Living in Murphy, Texas
Murphy
A central park amphitheater, Maxwell Creek trails and a new H-E-B on FM 544.
What it's like
The short version
Murphy sits in southern Collin County on FM 544, with the President George Bush Turnpike just to the west. Settlers arrived in 1846, and today the Maxwell Creek greenbelt links Murphy Central Park, the Preserve and Waters Edge Park.
What's for sale
Homes sold at a median near $632,000 in the three months ending August 2026, with 48 homes sold in August.
What it does well
Strong here
- Restaurants●●○
Walk Score counts about 55 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Murphy. - Shopping●●○
A Walmart Supercenter and H-E-B give the city two big-box stores. - Parks and trails●●○
Murphy Central Park has an amphitheater, a pond and a splash pad, and trails follow Maxwell Creek. - Established neighborhoods●●○
The first settlers arrived in 1846.
The honest part
What to know first
- Walk Score rates the city 13, and almost all errands take a car.
- Murphy is not among the 12 cities in DART's service area.
Not its strength: walkable, transit options, quiet, small-town pace, vibrant, big-city energy, lake days, luxury homes.
Not rated yet: a real downtown, nightlife, golf, land and acreage, horses welcome, new construction. That means I haven't confirmed it either way, not that it isn't here.
Get outside
- Murphy Central Park
An amphitheater seating 2,500 to 3,000, a 2-acre stocked pond, a splash pad, sports fields and a trail at 550 North Murphy Road. - Preserve at Maxwell Creek
A 42-acre trailhead with a nature trail, a long footbridge over the creek, a pavilion and a half-sized basketball court. - Waters Edge Park
An inclusive playground, three practice soccer fields and a quarter-mile loop, with about 5 miles of natural trails along Maxwell Creek.
Eat and drink
- Mountain Mike's Pizza
Pizza, wings and an all-you-can-eat pizza and salad bar, with beer and wine, at 511 East FM 544. - True Texas BBQ
A barbecue restaurant inside H-E-B at FM 544 and McCreary Road.
Shop and errands
- H-E-B
A full store at FM 544 and McCreary Road with a pharmacy and a fuel station with a car wash. - Walmart Supercenter
The city's first big-box store.
On the calendar
- Annual Campout
An overnight campout at the Central Park pond.
Taxes
2025 combined rate per $100 with Plano ISD: city 0.357514, Plano ISD 1.039550, Collin County 0.149343, Collin College 0.081220. Homestead not applied.
Plano ISD and Wylie ISD each serve part of the city. The total is 1.763277 with Wylie ISD at 1.175200. Check the unit list on the address.
School facts
- Plano ISD: TEA rating B, 2025-26
- Wylie ISD: TEA rating A, 2026
Take it with you
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Sources
- 2026 NCTCOG Population Estimates
- Redfin: Murphy Housing Market
- City of Murphy: Taxes
- Community Impact: Collin County property tax rates for FY 2025-26 (Sep 8, 2025)
- 2025 DFW Tax Rates, Republic Title
- Independence Title: Collin County Tax Rates
- Wikipedia: Murphy, Texas
- Texas Tribune Schools Explorer: Plano ISD
- Wylie ISD: Wylie ISD earns another A for 2026 (Aug 14, 2026)
- City of Murphy: Murphy Central Park
- City of Murphy: Maxwell Creek Trails
- City of Murphy: Waters Edge Park
- Murphy Monitor: Long-awaited H-E-B to open Wednesday, July 22 (Jul 16, 2026)
- Trade and Industry Development: H-E-B opens newest DFW-area store in Murphy (Jul 24, 2026)
- Franchising.com: Mountain Mike's Pizza opens in Murphy (Jul 31, 2026)
- Walk Score: Murphy
- DART: Facts about Dallas Area Rapid Transit
- DART: Collin County Transit Service Area
- Dallas County Tax Office: 2025 Tax Rates
- The Wylie News: Wylie ISD 2026-27 budget and tax rate (Jun 4, 2026)