's large retiree population, and see the demographics notes below before you draw a conclusion from it.
Median Age
49.1 years (US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year), far older than Anna (32.1) or Little Elm (35.4).
Residents 65+
30.1% of the population (US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B01001).
Homeownership
73.9% owner-occupied (computed from US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003). The renter share largely reflects apartments at and near Fairview Town Center.
Average Commute
33.8 minutes, mean travel time to work (US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, MOE ±12.3 min).

Why Fairview works for buyers

  • Ranch Estate zoning with 3-acre, 2-acre, 1.5-acre and 1-acre minimum lot sizes: the land-use rule that defines the whole town
  • Heritage Ranch: a gated 55+ active-adult community of 1,144 homes on roughly 575 acres, with an 18-hole Arthur Hills-designed championship course
  • Fairview Town Center (formerly The Village at Fairview), the town's mixed-use retail, dining and entertainment anchor

Fairview overview

Fairview is a small town in Collin County (10,783 people per the US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate), and its character is not an accident of history. It is written into the zoning code. Fairview's Ranch Estate districts set minimum lot sizes of three acres, two acres, an acre and a half, and one acre, and the RE-1 district requires at least a full acre excluding road rights-of-way. That structurally caps density, which is why the town grows slowly, why the housing product is estate homes on land rather than production subdivisions, and why the median owner-occupied home value is $597,300, roughly 70% above Anna's. Two things every Fairview buyer has to get right before writing an offer: the school district line, which splits the town between Lovejoy ISD and McKinney ISD; and the demographics, which are older than almost anywhere nearby.

Population & demographic profile

Understanding Fairview's community composition helps buyers match lifestyle preferences with neighborhood character. The figures below reference recent American Community Survey estimates and city planning reports.

Total Population

10,783

US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate. The 2020 Decennial Census counted 10,372.

Median Age

49.1 years

US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year (table B01002). Markedly older than Anna (32.1) or Little Elm (35.4).

Residents 65 and Over

30.1%

US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year (table B01001). More than five times Anna's share, and the key to reading every other statistic on this page.

Median Household Income

$109,347

US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, in 2024 dollars; MOE ±$18,030. Per-capita income is $62,345, which is far above Anna's or Little Elm's and is the better affluence signal here.

Median Home Value

$597,300

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year (table B25077): roughly 70% above Anna's and 42% above Little Elm's. Owner-reported value, not a sale price.

Homeownership Rate

73.9%

Owner-occupied share of occupied housing units, computed from US Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year table B25003. The renter share reflects apartments at and near Fairview Town Center.

Population by age group

  • Under 1822.7%
  • 18-245.8%
  • 25-4417.3%
  • 45-6424.1%
  • 65 and over30.1%

Education level

  • Less than high school diploma3.5%
  • High school graduate (includes GED)14.8%
  • Some college or associate degree22.3%
  • Bachelor's degree40.9%
  • Graduate or professional degree18.6%

Demographics

  • The income figure needs its context, so here it is plainly. Fairview's median household income is $109,347 (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, MOE ±$18,030), only modestly above Anna's, despite a median home value ($597,300) roughly 70% higher. That is not a sign of a town under strain. It is a retiree town: 30.1% of residents are 65 or older, the median age is 49.1, and Heritage Ranch alone is a 1,144-home 55+ community. Retirement income does not show up in wages. The per-capita income of $62,345, well above both Anna and Little Elm, is the fairer measure of the town's affluence.
  • Age structure (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B01001): 30.1% are 65 and over, 24.1% are 45-64, and only 17.3% are 25-44. Fairview skews old, and it skews that way on purpose. Acre-minimum lots and a large age-restricted community are not what young first-time buyers shop for.
  • Education (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B15003, population 25 and over): 96.5% hold a high school diploma or higher and 59.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, nearly double Anna's rate.
  • Race and ethnicity (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B03002; small-population margins of error are wide): White non-Hispanic 73.9%, Black or African American non-Hispanic 10.3%, Hispanic or Latino of any race 7.4%, Asian non-Hispanic 4.0%.
  • A note on figures elsewhere: the Fairview EDC's site describes a population of 'just 8,900 residents.' That is out of date against both the 2020 Census (10,372) and ACS 2024 (10,783). This page uses the Census figures.

