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Fairview vs Frisco: retirement compared

Fairview and Frisco are neighbors in Dallas & Northern Suburbs, but they are almost opposite in scale. Fairview is a Collin County town of 10,570 residents in the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 survey, with a median age of 50.1 years and 32.1 percent of residents aged 65 or over, and it has no hospital of its own. Frisco has 210,238 residents, a median age of 38.1 years, 9.6 percent aged 65 or over and three hospital campuses. Each has one flagship 55+ community: Heritage Ranch, a gated golf community in Fairview, and Frisco Lakes, a lakeside community of more than 3,000 homes in Frisco.

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Fairview and Frisco at a glance

Figures come from each place page and name their own period; sources are listed on those pages.

MeasureFairviewFrisco
Population (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)10,570210,238
Residents aged 65 and over (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)32.1%9.6%
Median age (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)50.138.1
Median home value (owner-occupied) (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$544,800$595,400
Median gross rent (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$1,875 per month$1,902 per month
Median household income (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$107,308$146,158
Property tax context (tax year 2026)2026 rate for the Town of Fairview 0.329001 per hundred dollars of taxable value per the Collin Central Appraisal District table; Collin County, Collin College and school district rates are separate and overlap2026 rates per hundred dollars of taxable value (Collin County parcels): City of Frisco 0.425517; Collin County 0.151414; Frisco ISD 1.0194 (units overlap; exemptions differ, so the rates are not simply added)
Hospital accessNo hospital in the town; Medical City McKinney, a 311-bed acute care hospital in neighboring McKinney, is one of the nearby hospitals the record names (hospital system page read October 2026)Three hospital campuses operate in Frisco, including Texas Health Frisco at 12400 Dallas Parkway, which offers emergency services on a 24-hour basis (hospital system pages read October 2026)
Airport access (airport page read October 2026)Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which describes 193 domestic and 77 international nonstop destinations; the record notes Fairview has no commercial airportDallas Fort Worth International Airport is the commercial airport the record names for Frisco; no drive time is stated
55+ communities in our research11

Fairview vs Frisco: the short answer

Fairview and Frisco are neighbors in Dallas & Northern Suburbs, but they are almost opposite in scale. Fairview is a Collin County town of 10,570 residents in the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 survey, with a median age of 50.1 years and 32.1 percent of residents aged 65 or over, and it has no hospital of its own. Frisco has 210,238 residents, a median age of 38.1 years, 9.6 percent aged 65 or over and three hospital campuses. Each has one flagship 55+ community: Heritage Ranch, a gated golf community in Fairview, and Frisco Lakes, a lakeside community of more than 3,000 homes in Frisco.

The tax figures below come from Collin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table of taxing entities and, for Frisco, the City of Frisco's fiscal year 2027 rate page, which carry the same city and school figures. Fairview's own tax-rate page reports a rate for 2025-26 that is a different year from the 2026 table, so the two are shown as direction, not as a like-for-like pair. Frisco parcels in Denton County use different units and a different appraisal district, and are kept separate. A rate is not a bill, and rates reset every budget year. For the statewide rules, see property taxes and appraisal districts and homestead and age-65 exemptions.

Full profiles: Fairview and Frisco.

Which one fits you

Choose Fairview if

  • You want a quiet small town with local shopping, trails and its own fire service, accepting that the nearest hospitals are in Allen and McKinney.
  • You want a gated 55+ golf community with an Arthur Hills course that is open to public golfers and a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse, and you will request the recorded declaration and resale certificate before relying on its age rules.
  • You value a town government that offers a reduced solid waste charge of $22.18 plus sales tax for households with an occupant 65 or older and runs appointment-based rides for residents 65 and older.
  • You want a lower town tax rate, with $0.329001 for Fairview against Frisco's 0.425517 on the 2026 table, and you will confirm whether a parcel is in Lovejoy ISD or McKinney ISD, since the school rate drives the total.

