Sugar Land, Texas
Encyclopedia
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state
of Texas
within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County
. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a 46.24% job growth. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the city's population was 79,943, with a median family income of $110,327 and a median home price of $272,151.
Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid-20th century and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County
. The city is the third-largest in population and second-largest in economic activities of the Houston
area.
Sugar Land is home to the headquarters
of Imperial Sugar
and the company's main sugar refinery
and distribution center was once located in this city. Recognizing this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo. The city also holds the headquarters for Western Airways and a major manufacturing facility for Nalco Chemical Company. In addition, Sugar Land has a large number of international energy
, software, engineering
, and product firms.
Sugar Land has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation—including First Colony, Sugar Creek, Riverstone
, New Territory, Telfair
, and many others.
As of 2007, Sugar Land held the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population 50,000–100,000 range, a title it has held for four consecutive years.
In 2006 CNN
/Money and Money
magazine ranked Sugar Land third on its list of the 100 Best Cities to Live in the United States.
In 2007, CQ Press has ranked Sugar Land fifth on its list of Safest Cities in the United States (14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan American"), and in 2010 it was ranked the twelfth Safest City in the United States, making it the safest city in Texas.
In 2008, Forbes
selected Sugar Land along with Bunker Hill Village and Hunters Creek Village as one of the three Houston-area "Top Suburbs To Live Well", noting its affluence despite its large population.
Sugar Land will soon be the home of a minor-league baseball team and a new stadium.
traces its roots back to the original Mexican land grant
to Stephen F. Austin
. One of the first settlers of the land, Samuel M. Williams, called this land "Oakland Plantation" because there were many different varieties of oak
s on the land, such as willow oak
, post oak
, water oak, southern red oak
, and live oak
. Williams' brother, Nathaniel, purchased the land in 1838. They operated the plantation
by growing cotton
, corn
, and sugarcane
. During these early years, the area that is now Sugar Land was the center of social life along the Brazos River
. In 1853, Benjamin Terry and William J. Kyle purchased the Oakland Plantation from the S. M. Williams family. Terry is known for organizing Terry's Texas Rangers
during the Civil War
and for naming the town
. Upon the deaths of Terry and Kyle, Colonel E. H. Cunningham bought the 12500 acres (50.6 km²) plantation soon after the Civil War, and developed the town around his sugar-refining plant around 1879.
, under the leadership of Isaac H. Kempner
, and in partnership
with William T. Eldridge, purchased the 5300 acres (21.4 km²) Ellis Plantation, one of the few plantations in Fort Bend County to survive the Civil War
. The Ellis Plantation had originally been part of the Jesse Cartwright league and in the years after the Civil War had been operated by a system of tenant farming under the management of Will Ellis. In 1908, the partnership
acquired the adjoining 12500 acres (50.6 km²) Cunningham Plantation, with its raw sugar mill and cane-sugar refinery. The partnership changed the name to Imperial Sugar Company
; Kempner associated the name Imperial, which was also the name of a small raw-sugar mill on the Ellis Plantation, with the Imperial Hotel in New York City
. Around the turn of the 20th century, most of the sugarcane
crops were destroyed by a harsh winter. As part of the Kempner-Eldridge agreement, Eldridge moved to the site to serve as general manager and build the company-owned town
of Sugar Land.
Train
s have always been the sound of Sugar Land. These rails are on the route of the oldest railroad in Texas
. It went right through the middle of town, by the sugar refinery, and west of town, through the heart of what used to be known as the Imperial State Prison Farm.
As a company town
from the 1910s until 1959, Sugar Land was virtually self-contained. Imperial Sugar Company provided housing
for the workers, encouraged construction of school
s, built a hospital
for the workers' well-being, and provided business
es to meet the workers' needs. Many of the original homes built by the Imperial Sugar Company remain today in The Hill area and Mayfield Park of Sugar Land, and have been passed down through generations of family members.
