Why Choose The Mike Leonard Agency in Allen,TX?

Why Choose The Mike Leonard Agency in Allen,TX? We are an Independent insurance agency which differs greatly from that of a captive agent such as Allstate, State Farm, Farmers, etc. A captive agent has only the rates of that one individual company to offer his customers as opposed to an Independent which can offer the rate of many different companies. This is important because all insurance companies go through times when they sustain losses and have to dramatically increase rates. When this happens The Mike Leonard Insurance Agency searches the marketplace for a new company with lower rates here in Allen. The captive agent can't help you with a new company because they are contractually obligated to write and renew every customer with that company.

Protecting Your Allen Home from Common Household Dangers

Natural disasters in Allen are hard to prepare for and even harder to protect your home and family from, but it’s much easier to protect your home from damage caused by faulty electrical wiring, plumbing or household accidents. When it comes to these potential dangers, a few home safety steps can all but erase the possibility of a disaster inside the home. This includes the simple and routine inspection of water pipes, appliance hoses and other features of your home that can fail and cause major damage. Read more about Protecting Your Allen Home

Did You Know

Prior to the arrival of the European and American immigrants into the Allen area, Caddo and Comanche Indian tribes inhabited the region. The Indian tribes migrated westward as the early settlers entered the area and were eventually removed to the Indian Territory to the north of the Red River. One of the last known conflicts between the early settlers and the Indians took place in 1844 along Rowlett Creek near the existing railroad. An historic marker along SH 5 near Rowlett Creek commemorates the event.

Immigrants of European descent began arriving into the Allen area in the early 1840s in search of free land, traveling the Texas Road and the Central National Road, constructed by the Republic of Texas. A stage line ran from Bonham through McKinney to Allen and Plano, crossing Rowlett Creek where SH 5 now crosses. Allen was part of the Peter’s Colony Land Grant from the Republic of Texas to the Texas Emigration & Land Company.

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC), constructed through Allen in 1872, laid out the original township of Allen. The H&TC was acquired by J.P. Morgan & Company in 1877 and by the Southern Pacific in 1883. In 1918, the H&TC erected a combination freight/passenger depot in the Allen Central Business District.

The first train robbery in Texas took place in Allen on February 22, 1878, when Sam Bass and his associates pillaged the train. Allen was a short ride from their hideouts in the Elm Trinity brush lands.

In 1907, the Texas Traction Company (Interurban) purchased right-of-way on the west side of the H&TC main line track and constructed the Interurban line through Allen as a stop on its route from Denison to Dallas in 1908. In 1915 a devastating fire destroyed most of the business district between the Interurban tracts and the railroad.

The Interurban closed in 1948 and the population of Allen declined to 400 in 1950. The town was officially incorporated in 1953 and Home Rule Status was adopted in 1979, with a Council/Manager form of government. The construction of highway US 75 in 1960 had a similar impact on Allen’s future as the railroad almost a century before. In the 1980’s, Developmental Learning Materials and InteCom, Inc. relocated to Allen, leading the way for further corporate startups and relocations.

Allen's first recorded tornado occurred on April 10, 2008, when, in the range of 3:50AM to 4:30AM CST, a severe storm hit Collin County, ripping shingles off of houses, knocking over fences, and spreading debris of all kind ranging from plastic shopping bags to garden hose reels. More severe damage was inflicted on a subdivision being built, causing several framed houses and thousands of feet of stone and wood fences to collapse. The winds were strong enough to cause dozens of signs and flagpoles to bend over. The report of the tornado, made by many residents, was officially confirmed, by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, as ranking EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

From Wikipedia