Choose Frisco if

  • You want three hospital campuses from three systems inside the city rather than a drive to a neighboring town.
  • You want a city tax freeze for owners 65 or older, which the City of Frisco has offered since January 1, 2022, and a larger city homestead exemption of 20 percent with a $5,000 minimum.
  • You prefer a large resale 55+ community of 3,019 homes on a lake shore, with three amenity centers, to a smaller gated golf community.
  • You accept a higher citywide price level and a more complicated tax picture, with Collin and Denton county parcels, several school districts and up to two statements.

Fairview and Frisco: best for, and think twice if

Fairview

Best for

  • Buyers 55 or older who want a gated golf community: Heritage Ranch has 1,144 homes on 575 acres with an Arthur Hills golf course open to the public, plus pools, tennis and pickleball.
  • Buyers 65 or older who want a town-level exemption: the 2026 table shows a $60,000 local over-65 exemption for the Town of Fairview, and the town lists a reduced $22.18 solid waste charge for residents 65 and older.
  • Buyers who want an older resident base: 32.1 percent of residents are 65 or older and the median age is 50.1 in the 2019-2023 survey.

Think twice if

  • Think twice if you want a hospital in town: Fairview has none, the nearby hospitals the sources names are in Allen and McKinney, and Collin County Rides covers only appointment trips that begin or end in Fairview or Allen.
  • Buyers expecting a town tax freeze should note the 2026 table does not mark the Town of Fairview as freezing, while Collin County and Collin College have adopted freezes.
  • Think twice about price and school taxes: the median owner-occupied value is $544,800, and Lovejoy ISD at 1.2373 per $100 makes school tax most of the bill.

Frisco

Best for

  • Buyers 55 or older who want a lakeside 55+ community and a city freeze: Frisco Lakes is on the east shore of Lake Lewisville, and the city offers an $80,000 over-65 exemption with a tax freeze effective 2022.
  • Buyers who want a choice of inpatient hospitals inside the city: Texas Health Frisco, the 98-bed Medical City Frisco and the 118-bed Baylor Scott & White Centennial are all in Frisco.
  • Buyers who want newer homes: 40.3 percent of units were built in 2010-2019 and 34.8 percent in 2000-2009, with 70.3 percent single-family detached.

Think twice if

  • Think twice if you want a simple tax bill: two appraisal districts and at least four school districts apply, with Frisco ISD at 1.0194 and Prosper ISD at 1.2141, so the school district drives the total.
  • Think twice if price matters: the median owner-occupied value is $595,400, the median owner cost with a mortgage is $3,246 a month, and the sources says Frisco is not an older-adult town.
  • Buyers who want a single-level home outside Frisco Lakes should shop deliberately: the sources says the rest of the market is largely two-story family housing, and April 2026 hail reached softball size in North Texas.

Each point restates facts from that place's own page and sources. It is not a rating.

