Las Colinas
Encyclopedia
Las Colinas is an upscale, developed area in the Dallas
suburb of Irving, Texas
.
Due to its central location between Dallas and Fort Worth
and its proximity to DFW Airport
, Las Colinas has been a viable place in the Metroplex
for corporate and business relocation.
As a planned community, it has many corporate offices, luxury hotels, landmark office towers, luxury townhomes, distinguished single family homes, private country clubs, gated enclaves and urban lofts.
millionaire Ben H. Carpenter. It was one of the first planned communities
in the United States and was once the largest mixed-use development in the South, with a land area of more than 12000 acres (49 km²). Urban planners were consulted to lay out the entire town, an undertaking that predated later projects in Plano
, Allen
and other suburbs.
During the 1980s building boom, Las Colinas became a popular location for relocating companies and office developers, attracting many corporations—including the global headquarters of four Fortune 500
companies and offices of more than 30 others, such as Exxon Mobil Corporation, GTE Telephone (now Verizon), Kimberly-Clark
and Associates Corp.
In 1985, the first sign of financial trouble appeared at Las Colinas due to a real estate market crash.
However, another 6500000 square feet (603,869.8 m²) of office space was built in the late 1990s boom. Residential real estate prices also rose steadily.
It remains a planned community home to many corporations despite an increasing problem of debt
. However, the area still contains golf and country club
s nearby.
With 25000000 sq ft (2,322,576 m²) of office space, nearly equivalent to the Dallas CBD, Las Colinas is currently home to more than 2,000 companies including the Fortune 500 global headquarters for Commercial Metals, ExxonMobil
, Fluor Corp. and Kimberly-Clark
. Other companies with headquarters in Las Colinas include Mission Foods, La Quinta Inns and Suites. In 1999 the company announced it was going to move its headquarters from San Antonio, stating that it wished to be near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
.
Other Las Colinas companies with offices in Las Colinas include Abbott Laboratories
, AAA-Texas
, AT&T
,The Big 12 Conference
Headquarters, Citigroup
, General Motors
, Microsoft
, NEC America
, Nokia
, Nokia Siemens Networks
, Oracle
, Research in Motion
, Verizon, Zale Corporation
, VHA Corporation, PNM Resources, Inc., First Choice Power, Westwood One
, TRT Holdings, Inc. Flowserve
.
Las Colinas also features three private country clubs and four championship golf courses surrounded by gated communities. The Four Seasons
resort and country club at MacArthur Blvd is the only AAA Five-Diamond resort in Texas. The TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Resort has hosted the HP Byron Nelson Championship of PGA Tour
since it opened in 1986. It features tree-lined fairways, large greens and a number of creeks and ponds.
It also contains high-rise office towers, retail centers, upscale residences, apartment complexes, and leisure facilities. Notable attractions include the Mustangs at Las Colinas
sculpture and fountain and Las Colinas Flower Clock. The complex also features a River Walk
-styled canal offering gondola cruises, as well as the above-ground Las Colinas APT System
. Las Colinas has over 22300000 square feet (2,071,737.8 m²) of office space, 1300000 square feet (120,774 m²) of retail, and 3,400 single-family homes. A 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract in Las Colinas is also under development to become the home of the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
, which is expected to be completed in January 2011.
Schools in the local area include Irving Independent School District
and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
.
Irving is one of 13 member-cities of the Dallas region's transit agency, Dallas Area Rapid Transit
(DART). Currently, Irving is served by numerous bus routes and the North Irving Transit Center
services Las Colinas with express bus service to downtown Dallas
. In 2011 the will open Las Colinas Urban Center Station
, Irving Convention Center Station
, Las Colinas Carpenter Ranch Station
and North Lake College Station
. These stations will provide Las Colinas with direct rail service to DFW Airport and downtown Dallas.
Las Colinas is also served by the Las Colinas APT System
, a unique people mover
linking businesses and entertainment areas of the Las Colinas Urban Center. Plans include additions to the system to tie in with the new .
. Some residents are zoned to Las Colinas Elementary School. Another portion is zoned to La Villita Elementary School.
Some portions are within the Irving Independent School District
.
C-FBISD has always served a portion of Irving, and historically children were bussed to schools in Carrollton
and Farmers Branch
. Las Colinas, which opened in 1986, was C-FBISD's first school in Irving. The Kinwest Corporation donated the tract of land that houses the school. La Villita was C-FBISD's sixth school in Irving and its 27th elementary school.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
suburb of Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
.
Due to its central location between Dallas and Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
and its proximity to DFW Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
, Las Colinas has been a viable place in the Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
for corporate and business relocation.
