Prosper grew from two early settlements, Rock Hill and Richland. When the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railroad bypassed the two communities, the new town of Prosper, founded in 1902, became the center of commercial activity. The town grew steadily in its early years, primarily as a shipping center for surrounding farms. Tied to cotton and grain economies, the town ebbed and flowed with prices. In recent years, Prosper has experienced growth due to its proximity to the Dallas Metroplex, but it retains much of its historic fabric, from homes and commercial structures to three church congregations that moved to the town at its founding.