According to the United States Census Bureau, McLean has a total area of 1.2 sq mi (3.0 km2), all land.

[4] In 1901, Alfred Rowe, an English rancher who later perished in the sinking of the Titanic, donated land near a railroad cattle-loading stop for the establishment of a town site.

[5] The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad Company constructed a water well and a switch and section house there.

[8] In 1927, the Mother Road, U.S. Route 66, was built through the town, and it became a stop for tourists and a center for oil, livestock, and agriculture processing and shipping.

As the prominence of other Texas Panhandle cities, especially Amarillo and Pampa, surpassed McLean, the town began to decrease slowly in size.

In 1984, the town was bypassed as part of the final phase of construction of Interstate 40, which replaced the old U.S. Route 66 through that area.

Mrs. Lady Bryant was hired to open the library from 12:00 noon until 5:00 pm daily (closed on Sundays).

The current location of 302 N. Main Street in McLean now houses five public-access computers, Wi-Fi access, fax, copying, printing, movies, audio books, and a selection of large-print, fiction, mystery, Western and nonfiction titles.

[12] The McLean Commercial District, consisting of most of the downtown area, was listed in the historical register on December 20, 2006.