Fairview and Frisco side by side

DimensionFairviewFrisco
Town and city rates on Collin County parcelsCollin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table lists the Town of Fairview at a total of $0.329001 per $100 of taxable value, made up of $0.251518 for maintenance and operations and $0.077483 for debt service. The town's own tax-rate page states that the 2025-26 rate is $0.316658 and describes Fairview as maintaining one of the lowest property tax rates in the Metroplex. Those are different years, so they show direction, not a like-for-like change. Collin County is listed at $0.151414 and Collin College at $0.08122.Frisco's fiscal year 2027 rate page and the 2026 Collin table both list the City of Frisco at 0.425517 per $100, with Collin County at 0.151414 and Collin County Community College at 0.081220, the same county and college figures Fairview parcels carry. Frisco's city rate is therefore higher than Fairview's on the same table and year. Adding the city, county, college and Frisco ISD rate of 1.0194 for a Collin County parcel gives a four-unit total that is compared with Fairview's in the next section, where the school district changes the ranking.
School districts and what they do to the totalThe town's school-district page says a large portion of Fairview is in Lovejoy Independent School District, while McKinney Independent School District serves the western side of the town and a small area in the far northeast, so the school rate depends on the parcel. The 2026 table lists Lovejoy ISD at $1.2373 ($0.7373 for maintenance and operations and $0.5 for debt service) and McKinney ISD at $1.0664. For example, adding the town, county, college and school rates gives $1.798935 per $100 of taxable value with Lovejoy ISD and $1.628035 with McKinney ISD, our arithmetic and not an official combined rate. School districts account for most of the total.Frisco ISD is listed at 1.0194 on the Collin table. For example, the City of Frisco, Collin County, Collin College and Frisco ISD rates add to 1.677551 for a Collin County parcel, our arithmetic before any special district. Set beside Fairview's two totals, a Frisco ISD parcel falls between them: higher than a Fairview parcel in McKinney ISD and lower than one in Lovejoy ISD, even though Frisco's city rate is the higher. Prosper, Lewisville and Little Elm school districts also hold territory inside Frisco, so the district for the specific address decides which row applies.
Local over-65 exemptions, freeze status and senior benefitsThe 2026 table shows the Town of Fairview with no local general homestead exemption, a local over-65 amount of $60,000 and no freeze, while Collin County has a 5.0 percent homestead exemption, a $30,000 over-65 amount and a freeze, and Collin College 20.0 percent and $100,000 with a freeze. Lovejoy ISD's row lists an additional $4,000 in its local over-65 column. The Texas Comptroller states that an over-65 homeowner's exemption qualifies for a ceiling on school district taxes, that a county, city or junior college district may adopt its own ceiling, and that it is not a freeze on all taxes at 65. Fairview also offers residents 65 or older a reduced residential solid waste charge of $22.18 plus sales tax, with proof that an occupant is 65 or older.The City of Frisco's tax administration page says the city offers a homestead exemption of 20 percent with a $5,000 minimum, an additional $80,000 exemption for owners 65 or older or disabled, and, effective January 1, 2022, a tax freeze for those owners, under which taxes will not increase while the owner owns and lives in the home unless the home is improved. The 2026 table shows the same city figures and a freeze flag of Yes for Frisco ISD. A Frisco retiree therefore has a city ceiling that a Fairview retiree does not, while Fairview's town rate starts lower. Exemptions reduce taxable value and are not cash payments, and neither town freezes all property taxes.
Appraisal districts and tax statementsFairview is wholly a Collin County town, so Collin Central Appraisal District values every parcel and publishes the rate table for the town, county, college and school district. Exemption forms are filed with that district, and Collin Central Appraisal District is on Eldorado Parkway in McKinney. One appraisal district and one county table make the town's tax picture easier to assemble than Frisco's, though the school district still varies by parcel.Frisco sits in two counties. Collin parcels are valued by Collin Central Appraisal District and Denton parcels by Denton Central Appraisal District at 3911 Morse Street in Denton, and an owner must file any exemption form before May 1 of the tax year with the district covering the parcel. The city says Collin County residents receive one statement while Denton County residents still receive two, one from the Denton County tax collector covering Lewisville ISD and Little Elm ISD and one from Collin County billing the City and Frisco ISD. Denton County is listed at 0.183394, Lewisville ISD at 1.077800 and Little Elm ISD at 1.225200, which must not be set against the Collin figures for a different address. Frisco Lakes is on the Denton County side.
MUD, PID and special districtsCollin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table lists 29 municipal utility districts and three management districts across Collin County, and none carries the Town of Fairview's name, so whether a district applies to an address is answered by the parcel's tax statement. Heritage Ranch has a planned development agreement with the Town of Fairview dated 1999 with a 2010 amendment, listed among its governing documents. The community's resale certificate and its association documents are where assessments and fees appear, and none are quoted here.The same table has no district carrying the City of Frisco's name, so it cannot say whether a given Frisco lot is in one; the tax statement and the seller's disclosures answer that. Districts elsewhere in the county are listed with total rates of 1.0 to 1.2 per $100, which shows the order of magnitude a district can add. Because much of Frisco's housing is new, with 40.3 percent of units built from 2010 to 2019, and many homes sit in master-planned neighborhoods, ask before an offer, and for Frisco Lakes check the Denton statement and the resale certificate.