During the 1950s, Imperial Sugar wanted to expand the town by building more houses. This led to the creation of a new subdivision, Venetian Estates, which featured waterfront homesites on Oyster Creek and other man-made lake
s.
expanded, so did the interest of establishing a municipal government. It resulted in Sugar Land becoming a general law city in 1959 by voters. T. E. Harman became the first mayor
of Sugar Land.
In the early 1960s, a new subdivision
development called Covington Woods introduced contemporary, affordable housing in Sugar Land for the first time. Later that year, the Imperial Cattle Ranch sold about 1200 acres (4.9 km²) to a developer to create what became Sugar Creek in 1968. As a master-planned community, Sugar Creek introduced country club
living, with two golf course
s and country clubs, swimming pools, and security.
Encouraged by the success of Sugar Creek, First Colony, a new master-planned community encompassing 10000 acres (40.5 km²) set out to create a new standard in development in Sugar Land. Development began in 1977 by Sugarland Properties Inc., and would continue the next 30 years. The master-planned community offered homebuyers formal landscaping, neighborhoods segmented by price range, extensive green belt
s, a golf course
and country club
, lakes and boulevards, neighborhood amenities and shopping.
Around the same time as First Colony, another master-planned community development started in northern portion of Sugar Land, called Sugar Mill, which offered traditional, lakefront, and estate lots.
Sugar Land began attracting the attention of major corporation
s throughout the 1980s, and many chose to make the city their home. Fluor Daniel, Schlumberger, Unocal (Unocal, however never headquartered in Sugar Land), and others offered their employees the opportunity to work within minutes of their home. This resulted in a 40/60 ratio of residential to commercial
tax base within the city.
In 1981, a special city election was held for the purpose of establishing a home rule municipal government. Voters approved the adoption of a home rule charter. The type of municipal government provided by this charter
was known as "mayor-council government", and all powers of the city were invested in a council composed of a mayor
and five councilmen.
A special city election
was held Aug. 9, 1986, to submit the proposed changes to the electorate for consideration. By a majority of the voters, amendments to the Charter were approved which provided for a change in the city's form of government from that of "mayor-council" (strong mayor) to that of a "council-manager" form of government which provides that the city manager
be the chief administrative officer of the city. Approval of this amendment
provided for the mayor to become a voting member of council, in addition to performing duties as presiding officer of the council.
Sugar Land annexed the master-planned Sugar Creek community in 1986, with the community being almost built-out. That same year, the city organized the largest celebration in its history—the Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration, celebrating 150 years of Texan independence from Mexican rule.
to a mayor, four council members to be elected by single-member districts, and two council members by at-large position.
Throughout much of the 1990s, Sugar Land was considered one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation; The majority of Sugar Landers are white-collar
, and college-educated working in Houston's renowned energy industry. An abundance of commercial growth, with numerous low-rise office buildings, banks and high-class restaurants popping up, can be seen along both U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6.
Sugar Land tremendously increased its tax base with the opening of First Colony Mall
in 1996. The over one-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) mall
, the first in Fort Bend County, is located at the busiest intersection of the city: U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6. The mall was named after the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) master-planned community of First Colony.
On a late November night at 11:59 p.m. in 1997, Sugar Land annexed the remaining municipal utility districts (MUDs) of the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) First Colony master-planned community, bringing the city's population to almost 60,000. This was Sugar Land's largest annexation
to date.
as the second-most important city in the metropolitan area, after Houston
, as the title used to be Houston–Galveston–Brazoria.
The new millennium also saw the need of higher education
facility expansion located within the city. In 2002, the University of Houston System at Fort Bend moved to its new 250 acres (1 km²) campus located off the University Blvd and U.S. Highway 59 intersection. The city helped fund the Albert and Mamie George Building, and as a result, the multi-institution teaching center was renamed to the University of Houston System at Sugar Land
.