Lifestyle & recreation

  • Fairview Town Center (formerly The Village at Fairview) is the town's signature commercial development: an award-winning mixed-use retail, dining and entertainment center the Town actively recruited, and the largest concentration of jobs inside the town limits.
  • Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club: an 18-hole, par-72 championship course designed by Arthur Hills, inside the gated 55+ community.
  • The large-lot rural character (rolling terrain, wooded areas, creek beds, ponds) is a deliberate output of the Ranch Estate zoning, not a leftover. It is the product the town sells and the reason its residents defend the code.

Fairview schools

School zones significantly impact home values and buyer decisions. The list below highlights top-performing campuses-Mali can map specific attendance boundaries for your shortlist properties.

Puster Elementary School

Elementary

Lovejoy ISD. One of two Lovejoy campuses physically located inside Fairview; opened August 2008.

Sloan Creek Intermediate School

Middle

Lovejoy ISD's 5th-6th grade campus, on Country Club Road (FM 1378) in Fairview; opened August 2008. The other Lovejoy campus inside town limits.

Willow Springs Middle School

Middle

Lovejoy ISD's 7th-8th grade campus. Located in Lucas, not in Fairview.

Hart Elementary School

Elementary

Lovejoy ISD elementary campus, located in Lucas.

Lovejoy High School

High

Lovejoy ISD's only comprehensive high school, located in Lucas. District distinctions published by the Fairview EDC include a Texas HEB Excellence in Education Award and multiple UIL Lone Star Cup wins.

Carrie L. Lovejoy Child Development Center

Specialty

Lovejoy ISD early learning and Pre-K, ages 18 months to 4 years. Located in Allen; formerly Lovejoy Elementary, converted in 2021.

McKinney ISD (western Fairview and a small northeast pocket)

All

Per the Town of Fairview's own schools page, McKinney ISD serves the western side of Fairview and a small area in the northeast, and operates no campus inside Fairview. Those students attend McKinney ISD schools outside the town limits. Which campus depends entirely on the address, so no campus list is given here.

Getting around Fairview

  • US-75 (Central Expressway) is the primary north-south freeway, running just west of Fairview through Allen and McKinney.
  • SH-121 (Sam Rayburn Tollway) is the regional east-west tollway to the south and west.
  • FM 1378 (Country Club Road) is the main north-south arterial through Fairview itself; Sloan Creek Intermediate fronts it.
  • For context on location rather than drive time: Fairview EDC material describing the Lovejoy ISD area, which covers most of the town, places it about 25 miles north of Dallas and about 3 miles east of Allen. Those are distances, not drive times. No credible published drive times exist for Fairview, so none are quoted here; the one verified number is the 33.8-minute ACS mean travel time to work.

Relocation checklist with Mali

Moving to Fairview means lining up the right vendor team, understanding seasonal weather shifts, and comparing neighborhoods before touring. Mali guides you through scouting trips, remote video tours, and negotiation strategy so your Fairview plan comes together smoothly.

  • Check the ISD for the specific address, every time. Most of Fairview is Lovejoy ISD, but the western side and a small northeast pocket are McKinney ISD, and McKinney ISD runs no campus inside Fairview. This is the single most price-relevant fact on a Fairview listing, and 'it's in Fairview' does not answer it.
  • Read the zoning before you fall for a lot. Fairview's Ranch Estate districts carry 3-acre, 2-acre, 1.5-acre and 1-acre minimums; RE-1 requires an acre excluding road rights-of-way. That code is what protects the character you are paying for. It is also what constrains what you can do to your own land.
  • Do not read the income figure without the age figure. Median household income is $109,347 (MOE ±$18,030), only modestly above Anna's. But 30.1% of Fairview residents are 65 or older, many of them retirees at Heritage Ranch living on retirement rather than wage income. Per-capita income here is $62,345, and that is the fairer read on the town's affluence.
  • Inventory is thin by construction. A town of 10,783 people with acre-minimum lots does not produce many listings in a given month. Expect to wait for the right property rather than choose among six of them.
  • If you are 55+, Heritage Ranch is a specific, real product (1,144 homes, gated, golf, a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse) and it is worth evaluating on its own terms rather than as one of the town's subdivisions.

Selling your Fairview home?

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Compare Fairview to nearby cities

Every North Texas suburb brings unique advantages. Whether you're weighing school ratings, commute times, or neighborhood character, Mali will map your priorities against current market inventory.