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The city of Princeton was incorporated in May of 1912 and is located on Highway 380 in Collin County. It is 8 miles East of McKinney and thirty-five miles Northeast of Dallas. The current population is approximately 3,500. In 1881, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway extended its line from Greenville to McKinney. Alma Wilson and his brother J.J. (Book) Wilson owned a large section of land near the railroad switch. This area became known as Wilson’s Switch. The first map of the town was filed for record on August 25, 1888 and was recorded on September 8, 1888. In 1889, when the post office established, it objected to the name since there was another town in Texas named Wilson. Princeton was the new name chosen in honor of another land owner, Prince Dowlen.
During the early history of Princeton when the land was densely covered with trees such as elm, hackberry, and bois d’arc, Princeton became one of the world’s largest markets for bois d’arc. An area also known for its rich soil, Princeton soon became known for its production of onions, cotton and cantaloupe. In 1939, a group of Princeton representatives met with regional Farm Security Administration officials to request that a migratory farm labor camp be placed on Princeton. In 1940, the migratory camp was built west of Princeton where the Community Park is now located. It was built for the people who moved into the area to work during the onion and cotton seasons. It was estimated that there were 300-400 migrants at the camp during this period. In February of 1945, the camp was turned into a prisoner of war camp for Germans captured during World War II. This operation was continued for eight months. When it once again became a migratory camp. The camp closed in 1969 and in 1979, the property was donated to the City of Princeton for a community park. An historical marker is now located on this site.
Princeton is made up of residents of diverse backgrounds, the population of Princeton enjoys a high quality of life with the best of both worlds; Country living within an hour’s drive of all the benefit of the D/FW Metroplex.