In 2003, the Imperial Sugar
Company refinery plant and distribution center was put out of operation, but its effect on the local economy was minimal, since Sugar Land today has much more of a reputation as an affluent Houston suburb than the blue-collar, agriculture
-dependent town it was a generation ago. However, the company maintains its headquarters in Sugar Land.
The Texas Department of Transportation sold 2018 acres (8.2 km²) of prison land in the western portion Sugar Land to Newland Communities, a developer, by bid in 2003. Thereafter, the developer announced to build a new master-planned community called Telfair
in this prime location. In July 2004, Sugar Land annexed all of this land into the city limits to control the quality of development, extending the city limits westward. This was unusual, since Sugar Land only annexed built-out areas in the past, not prior to development.
On December 1, 2005 at 12:01 a.m., Sugar Land annexed the recently built-out, master-planned community of Avalon and four sections of Brazos Landing subdivision into the city limits, adding approximately 3,200 residents. The city is currently negotiating with the communities of Greatwood
, New Territory
, and River Park, along with the subdivisions of Tara Colony and Tara Plantation, to annex in the near future. This annexation will be the largest, surpassing the annexation of First Colony in 1992 and 1997, which will bring the city proper's population to approximately 120,000
, 25 miles (40.2 km) southwest of Houston
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²), of which, 24.1 square miles (62.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (3.33%) is water.
The elevation of most of the city is between 70 and 90 feet (21 and 27 m). The elevation of Sugar Land Regional Airport is 82 feet (25 m).
Sugar Land is located at 29.599580°N 95.614089°W (29.599580, -95.614089).
Sugar Land has two major water ways running through the city. The Brazos River
runs through the southwestern and southern portion of the city and then into Brazoria County
. Oyster Creek runs from the northwest to the eastern portion of the city limits and into Missouri City
.
Sugar Land has many natural and man-made lake
s connecting to Oyster Creek and one connecting to the Brazos River. The remainder of the lakes in Sugar Land are man-made through the development of many master-planned communities.
s, clay shale
s, and poorly-cemented sand
s extending to depths of several miles. The region's geology
developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains
. These sediment
s consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, was transformed into oil
and natural gas
. Beneath these tiers is a water-deposited layer of halite
, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands.
The region is earthquake
-free. While the neighboring city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically active surface faults with an aggregate length of 149 miles (239.8 km), the clay below the surface precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults move only very gradually in what is termed "fault creep".
. The city is located in the gulf coastal plains biome
, and the vegetation is classified as a temperate grassland
. The average yearly precipitation is 48 inches. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico
.
In the summer time, daily high temperatures are in the 95°F (35°C) range throughout much of July and August. The air tends to feel still and the humidity (often 90 to 100 percent relative humidity
) makes the air feel hotter than it really is. Summer thunderstorm
s sometimes bring tornado
es to the area. Afternoon rains are not uncommon, and most days Houston meteorologists predict at least some chance of rain. The highest temperature recorded in the area was 109°F in September 2000.
Winters in the Houston area are cool and temperate. The average winter high/low is 62°F/45°F (16°C/7°C). The coldest period is usually in January, when north winds bring winter rains. Snow is almost unheard of, and typically does not accumulate when it is seen. A freak snowstorm hit Houston on Christmas Eve
2004. A few inches accumulated, but was all gone by the next afternoon.
Sugar Land hosts its economy
through diversification, corporate vitality, and quality of life and was ranked as one of the "Top Cities in Texas" for business relocation and expansion by both Outlook Magazine and Texas Business. Industries calling Sugar Land home are as diverse as its resident population.
Like the rest of the Greater Houston
area, there is a large energy
industry presence, specifically petroleum
exploration and refining. Sugar Land holds the headquarters to Western Airways and Nalco
's Energy Services division. Engineering firms and other related industries have managed to take the place as an economic engine.
Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of the Imperial Sugar
Company. It also served as the home of the company's main (and sole) refinery
and distribution center. The refinery and distribution center have been put out of operation since 2003.