As a planned community, it has many corporate offices, luxury hotels, landmark office towers, luxury townhomes, distinguished single family homes, private country clubs, gated enclaves and urban lofts.
History
Originally called El Ranchito de Las Colinas ("the Little Ranch of the Hills"), Las Colinas was developed in 1972 by cattle ranchingRanch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
millionaire Ben H. Carpenter. It was one of the first planned communities
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
in the United States and was once the largest mixed-use development in the South, with a land area of more than 12000 acres (49 km²). Urban planners were consulted to lay out the entire town, an undertaking that predated later projects in Plano
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
, Allen
Allen, Texas
Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States, a northern suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 census the city had a total population of 84,246.-Geography:According to the City of Allen, the city has a total area of...
and other suburbs.
During the 1980s building boom, Las Colinas became a popular location for relocating companies and office developers, attracting many corporations—including the global headquarters of four Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies and offices of more than 30 others, such as Exxon Mobil Corporation, GTE Telephone (now Verizon), Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark brand name products include "Kleenex" facial tissue, "Kotex" feminine hygiene products, "Cottonelle", Scott and Andrex toilet paper, Wypall utility wipes, "KimWipes"...
and Associates Corp.
In 1985, the first sign of financial trouble appeared at Las Colinas due to a real estate market crash.
However, another 6500000 square feet (603,869.8 m²) of office space was built in the late 1990s boom. Residential real estate prices also rose steadily.
Las Colinas today
Today, Las Colinas is a location for business and personal addresses.It remains a planned community home to many corporations despite an increasing problem of debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
. However, the area still contains golf and country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
s nearby.
With 25000000 sq ft (2,322,576 m²) of office space, nearly equivalent to the Dallas CBD, Las Colinas is currently home to more than 2,000 companies including the Fortune 500 global headquarters for Commercial Metals, ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
, Fluor Corp. and Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark brand name products include "Kleenex" facial tissue, "Kotex" feminine hygiene products, "Cottonelle", Scott and Andrex toilet paper, Wypall utility wipes, "KimWipes"...
. Other companies with headquarters in Las Colinas include Mission Foods, La Quinta Inns and Suites. In 1999 the company announced it was going to move its headquarters from San Antonio, stating that it wished to be near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
.
Other Las Colinas companies with offices in Las Colinas include Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
, AAA-Texas
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
,The Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
Headquarters, Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, NEC America
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a global data networking and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Espoo, Finland. It is a joint venture between Nokia of Finland and Siemens of Germany...
, Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
, Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, Verizon, Zale Corporation
Zale Corporation
The Zale Corporation is, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, a leading specialty retailer of jewelry in North America. The Zale Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in 1993...
, VHA Corporation, PNM Resources, Inc., First Choice Power, Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, TRT Holdings, Inc. Flowserve
Flowserve
The Flowserve Corporation is a world leading supplier of pumps, valves, seals, automation, and services to the power, oil, gas, chemical and other industries. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Flowserve has over 15,000 employees in more than 50 countries...
.
Las Colinas also features three private country clubs and four championship golf courses surrounded by gated communities. The Four Seasons
Four Seasons Hotels
Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international ultra-luxury, five-star hotel management company. Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank the hotel chain's 84 properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide...
resort and country club at MacArthur Blvd is the only AAA Five-Diamond resort in Texas. The TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Resort has hosted the HP Byron Nelson Championship of PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
since it opened in 1986. It features tree-lined fairways, large greens and a number of creeks and ponds.
It also contains high-rise office towers, retail centers, upscale residences, apartment complexes, and leisure facilities. Notable attractions include the Mustangs at Las Colinas
Mustangs at Las Colinas
Mustangs at Las Colinas is a bronze sculpture by Robert Glen, that decorates Williams Square in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. It is said to be the largest equestrian sculpture in the world....
sculpture and fountain and Las Colinas Flower Clock. The complex also features a River Walk
San Antonio River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath downtown San Antonio, Texas...
-styled canal offering gondola cruises, as well as the above-ground Las Colinas APT System
Las Colinas APT System
The Las Colinas Area Personal Transit System is a people mover system that serves the Las Colinas area of Irving, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The system has four passenger stations and a maintenance & control center, and is run by two cars, one for each route...
. Las Colinas has over 22300000 square feet (2,071,737.8 m²) of office space, 1300000 square feet (120,774 m²) of retail, and 3,400 single-family homes. A 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract in Las Colinas is also under development to become the home of the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Opened in January 2011, the Irving Convention Center is a facility located on a tract in Las Colinas Urban Center in Irving, Texas. The convention center and the adjoining mixed use entertainment district are bordered on the west by Highway 114, on the east by Las Colinas Boulevard, on the north...
