Why is Wylie nicknamed ‘Wide-Awake Wylie?’ Curious Texas investigates

Wylie is counted among several North Texas cities that have experienced robust growth within the last few decades.

The formerly small community has grown by about 40,000 residents since 1990, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas State Historical Association. And Collin County — where most of Wylie sits — adds about 75 people every day.

To address its expanding population, Wylie has built new shopping centers and industrial parks. After city leaders worked to persuade Collin College officials for more than a decade, Wylie also got its own Collin College campus built on land donated by the city. The new campus opened in fall 2020 and serves 7,500 students.

But aside from being recognized for its fast-paced growth, Wylie previously held the title of “Onion Capital of the World” in the mid-20th century. Former Wylie Mayor Eric Hogue said the city was known for its onion farming at the time, and there are still areas in the city that have a hint of onion smell.

Many residents also know it for its “Wide-Awake Wylie” nickname.

But how did Wylie get that nickname?

Lynn Fagerstorm wanted to know the origin story, so she asked Curious Texas: How did Wylie get the name “Wide-Awake Wylie?”

This question is part of Curious Texas, an ongoing project from The Dallas Morning News, which invites you to join our reporting process. The idea is simple: You have questions, and our journalists are trained to track answers.

Wylie’s history begins with the construction of a railroad. Several south central Collin County communities hoped the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad would come their way in the late 1880s, but Col. W.D. Wylie, who was responsible for securing property rights for the railroad, routed the tracks to land farther north of them.

Wylie purchased 100 acres near the railroad tracks in 1886 and began creating city lots. A year later, 42 citizens voted to incorporate Wylie, which eventually absorbed the neighboring town of Nickelville and other communities.

The town welcomed its first train that year with a brass band, several speeches and a free drinks. The Santa Fe depot was located near the present-day crossroads of State Highway 78 and Ballard Avenue.

Wylie’s second railroad rolled in two years later with the construction of the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad, which also had a depot.

The railway brought many visitors into Wylie. Shop owners closed their businesses at dark except on Saturday nights, when outsiders would come into town and shop or go to a “picture show.”

Stores and barbershops stayed open until midnight, and many locals have claimed that this is how the city got its nickname, but Hogue said this is incorrect.

The nickname originated from the saying “living the life of Riley,” that many World War I soldiers used to describe the carefree life they hoped to have once they returned home.

The saying inspired a popular 1940s radio show named Life of Riley. The show motivated the Wylie Lions Club, a social club in town, to create a sign on the side of a road that read: “Live the life of Riley in Wide-Awake Wiley.”

“It was pretty catchy and it stuck,” Hogue said. “Everybody forgot who Riley was, but the Wide-Awake Wylie stuck.”

The nickname is so well-known that the City Council voted to make it the city’s official slogan in 2017, he said.

“When people see me they say, ‘Oh, it’s the mayor of ‘Wide-Awake Wylie,’” Hogue said. “You want something you can hang your hat on when people see you, so they remember your town.”