A celebration of Allen’s 150 year anniversary drew hundreds to downtown Allen on April 25.

Community members and city staff gathered at Allen 150 Fest, which featured a parade, live music performances, historical displays, a car show, food trucks, selfie stations and more.

The details: The festival marks Allen’s first appearance on a map. Although people lived in Allen before then, city staff chose the plat filing in 1876 to mark the city’s founding, city staff said.

“Allen 150 Fest is one of those events that reminds you exactly what makes our city special,” Mayor Baine Brooks said in an emailed statement. “Yes, we’re celebrating 150 years of history, but we’re also celebrating the people who make Allen what it is every single day. This is a community that shows up for each other, takes pride in where we live, and keeps building something even better together.”

Opus Music School opened its Allen location mid-April, owner Ariel Tan said.

The details: The business offers piano, violin, cello and vocal lessons, per its website. Students can take private or group lessons, the website states.

• 107B N. Greenville Ave., Allen

Keep up to date on the road projects happening around Dallas-Fort Worth, including work finishing up on US 380 and Lebanon Road being expanded to six lanes.

Collin County 

Highway Safety Improvement Program

Project: Updates include modernized traffic signals, upgraded equipment, increased capacity and enhanced pedestrian features to streets in Allen.

Update: Construction is wrapping up with three intersections remaining at Century Parkway and Bethany Drive, Greenville Avenue and Bethany Drive, and Main Street and Greenville Avenue.

• Timeline: construction to wrap up by summer 2026
• Cost: $5.8 million
• Funding sources: city of Allen, Texas Department of Transportation

• Timeline: construction to finish late next year
• Cost: $23 million
• Funding source: Denton County, city of Frisco

Texas residents are increasingly facing damaging storms that drive up home insurance rates and other housing costs. Ahead of the state's 2027 legislative session, consumer advocates and insurance industry representatives are urging lawmakers to consider affordability solutions.

What's happening: The average Texas home insurance premium—the amount paid to an insurance company—was $3,291 in 2024, according to the latest Texas Department of Insurance data. In total, premiums rose about 50% between 2022-24.

Texas’ high propensity for natural disasters has been “the No. 1 driver” behind recent rate increases, said Rich Johnson, a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas.

Stay tuned: While Texas can't legislate itself out of weather risks, lawmakers have considered some policy changes to increase disaster resiliency and boost regulatory oversight of the insurance industry. Proposals range from creating grants to help residents weather-proof their homes to placing limits on future rate hikes.