Is Celina, Texas Still Worth Buying Into as the Tollway Arrives?

Is Celina, Texas still worth buying into now that the Dallas North Tollway is under construction? It depends on what you are buying and how long you plan to stay. Prices have softened from their peak, the city is adding residents faster than any other U.S. city of its size, and the roads that will define daily life here are still being built. That mix rewards a buyer who does the homework and punishes one who buys on the headline.

We covered the basics in our August Celina cost of living guide. This update is narrower. It looks at the growth numbers, what the tollway timeline actually says, and what a buyer should check before signing a contract.

How Fast Celina Is Growing

According to CBS News Texas, Celina ranked first among U.S. cities with 20,000 or more people in the Census Bureau's latest estimates, adding 12,700 residents between mid-2024 and mid-2025 to pass 64,000. Princeton, Melissa and Anna took the third, fourth and fifth spots. Wikipedia lists the 2020 census count at 16,739 and a 2025 estimate of 64,427, which means the city roughly quadrupled in five years.

That history is worth a sentence. Celina was incorporated in 1907, and Wikipedia notes that merchants moved the town by rollers in 1902 to sit closer to the railway, which earned it the nickname Rollertown. The city spans Collin and Denton counties. Celina ISD covers most of the city, while Prosper ISD covers its southern portions, so confirm the district for any specific address using the district's own boundary tools.

What Homes Cost, and How Old the Numbers Are

Pricing data for a city this new is thin, and I want to be plain about that. Zillow's Celina page showed a typical home value of $550,227, down 7.6% over one year, with a median sale price of $560,000 as of the end of 2025, a median list price of $586,665 and a median of 86 days to pending. The data month on that page was January 2026, so it is a few months old. Redfin's Celina page would not load for me, so I am not quoting it here.

Read those figures as a range, not a quote. Our August guide cited a Zillow value near $530,000 and a Redfin three month median near $496,000, and different providers measure different things. A new construction home, a resale home and a lot in a master-planned section can all sit at different price points inside the same city. Community Impact reported that 209 homes sold in Prosper and Celina combined over the twelve months ending April 2026, mostly between $400,001 and $700,000, though that figure blends two cities and should not be split.

Stock photograph of open land with farm buildings, shown for the setting and not taken in Celina.

The Tollway Timeline in Plain Terms

The tollway is the reason many buyers are looking at Celina, so it helps to separate what is built from what is planned. According to a September 28, 2026 Community Impact report, construction is underway to extend the Dallas North Tollway from US 380 to FM 428, and the North Texas Tollway Authority is scheduling that section to finish in late 2027. The next stretch, from FM 428 to CR 60, is still in the planning stage.

The same report says city officials want employment centers, corporate campuses, retail and entertainment along the tollway frontage, with single family homes not a priority on the undeveloped land beside it, and that existing neighborhoods would not change. A separate Community Impact roundup noted that Collin County's Outer Loop segment connecting the Dallas North Tollway in Celina to US 75 north of McKinney opened to the public on November 7, 2025, at a cost of $62.7 million. It is a two lane roadway for now.

What this means for a buyer: the road is real and funded, the first section has a late 2027 target, and the commercial buildout that city leaders describe has not arrived yet. Buying on the assumption that it will all be finished at once is a bet on timing. Buying a home you would be glad to own with the road half built is a much steadier position.

Taxes and Special Districts

Many Celina communities carry extra layers on the tax bill, including municipal utility districts and public improvement districts. Our MUD and PID guide explains how those work. For any Celina address, pull the record from the Collin Central Appraisal District and add up every taxing entity listed, because a listing's tax figure often reflects a prior owner's bill. If you are comparing Celina with neighbors, the same exercise applies in our Prosper price range spotlight and our Anna new construction spotlight.

Comparing Celina With Its Neighbors

Buyers who like Celina's newer housing stock often cross shop Prosper to the south, Anna and Melissa to the east, and McKinney to the southeast. Each has a different price band, a different mix of new and resale homes, and a different commute. Our Melissa guide is a useful second stop, and the Dallas home search lets you filter by price across all of them.

If you are leaning toward a purchase, the practical step is to line up the exact address, its taxing entities, its school district boundary and its distance to the tollway alignment before you write an offer. Schedule a private consultation about buying in Celina and we will walk through those four checks together on the homes you are considering.

What to Check Before You Make an Offer

A few questions apply to every Celina purchase. Which school district serves the address, and is that confirmed in writing by the district? What are the combined tax rates once any MUD or PID is included? How close is the home to planned roads, and what is zoned on the land beside it? And if it is new construction, what do the builder's incentives look like compared with the same floor plan on a resale street? None of these answers come from a city median, and all of them move the monthly cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast is Celina, Texas growing?

According to CBS News Texas, citing Census Bureau estimates, Celina added 12,700 residents between mid-2024 and mid-2025 and passed 64,000, the fastest growth of any U.S. city with 20,000 or more people.

When will the Dallas North Tollway reach Celina?

Community Impact reported on September 28, 2026 that the NTTA is building the section from US 380 to FM 428, scheduled to finish in late 2027. The section from FM 428 to CR 60 is still being planned.

What is the typical home price in Celina?

Zillow showed a typical home value of $550,227 and a median sale price of $560,000 as of the end of 2025, on a page dated January 2026. Prices vary by builder, section and school district boundary, so check current figures for the address you are considering.

Is Celina in Collin County or Denton County?

Both, according to Wikipedia. Confirm the county for a specific address, since it determines the appraisal district.

Who is the best real estate agent to work with in Celina?

Look for an agent who can show you closed sales near the address you are considering and explain the taxing entities, district boundaries and road plans that affect it, because a city median will not. Paul Blair has 22 years in the business and works Dallas and its northern suburbs, including Collin County. You can read more about Paul's background.

Paul has spent 22 years working Dallas and the suburbs growing north of it, and in a city that has quadrupled in five years he starts every Celina conversation with the address, not the average.

Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage representing buyers and sellers across Dallas, Los Angeles and Houston. With 22 years in the business, Paul works the full range of the market, from luxury homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow to estates in the Hollywood Hills and across the Westside. Connect with Paul and the Grey Square team at greysq.com. TX TREC #9011505 · CA DRE #01792671.