Schlumberger
moved its Houston-area offices from 5000 Gulf Freeway
in Houston to a campus in Sugar Land in 1995. Minute Maid
opened its headquarters in Sugar Land Town Square
in First Colony on February 16, 2009; previously it was headquartered in 2000 St. James Place
in Houston.
In 1989 BMC Software
had plans to lease 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) in One Sugar Creek Place in Sugar Land.
In 1991 BMC leased leased about 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) at the Sugar Creek National Bank Building and about 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) in the Fluor Daniel Building, both in Sugar Land. BMC planned to vacate both Sugar Land facilities when its current headquarters, located in Westchase, opened; BMC's headquarters were scheduled to open in 1993.
, who acts as the chief executive officer of the government. The city manager carries out policy and administers city programs. All department heads, including the city attorney, police chief and fire chief, are ultimately responsible to the city manager. Sugar Land's composition of the City Council
consists of a Mayor
, four councilmembers to be elected by single-member districts and two councilmembers by at-large position. All city council positions are officially nonpartisan.
The current city hall is a part of the Sugar Land Town Square
development in First Colony. Prior to the opening of the current city hall, city hall was located at 10405 Corporate Drive, which currently houses the Sugar Land Fire Department offices.
s of Sugar Land:
. Sugar Land's city council is officially non-partisan; all of its current elected officeholders are endorsed Republicans
.
In the United States House of Representatives
, Sugar Land is located in District 22
which is currently represented by Republican Pete Olson
. The district is a notable one, as it was previously held by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
from 1985 until his 2006 resignation which eventually forced Republicans to run a write-in campaign, and by current congressman (in the adjacent 14th District
) and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul
in 1976 and from 1979 until 1985.
In the Texas Legislature
, most of Sugar Land is represented in District 17
of the Texas Senate
, which is represented by Republican Joan Huffman
. Some western segments of the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, including the master-planned communities of New Territory
, Greatwood
, River Park and Telfair
, are situated in District 18
, represented by Republican Glenn Hegar
. In the Texas House of Representatives
, Sugar Land is located in District 26 which is represented by Republican Charlie Howard
.
(TDCJ) operates the Jester State Prison Farm
complex (Jester I
, Vance
, Jester III
, and Jester IV
) in an unincorporated area
near Sugar Land.
The TDCJ operated the Central Unit
in Sugar Land. The Central Unit was the only state prison within the city limits of Sugar Land. The Sugar Land Distribution Center, a TDCJ men's correctional supply warehouse, was inside the Central Unit compound. In 2011 the TDCJ announced that the prison was closing and would be vacant by the end of August of that year. With the prison's closing, Sugar Land became the first Texas city to have its state prison close without a replacement facility.
operates the Sugar Land Post Office at 225 Matladge Way and the First Colony Post Office at 3130 Grants Lake Boulevard.
As of a census
estimate in 2006, there were 63,328 people, 20,515 households, and 17,519 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,629.1 people per square mile (1,015.0/km2). There were 21,090 housing units at an average density of 875.6 per square mile (338.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 56.00% White, 5.20% African American, 0.24% Native American, 33.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.32% from other races
, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.98% of the population.
There were 20,515 households out of which 51.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were married couples
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. Of the 20,525 households, 527 are unmarried partner households: 400 heterosexual, 71 same-sex male, and 56 same-sex female. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $107,187, and the median income for a family was $117,720. Males had a median income of $78,183 versus $47,209 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $41,316. About 3.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
, university-educated workforce employed in Houston's energy industry.
In 2004, the city was named one of the top 100 places to live according to HomeRoute, a national real estate
marketing company which identifies top American cities each year through its Relocate-America program. Cities are selected based on educational opportunities, crime rates, employment
and housing data. The magazine started with statistics on 271 U.S. cities provided by OnBoard LLC, a real estate information company. These cities had the highest median household incomes in the nation and above average population growth.
Sugar Land was awarded the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population range 50,000–100,000 in 2004, 2005 (in a tie with Round Rock
) and 2006. The "Fittest City in Texas" program is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.
