Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas.[1] As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 91,802, while according to a 2009 census estimate, the population had grown to 103,201.[2] Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of theTelecom Corridor with a high concentration of telecommunications companies. More than 5,000 businesses have operations within Richardson’s 28 square miles (73 km2), including several of the world’s largest telecommunications/networking companies: AT&T, Verizon, Cisco Systems, Samsung, and Fujitsu.[3]

In 2006, Richardson was ranked as the 15th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. This ranked Richardson the 3rd best place to live in Texas.[4] In 2007, the Morgan Quitno 14th Annual America’s Safest and Most Dangerous Cities Awards pronounced Richardson the 69th safest city in America. In the same study Richardson ranked the 5th safest city in Texas.[5]
In 2008, Richardson was ranked as the 18th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. This ranked Richardson the 4th best place to live in Texas.[6] In 2009, Business Week’s annual report on the “Best Places to Raise Kids,” ranked Richardson 2nd in Texas.[7] Richardson was the first North Texas city recognized as a best workplace for commuters by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Transportation in 2004. As of 2010 the city has continued to be recognized every year since 2004.[8] In 2011 the Texas Recreation and Park Society awarded Richardson with the Texas Gold Medal for excellence in the field of recreation and park management.