The History of Wylie, Texas
Wylie has had two names and one very persistent railroad man to thank for the one that stuck. It started as Nickelville, picked up and moved half a mile when the railroad came through, and renamed itself for a right-of-way agent who reportedly really wanted a town named after him. Then it spent decades as the self-proclaimed Onion Capital of the World before the suburbs found it.
Nickelville Moves to the Tracks (1850s–1887)
Pioneers began arriving in the early 1850s, drawn by the water, the rich Blackland Prairie soil, and the land grants offered through the Peters Colony. The community that formed in the early 1870s was first called Nickelville, reportedly after the name of the first store. Then the railroad rearranged everything. In 1886 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe laid track half a mile north of the original townsite, and within a year Nickelville's businesses simply picked up and relocated to the tracks. They named the new location Wylie, after Colonel W.D. Wylie, a railroad right-of-way agent from Paris, Texas — who, as the story goes, was eager to have a town bear his name. He bought 100 acres, laid out lots, and Wylie incorporated in November 1887.
The Onion Capital (1890s–1960s)
With two railroads and the fertile prairie around it, Wylie grew into a shipping and trade center for the surrounding farms. Its signature crop gave it a memorable, if grandiose, title: until the early 1960s, Wylie called itself the 'Onion Capital of the World,' moving the sweet onions grown in the black Collin County soil out by the railcar. It was a small, agricultural town, proud of its onions and its place on the rails.
Lake Country Suburb (1970s–Today)
Wylie's modern growth came as Collin County boomed and the town found itself in desirable lake country, sitting between Lavon Lake and Lake Ray Hubbard. Subdivisions filled in around the preserved brick-street downtown, and Wylie grew from a farm town into a suburb of 60,000-plus. The onions are gone as an industry, but the historic downtown that Nickelville's merchants built when they chased the railroad still marks the heart of town.
Timeline
1870s
The community of Nickelville organizes on the Blackland Prairie, named for its first store.
1886
The Santa Fe Railway lays track half a mile north; the town moves to it.
1887
The relocated town is named Wylie for railroad agent W.D. Wylie and incorporates.
1960s
Wylie ends its long run as the self-proclaimed 'Onion Capital of the World.'
Notable People
W.D. Wylie
Railroad right-of-way agent and engineer from Paris, Texas, who — reportedly eager for the honor — had the relocated town named after him, then bought land and laid out its lots.
FAQ: History of Wylie
When the town of Nickelville relocated to the new Santa Fe railroad line in 1886–87, it renamed itself Wylie for Colonel W.D. Wylie, a railroad right-of-way agent who reportedly was keen to have a town named after him and who bought land and laid out the new townsite.
Yes. Until the early 1960s, Wylie called itself the 'Onion Capital of the World,' shipping sweet onions grown in the rich Blackland Prairie soil out by rail.
The community was originally named Nickelville, reportedly after its first store, before moving to the railroad line and taking the name Wylie in 1886–87.
Pioneers arrived in the early 1850s, the town organized as Nickelville in the 1870s, and it incorporated as Wylie in November 1887 after relocating to the railroad.
Business Owner?
Want Your Business Featured in Wylie?
People are searching for businesses like yours in Wylie. Get listed in our city guide and local directory so they can find you.