| a combining form meaning “moving,” “capable of movement,” used in the formation of compound words: planogamete. |
plano- or plani- or plan-
pref.
Flat: planocellular.
Plano
city, Collin and Denton counties, northern Texas, U.S., located about 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Dallas. It is situated in a region of blackland prairie and was first settled (1845-46) by a group called Peters' Colony (named for William S. Peters, who had led investors in gaining land grants from the Republic of Texas in the early 1840s). The community was granted a post office in 1851; several names were proposed, and ultimately Plano-which a leading citizen understood to be the Spanish word meaning "plain," an apt description of the terrain-was selected. The railroad reached Plano in 1872, and, although the town was almost destroyed by fire in 1881, it continued to develop as a small agricultural centre in the midst of a cotton-producing and cattle-raising area. Plano's rapid population growth began in the 1960s, when the population was less than 4,000, a result of the expansion of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Plano is a financial and commercial centre, and its manufactures include compact discs, printed materials, metals, satellite communication equipment, and bakery equipment. Plano is the headquarters of Frito-Lay, a division of Pepsico. Heritage Farmstead Museum occupies a former sheep ranch. Plano, considered the "Balloon Capital of Texas," hosts a popular hot-air balloon festival each September. Inc. 1873. Pop. (1990) 128,713; (2000) 222,030.
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