As more growth comes to Frisco, an 'old timer' is loving the new faces and places
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – In Frisco, it would seem that economic growth is contagious – from new home communities to corporate headquarters and now entertainment options – the only question now seems to be, what's coming next?
And proud 'old timer' Armando Baleerramos has been there for it all – when the darling of Collin County development was just farmland.
"I grew up in the fields, chopping cotton, picking cotton, I did it all," recalls Baleerramos, who says his family moved to the area from Indiana in search of farmwork when he was 9-months-old – and he never left.
"I been in that house since '65. I remember my Dad was paying $7.50 rent a week," he adds with a laugh. It doesn't take much prompting and the memories sprout like the new home communities in his fast-growing city.
"For a quarter, we'd get two 16 oz RCs, two bags of chips and three pieces of gum for quarter. And then you turn around and sell the bottle back for nickel!" he adds with another chuckle.
Now retired, Baleerramos keeps busy helping out at an art studio that was once a relative's home near downtown. Owner and artist Nazanin Ahmady says she was drawn to the vitality of the rapidly developing area.
"The place was so fresh and alive," says Ahmady. "it was starting to grow, and I always love the growing part."
Ahmady says she moved to Frisco 18 years ago – migrating from Plano as homeowners there continued to push north. She acknowledges the challenges associated with the rapid growth, everything from traffic to infrastructure demands, but sees it all as a worthy trade-off. "I see that development as a part of keeping this city alive and it's wonderful to see those changes."
Others have also been drawn to the new home communities, new schools, entertainment options, high paying jobs nearby and just the allure of 'new' – helping to push the city's population from just over 6,000 in 1990, to more than 200,000 now.
"I'm not worried about the traffic," shares a good natured Baleerramos,"I'm sitting!"
And this self-described 'old timer' says he's embracing all of Frisco's new faces, and places.
"I just love it."