Considering Sugar Land's connection to health and sports, local sports are hugely popular both at the recreational and competitive levels. Consider that Sugar Land had its first community swim team, the Sugar Land Sharks, formed in 1967 and is still competing today. Official links: www.sugarlandsharks.org & www.slsharksphotos.com
Sugar Land has the highest concentration of Asians in Texas. Altogether, 34% of the city's population is Asian; 10% is Asian Indian, 9% is Chinese, and 6% is Filipino.
Sugar Land Town Square
serves as the primary entertainment district in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County
. The district offers an array of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, shopping venues, a Marriott Hotel and conference center, mid-rise offices and homes, a public plaza, and Sugar Land City Hall. Festivals and important events take place in the plaza. The new city hall and public plaza, a cornerstone of Sugar Land Town Square, received the "Best Community Impact" award from the Houston Business Journal at the fifth annual Landmark Awards ceremony.
Next door to the district is First Colony Mall
, a major regional shopping mall that recently expanded from its original indoor design to include an outdoor lifestyle component, several parking garages, and new signage that blends in with the surrounding area. The mall is anchored by two Dillard's
stores, Macy's
, JCPenney, and Barnes & Noble
, along with over 130 stores.
Sugar Land also hosts the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), which serves as the practice facility for the Houston Aeros
, the American Hockey League
affiliate (and top farm team) of the NHL
's Minnesota Wild
. It is also open to the public as an ice skating facility.
Once a year a music festival called Teenstock is held, which showcases various bands from the area. It is sponsored by the First Colony Association.
s, country club
s, and lake
s. The city has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County
, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation. The first master-planned community to be developed in Sugar Land was Sugar Creek. There are now a total of thirteen master-planned communities located in Sugar Land's city limits
and its extraterritorial jurisdiction
combined.
The northern portion of Sugar Land, sometimes referred to by residents and government officials as "Old Sugar Land", is all the communities north of U.S. Highway 90A, but it also includes the subdivisions/areas of Venetian Estates, and Belknap/Brookside, which is just south of U.S. Highway 90A. Most of this area was the original city limits of Sugar Land when it was incorporated in 1959. Located in this side of town is the former Imperial Sugar
Company refinery and distribution center that was shut down in 2003, but the headquarters is still located within the city. To the east of northern Sugar Land is the Sugar Land Business Park. Many of the electronic and energy companies are located here. Sugar Land Business Park is the largest business and industrial area in the city.
The largest economic and entertainment
activities are in the areas of south and southeastern Sugar Land. Most of the population in the city limits are concentrated here. This area is all master-planned communities and it includes nearly all of First Colony, the largest in Sugar Land encompassing 10000 acres (40.5 km²). Other master-planned communities in this area are Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, Commonwealth, Avalon, and Riverstone
. This area is the location of First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Square, new Sugar Land City Hall, and other major commercial areas. This area boasts a wide range of recreational activities including three golf courses and country clubs. Another recreational facility in the area is the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), home of the practice facility for the Houston Aeros
.
Most of southwestern area of Sugar Land is actually in the extraterritorial jurisdiction
of the city. This area is sometimes referred to as the "other side of the river" because it is separated from the rest of Sugar Land's ETJ and the city itself by the Brazos River
. Its culture and activities are different from other parts of Sugar Land's ETJ and the city itself as well due to a separation by the Brazos River. All of this area is in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
. This area has two master-planned communities, Greatwood and River Park. Other communities in this area are Canyon Gate on the Brazos, still in development, and Tara Colony, an older large subdivision which has a Richmond address but is actually in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land and is up for future annexation.
The western portion of Sugar Land is partially in the city limits
and partially in the extraterritorial jurisdiction
. It is home to the 2200 acres (8.9 km²) master-planned community of New Territory and the upcoming 2018 acres (8.2 km²) development, Telfair. All of the land of what is now the upcoming Telfair community was a prison farm land owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. It was sold in 2003 and annexed to the city limits by Sugar Land in 2004. A new highway, State Highway 99, opened in 1994 is a major arterial in this area. North of this area, north of U.S. Highway 90A, is the Sugar Land Regional Airport
and the Texas Department of Correction, Central Unit.