Hospitals and emergency responseFairview has no hospital campus of its own. Heritage Ranch itself names Medical City McKinney and Texas Health Allen among the nearby medical centers. Medical City McKinney, at 4500 Medical Center Drive, describes a 311-bed acute care hospital that is a Level II Trauma Center and Primary Stroke Center. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen, at 1105 North Central Expressway, says it has served Collin County since 2000, and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - McKinney describes a 192-bed hospital. Fairview Fire Rescue operates from stations at 510 S. State Highway 5 and 1200 Stacy Road and describes fire, EMS and all-hazard responses; that is first response, separate from hospital care. Drive times depend on route and hour.Three campuses operate in Frisco. Texas Health Frisco, at 12400 Dallas Parkway, offers emergency services on a 24-hour basis. Medical City Frisco Hospital, at 5500 Frisco Square Boulevard, describes a 98-bed acute care hospital with a Level III Trauma Center. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Centennial, at 12505 Lebanon Road, describes a 118-bed hospital open 24 hours. The difference for a retiree is plain: in Frisco a hospital is inside the city, while in Fairview a medical emergency or a specialist visit means a trip to another town. Plan networks change every year, so confirm a preferred hospital and physician group before choosing.
Getting around without drivingFairview residents 65 or older, or with a qualifying disability, can use Collin County Rides, which the Denton County Transportation Authority provides. Trips are by appointment, available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, must be reserved at least a day in advance, and are limited to Collin County locations that begin or end in Fairview or Allen. These limits matter: the service does not cover evenings, weekends or trips between other cities.Frisco's records describe no comparable senior ride service. The city's site publishes a weekly roadwork roundup, a reminder that road construction is part of life in a growing suburb, and the region overview describes transit in the outer suburbs as limited, with most residents driving. A household that expects to stop driving should ask the city what is available for its address before choosing Frisco, and should compare it with Fairview's service, which is narrower in hours but is named and documented.
Flood, creeks, lakes and hailThe Town of Fairview's engineering page says the town is a member of the National Flood Insurance Program, so anyone in town can buy flood insurance whether or not the home is in the floodplain. It states that flooding in and around creeks increases over time because of upstream development, citing Sloan Creek, which floods at its east end because of Wilson Creek flooding upstream in McKinney, and adds that flood maps released in 2009 took some homes out of the 100-year floodplain and placed others within it. FEMA states that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.Frisco Lakes lies on the east shore of Lake Lewisville, so shoreline and low-lying lots deserve a flood-map check, and properties near creeks do as well. For hail, the National Weather Service Fort Worth review of the April 24 to 29, 2026 storms describes hail up to softball size across the Metroplex, with the largest hail on April 27 reported in northeast Dallas, Rockwall and Hunt Counties. Neither Frisco nor Fairview is named in that line, which is not evidence of lower risk. The Texas Department of Insurance says the wind and hail deductible may differ from other deductibles, so roof age and material matter in both places.
55+ communities availableHeritage Ranch is a gated 55+ active adult community of 1,144 homes on a 575-acre setting, developed between 2000 and 2007, with an 18-hole, par 72 Arthur Hills course whose golf and dining are open to the public, a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse and an indoor lap pool. The community markets itself as 55+, and its association lists recorded dedicatory instruments, including CC&R amendments, a collection policy and a covenant enforcement policy and fining schedule dated 2023-12, but a buyer should read the recorded declaration for the exact age and occupancy terms. Resale homes go through a resale certificate request. No dues are quoted here.Frisco Lakes is a larger resale community: its association lists 3,019 homes on about 900 acres and 5,000 active residents, with three amenity centers totaling more than 40,000 square feet, a board of seven directors elected by homeowners and professional management. The association says its recorded CC&Rs set the age and rental restrictions, and the 55+ status is how it markets the community. Heritage Ranch is smaller, older and organized around a golf course; Frisco Lakes is larger and organized around amenity centers and lake access. Neither community's dues are quoted here, so request each resale certificate.
Airport access and distanceHeritage Ranch describes itself as 35 minutes northeast of Dallas and five minutes east of Highway 75 on Stacy Road, which are the community's own descriptions. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport describes itself as welcoming more than 86 million customers a year, with 193 domestic and 77 international nonstop destinations, and Fairview has no commercial airport of its own. No drive time from Fairview to DFW is published, and traffic changes the trip by hour.The Frisco Lakes association describes quick access to the Dallas North Tollway and Highway 121 and a short drive to DFW and Dallas Love Field. Neither airport publishes a drive time from Frisco Lakes. For either place, drive the route at the hour you would actually fly.
Size, age profile and housing costFairview's 2019-2023 survey profile shows a population of 10,570, a median age of 50.1 years, about 3,398 residents aged 65 and over (32.1 percent), median household income of $107,308, a median owner-occupied value of $544,800, owner costs with a mortgage of $2,923 and median gross rent of $1,875. The survey counts 4,767 housing units, of which 3,214 are owner-occupied homes, or 73.2 percent of occupied units. The town's own demographics page reports an average income of $137,344 and an average home value of $939,198, which are averages for a different period and should not be set against survey medians.Frisco's profile shows a population of 210,238, a median age of 38.1 years, 20,246 residents aged 65 and over (9.6 percent), median household income of $146,158, a median owner-occupied value of $595,400, owner costs of $3,246 and gross rent of $1,902, with 66.5 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied among 77,787 housing units. Both are five-year survey estimates on the same basis, so they compare fairly, but they lag current prices and describe whole places, not the 55+ communities.

