Hello, my name is Amy! My husband is being transfered to Dallas for work sometime this year and we are looking for a  place to live. We currently live in a town of 3000 on the Texas/Louisiana line and are looking for the same small town feel. I love everything I've read about Anna so far but I would like some personal feedback. We have 3 daughters, ages 18, 9 & 6 but our 18 yr old will sadly not be coming with us, as she is going to LSU in the fall.  We are not sure at this time if the move is permanent so we will be looking for a rental property. We are pet lovers and also having children we need a house with a fenced yard. Just looking online, I see mostly apartment complexes and I am wondering what else is available. My husband was a full time police officer for 12 years before he made a career change and he still reserves for our county sherriff's department. Does Anna have a PD?  We would like to be somewhere that he could still reserve. Also, how far is Anna from a Target, Wal-Mart, & other shopping? What about pediatricians, dentists, vets?  Are there any dance studios or activities for girls in the area? I hate to get on here as a new member and bombard you with questions! We have lived here in east Texas all our lives so I am very anxious, but excited about the change. Any input is greatly appreciated! Have a great day!

Anna has a great country feel to it.  It may not have everything in town that you ask for, but most big stores, etc. are 10-15 minutes away.  The town is expected to be a higher growth area in the future so I would expect all the major shopping that most other towns have coming in the next several years.  The city government has an impressive master plan for the town at their website.  I expect Anna to look very different 5-10 years from now, but I do believe it will keep it's country feel.

BTW, most all of the school districts in Collin County are among the best in Texas.  Anna has an impressive new high school under construction.  It's elementary schools are very highly rated.

If I were to ask for one improvement in Anna, it would be that we would add more shopping in town.  As I mentioned, I expect that to be coming with future growth.  Right now I am o.k. with driving 10 minutes down the road.

Anna has about 8000 residents.

Sent you a message with Rental house information.

Pre-Welcome!  What town are you from?  I have family in East Texas (Winnsboro & Henderson).

Anna is a lot like a lot of small East Texas towns from my experience, but a lot more advantages because of how close to the Dallas area.  You'll find most of what you need is available in McKinney, and if it's not, it's only a short distance to Plano/Frisco etc.

And there's lots of other small towns very close with plenty of neat things (Leonard, Pilot Point, Howe, and many more).

There's not any gated communities (unless there's one secretly hidden somewhere).  Most of the homes are in the $100k - $140k range.  Rentals are widely available.  There aren't really apartment complexes in Anna, it's mostly single family homes.

If you're looking on websites for home available, double check the city it's in, it sounds like you're getting results closer to Plano, Frisco, Lewisville, and Dallas.

The best way to get a good feel is to just come visit, and yes I know how far the drive is.  (I just drove to Henderson last week and back home in the same day.)

I hope you find what you're looking for, and good luck!

Hello Amy.  This is Officer John Dragoo with the Anna Police Department.  I can answer one part of your question, the Anna Police Department does not have a reserve officer program, but the City of Van Alstyne, which borders Anna on the north side, has reserves and I believe that Melissa P.D. has a few as well.  The Collin County Sheriff's Office also has reserves.  Now I'm not sure if any of the before mentioned departments have any openings in their reserve programs, you will just need to check with each. 

I will have to agree with Cassie about the rent houses, there are quite a few that are for rent right now but most of them are locally owned and you will probably not find them listed anywhere online, so the best advise would be to come and drive around the different neighborhoods looking.  I hope this helps!!

Officer John Dragoo, 8204
Anna Police Department
101 S. Powell Pky
Anna, Tx. 75409
972-924-2848

we moved here from Allen in July and like it a lot. We are renting, and found our house on craigslist. It's not paradise, but it's really good since it's close to McKinney for everything you need, and my wife is going to school in Grayson County so it's convenient for her. People are friendly here. Even on this forum.

Hello Amy.  This is Officer John Dragoo with the Anna Police Department.  I can answer one part of your question, the Anna Police Department does not have a reserve officer program, but the City of Van Alstyne, which borders Anna on the north side, has reserves and I believe that Melissa P.D. has a few as well.  The Collin County Sheriff's Office also has reserves.  Now I'm not sure if any of the before mentioned departments have any openings in their reserve programs, you will just need to check with each. 

I will have to agree with Cassie about the rent houses, there are quite a few that are for rent right now but most of them are locally owned and you will probably not find them listed anywhere online, so the best advise would be to come and drive around the different neighborhoods looking.  I hope this helps!!

Officer John Dragoo, 8204
Anna Police Department
101 S. Powell Pky
Anna, Tx. 75409
972-924-2848

we found our rental on Craig's list