, located on the campus
of Lakeview Elementary School, is the oldest public building
still standing in the area. Originally one of eleven buildings that composed the campus of the old Sugar Land Independent School District, the auditorium was a focal point for a vibrant and growing community. The stately auditorium still stands today and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, as of 2002.
In 1912, Imperial Sugar
Company built a small building at the corner of Wood Street and Lakeview Drive (then known as Third Street) to serve as a school
. The original campus consisted of 11 buildings arranged in a semicircle with the large, airy auditorium in the center. The buildings were connected by a covered walkway
supported by large, white columns. There was a circular driveway
for bus
es and automobile
s. All the buildings were finished in white stucco
on the outside and had large windows that allowed fresh air to circulate and cool the buildings. The auditorium was a hub of community activity.
. However, this could change as it has been a possible candidate for expansion of Houston's METRORail
system by means of a planned commuter rail
along U.S. Highway 90A. Since many of Sugar Land's residents work in Houston, thus creating routine rush hour traffic along two of the city's main thoroughfares, U.S. Highways 59 and 90A, there has been large support in the area for such a project. It should be noted, however, that the city is not a participant in the Houston area's METRO
transit authority; Sugar Land's merchants do not collect the one-cent sales tax that helps support that agency.
U.S. Highway 90A is a major highway running through Sugar Land from west to east and traverses through a historic area of the city, known as "Old Sugar Land". U.S. Highway 90A is currently widened to an eight-lane highway with a 30 feet (9.1 m) median between State Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 59.
State Highway 6 is a major highway running from north to southeast Sugar Land and traverses through the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) master-planned community of First Colony. There is a freeway section that just recently opened in 2008 from just west of Brooks Street/First Colony BLVD all the way to 3/4 miles north of U.S. Highway 90A.
State Highway 99 is a new highway opened in 1994. It currently traverses through the New Territory and River Park master-planned communities. Construction will soon to start south of the U.S. Highway 59 at its current terminus.
Texas F.M. 1876, widely known as Eldridge Road, is a north-south state highway in north Sugar Land. It traverses through many established areas and acts as the western border of the Sugar Land Business Park.
(formerly Hull Field; then, Sugar Land Municipal Airport) was purchased from a private interest in 1990 by the city of Sugar Land. Sugar Land Regional is the fourth largest airport
within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area
. The airport handles approximately 250 aircraft operations per day.
The airport today serves the area's general aviation
(GA) aircraft serving corporate, governmental, and private clientele. A new 20,000 square foot (1,900 m2) Terminal and a 60 acre (243,000 m2) GA complex opened in 2006. Sugar Land Regional briefly handled commercial passenger service during the mid-1990s via a now-defunct Texas carrier known as Conquest Airlines. For scheduled commercial service, Sugar Landers rely on Houston's two commercial airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
(IAH), 45 miles (72.4 km) northeast, and William P. Hobby Airport
(HOU), 30 miles (48.3 km) east.
The city of Houston
maintains a park
that occupies 750 acres (3 km²) of land directly north of the Sugar Land Regional Airport and developers have built master-planned communities (Telfair, and the future development of TX DOT Tract 3 immediately east of the airport) around the airport, both factors that block airport expansion.
China Airlines
operated private bus shuttle services from Wel-Farm Super Market/Metro Bank on State Highway 6 in Sugar Land to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to feed the flight from Bush Intercontinental to Taipei
, Taiwan
. The service ended when China Airlines pulled out of Houston on January 29, 2008.
The Wharton County Junior College
and the University of Houston System at Sugar Land
are both located in Sugar Land.