Communities worth a look

  • Heritage RanchA gated 55+ active adult community of 1,144 homes on 575 acres in Fairview, Collin County, built around an Arthur Hills 18-hole golf course and a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse.
  • Frisco LakesA 55+ active adult community of more than 3,000 single-story homes on the east shore of Lake Lewisville in Frisco, with three amenity centers and a resident-governed association.

Time-sensitive details

  • DFW Airport's news page announced new drive-up parking and access rates taking effect October 1, 2026, with discounts for TollTag customers and for those who prebook. (as of October 8, 2026; valid through November 22, 2026). Confirm before relying on it.

Sources and review date

Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.

  1. 2026 Tax Rates and Exemptions — Collin Central Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  2. Tax Rates — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  3. School District Information — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  4. Demographics — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  5. Engineering (floodplain and stormwater) — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  6. Fire Department — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  7. Collin County Rides — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  8. Senior Rate (solid waste) — Town of Fairview, Texas (accessed 2026-10-08)
  9. Property Tax Exemptions — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (accessed 2026-10-08)
  10. Texas Property Tax Basics (January 2026) — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (accessed 2026-10-08)
  11. Property Tax Rate (City of Frisco tax rates for fiscal year 2027) — City of Frisco (accessed 2026-10-08)
  12. Tax Administration — City of Frisco (accessed 2026-10-08)
  13. Exemptions — Denton Central Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  14. About Us — Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club (accessed 2026-10-08)
  15. Live Here — Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club (accessed 2026-10-08)
  16. HOA Governing Documents and Dedicatory Instruments — Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club (accessed 2026-10-08)
  17. Texas Health Allen — Texas Health Resources (accessed 2026-10-08)
  18. Medical City McKinney Hospital — Medical City Healthcare (accessed 2026-10-08)
  19. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
  20. Texas Health Frisco — Texas Health Resources (accessed 2026-10-08)
  21. Medical City Frisco Hospital — Medical City Healthcare (accessed 2026-10-08)
  22. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Centennial — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
  23. Welcome Home Frisco Lakes Homeowners Association — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
  24. Frisco Lakes: Location — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
  25. Governance at Frisco Lakes — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
  26. April 24-29, 2026 Severe Storms and Tornadoes — National Weather Service Fort Worth (accessed 2026-10-08)
  27. Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next. — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
  28. Insurance and your roof: What to know when buying a policy or filing a claim — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
  29. Flood Maps — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
  30. National Flood Insurance Program — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
  31. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (accessed 2026-10-08)
  32. About DFW and Fast Facts — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (accessed 2026-10-08)
  33. City of Frisco home page — City of Frisco (accessed 2026-10-08)
  34. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP05 Demographic and Housing Estimates, Fairview town, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  35. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics, Fairview town, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  36. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics, Fairview town, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  37. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP05 Demographic and Housing Estimates, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  38. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  39. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
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