, which is expected to be completed in January 2011.
Schools in the local area include Irving Independent School District
Irving Independent School District
Irving Independent School District is a school district based in Irving, Texas . The district, which covers , serves most of the city of Irving, except for Valley Ranch and a portion of Las Colinas. The district also serves small portions of Grand Prairie and Dallas.Irving ISD is made up of 81%...
and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District is a school district based in Carrollton, Texas .The district covers most of the cities of Carrollton and Farmers Branch and parts of Addison, Coppell, Dallas, and Irving...
.
Transportation
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
(DART). Currently, Irving is served by numerous bus routes and the North Irving Transit Center
North Irving Transit Center
North Irving Transit Center is a bus-only station located along Northwest Highway in Irving, Texas . It will be joined with the Irving Convention Center Station when the DART light rail line opens in December 2011. There have been rumors that the current transit center will then be sold. -...
services Las Colinas with express bus service to downtown Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. In 2011 the will open Las Colinas Urban Center Station
Las Colinas Urban Center Station
Las Colinas Urban Center Station will be a DART light rail station located in the Las Colinas development of Irving, Texas for service on the . The station is planned to open July 30, 2012. A connection with the Las Colinas APT will serve the businesses and residents of the Las Colinas Urban...
, Irving Convention Center Station
Irving Convention Center Station
Irving Convention Center Station will be a DART light rail station located in the Las Colinas development of Irving, Texas for service on the . The station is planned to open in December 2011 and will serve the Irving Convention Center and Las Colinas Urban Center. This station will temporarily...
, Las Colinas Carpenter Ranch Station
Las Colinas Carpenter Ranch Station
Las Colinas Carpenter Ranch Station will be a DART light rail station located in the Las Colinas development of Irving, Texas for service on the . The station was originally planned to open in December 2012 to serve the surrounding Las Colinas neighborhood. In April 2010 the station's construction...
and North Lake College Station
North Lake College Station
North Lake College Station will be a DART light rail station located in the Las Colinas development of Irving, Texas for service on the . The station is planned to open in December 2012 and will serve adjacent North Lake College....
. These stations will provide Las Colinas with direct rail service to DFW Airport and downtown Dallas.
Las Colinas is also served by the Las Colinas APT System
Las Colinas APT System
The Las Colinas Area Personal Transit System is a people mover system that serves the Las Colinas area of Irving, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The system has four passenger stations and a maintenance & control center, and is run by two cars, one for each route...
, a unique people mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
linking businesses and entertainment areas of the Las Colinas Urban Center. Plans include additions to the system to tie in with the new .
Education
Some portions of Las Colinas are within the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School DistrictCarrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District is a school district based in Carrollton, Texas .The district covers most of the cities of Carrollton and Farmers Branch and parts of Addison, Coppell, Dallas, and Irving...
. Some residents are zoned to Las Colinas Elementary School. Another portion is zoned to La Villita Elementary School.
Some portions are within the Irving Independent School District
Irving Independent School District
Irving Independent School District is a school district based in Irving, Texas . The district, which covers , serves most of the city of Irving, except for Valley Ranch and a portion of Las Colinas. The district also serves small portions of Grand Prairie and Dallas.Irving ISD is made up of 81%...
.
C-FBISD has always served a portion of Irving, and historically children were bussed to schools in Carrollton
Carrollton, Texas
-Climate:*On average, the warmest month is July.*The highest recorded temperature was 112°F in 1980.*The average coolest month is January.*The lowest recorded temperature was 1°F in 1989.*The most precipitation on average occurs in May....
and Farmers Branch
Farmers Branch, Texas
Farmers Branch is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is both an inner-ring suburb of Dallas and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 27,508 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2008 U.S...
. Las Colinas, which opened in 1986, was C-FBISD's first school in Irving. The Kinwest Corporation donated the tract of land that houses the school. La Villita was C-FBISD's sixth school in Irving and its 27th elementary school.
Attractions
- Mustangs at Las ColinasMustangs at Las ColinasMustangs at Las Colinas is a bronze sculpture by Robert Glen, that decorates Williams Square in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. It is said to be the largest equestrian sculpture in the world....
- Las Colinas Flower Clock
- Lake Carolyn
- Mandalay Canal
Neighborhoods
- Cottonwood Valley
- Mandalay Place
- Hackberry Creek
- University Hills
- Windsor Ridge Village
- University Park Estates
- Fairway Vista
- Country Club Place