The University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL) is a multi-institution teaching center of the University of Houston System
. The courses and programs at UHSSL are offered by the University of Houston
(UH), the University of Houston–Clear Lake
(UHCL), and the University of Houston–Victoria
(UHV).
Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a comprehensive community college
offering a wide range of postsecondary educational programs and services including associate degrees, certificates, and continuing-education courses. The college prepares students interested in transferring to baccalaureate-granting institutions.
(TEA). The Fort Bend Independent School District
is the school district that serves almost all of the city of Sugar Land. The southwest portion of Sugar Land's extraterritorial jurisdiction
(ETJ) and some very small areas within the Sugar Land city limits are in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
. LCISD serves the master-planned communities of Greatwood and River Park. Other communities in the ETJ served by Lamar Consolidated include Canyon Gate at the Brazos and Tara Colony.
Clements High School, in Sugar Land and Austin High School
in unincorporated Fort Bend County (and serving Sugar Land), both of Fort Bend ISD, have been recognized by Texas Monthly
magazine in its list of the top 10 high schools in the state of Texas
. In addition, Clements and Austin high schools and ranked 353th and 845th, respectively, among the top 1000 schools in the United States by Newsweek
s 2009 report.
In 2007, Texas won national Mathcounts
championship. The Texas Mathcounts
team had two members from First Colony Middle School in Sugar Land, Kevin Chen (who also took the individual national championship) and Bobby Shen (ranked 13th, the highest scoring sixth grade
r). The coach, Jeffrey Boyd, was also from Sugar Land.
They repeated their victory in 2008, with Jeff Boyd as their coach again. Bobby Shen coming in 2nd at final Countdown, and won 1st in Written and Masters Rounds. In 2009, Bobby Shen came 3rd place in Written and won final Countdown and was crowned with 2009 MATHCOUNTS national champion, , and the Texas team with Lilly Shen and Coach Boyd, won for the third year in a row
.
s in Sugar Land and the surrounding area of all types: non-sectarian, Catholic, and Protestant. The Texas Education Agency
has no authority over private school operations; private schools may or may not be accredited, and achievement tests are not required for private school graduating seniors. Many private schools will obtain accreditation and perform achievement tests as a means of demonstrating that the school is genuinely interested in educational performance.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
operates the St. Laurence School, a K-8 private Catholic school, in Sugar Land. Pope John XXIII High School
in unincorporated Harris County
east of the neighboring suburb of Katy
. The Fort Bend Baptist Academy is also located in Sugar Land. The Darul Arqam Schools
Southwest Campus is located in Houston, near Sugar Land.
Residents of Sugar Land are served by the Fort Bend County Libraries
system, which has two libraries and seven branches. There are three branches within the city: Sugar Land Branch, First Colony Branch, and the Mamie George Branch. The main library is in Richmond
.
The Mamie George Branch Library opened in November 1974. The First Colony Library opened in June 1993. The Sugar Land Branch Library opened in August 1999.
, takes place in Sugar Land. Many of the movie's earliest scenes were filmed at the nearby Beauford H. Jester prison pre-release center
. Other parts of the set were filmed in and around Sugar Land. The movie's title spells the name of the city incorrectly, and it was among Steven Spielberg
's first films before he became famous. The film was the first theatrical feature film directed by Spielberg.
Powder (film)
was filmed in and around the Sugar Land area, including the old prison property that is now residential development.
In a television feature production, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron
(2003), Sugar Land was mentioned as an affluent area to buy a house as did the main female character (Courtney).
's song "Midnight Special
" discusses his arrest in Houston and his stay at the Sugar Land Prison (now the Beauford H. Jester pre-release Center) in 1925.
"If you're ever down in Houston,
Boy, you better walk right.
And you better not squabble.
And you better not fight.
Bason and Brock will arrest you.
Payton and Boone will take you down.
You can bet your bottom dollar,
That you're Sugar Land bound."
Country music band Sugarland gets its name from the city. They reference it in their song "Sugarland".
Since 1996 UpClose Magazine is a magazine about area businesses, community news, local heroes designed to give the reader an UpClose look at the people who run and operate local businesses, head up local community events & call Fort Bend home. We know that people prefer to do business with people, not businesses. With UpClose Magazine, the reader gets a chance to meet those people and learn more about them and their business, community involvement & events allowing them to make educated choices about where they purchase their goods and services, donate their time and have fun.
The primary newspaper serving Sugar Land residents is the Houston Chronicle
, which is the only major newspaper in the Greater Houston
region. On Thursdays, the Houston Chronicle offers a localized segment covering the Sugar Land area under its "Fort Bend" section. An alternative newspaper, the Houston Press
, is also offered in this area.
Additionally, Sugar Land residents receive local area news coverage via FortBendNow, which covers local news and political happenings in the Sugar Land area. Residents also are served by three free weekly newspapers, the Fort Bend Independent, the Fort Bend-Southwest Star, and the Sugar Land Sun. The Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster, a daily newspaper covering primarily the Richmond-Rosenberg area west of Sugar Land, also covers news stories in Sugar Land.
The city is also served by a citywide Public-access television
cable TV channel 16, which covers city council meetings, planning and zoning meetings, community events, FBISD
board meetings, and Fort Bend County
Commissioners' Court meetings.
The vast majority of cable subscribers in the Sugar Land area are served by Comcast
, which took over from Time Warner
. Other cable options include AT&T Home Entertainment, En-Touch Systems (which covers the River Park West and Telfair areas of the city), Phonoscope Cable, TVMAX, and Ygnition
(the latter two of which cover cable subscribers in multifamily housing developments).
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a 46.24% job growth. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the city's population was 79,943, with a median family income of $110,327 and a median home price of $272,151.
Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid-20th century and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. The city is the third-largest in population and second-largest in economic activities of the Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
area.
Sugar Land is home to the headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
and the company's main sugar refinery
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
and distribution center was once located in this city. Recognizing this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo. The city also holds the headquarters for Western Airways and a major manufacturing facility for Nalco Chemical Company. In addition, Sugar Land has a large number of international energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, software, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and product firms.
Sugar Land has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation—including First Colony, Sugar Creek, Riverstone
Riverstone (Sugar Land, Texas)
Riverstone is a master-planned residential community in Fort Bend County, Texas. About 18,000 residents ultimately will live in 6000 homes.The community is mostly located in unincorporated areas, primarily in the extraterritorial jurisdictions of the cities of Sugar Land and Missouri City. A...
, New Territory, Telfair
Telfair, Sugar Land
Telfair is a master planned community located in Sugar Land, Texas. It consists of former property of the Central Prison Unit.-History:In 2002 the State of Texas sold a parcel of land from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Central Prison Unit to Newland Communities, a developer from San...
, and many others.
As of 2007, Sugar Land held the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population 50,000–100,000 range, a title it has held for four consecutive years.
In 2006 CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
/Money and Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
magazine ranked Sugar Land third on its list of the 100 Best Cities to Live in the United States.
In 2007, CQ Press has ranked Sugar Land fifth on its list of Safest Cities in the United States (14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan American"), and in 2010 it was ranked the twelfth Safest City in the United States, making it the safest city in Texas.
In 2008, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
selected Sugar Land along with Bunker Hill Village and Hunters Creek Village as one of the three Houston-area "Top Suburbs To Live Well", noting its affluence despite its large population.
Sugar Land will soon be the home of a minor-league baseball team and a new stadium.
Sugar Land's founding
Sugar Land's heritageCultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
traces its roots back to the original Mexican land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
to Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. One of the first settlers of the land, Samuel M. Williams, called this land "Oakland Plantation" because there were many different varieties of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s on the land, such as willow oak
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos is a deciduous tree in the red oak group of oaks. It is native to eastern North America from southern New York south to northern Florida, and west to southernmost Illinois and eastern Texas...
, post oak
Post oak
Quercus stellata is an oak in the white oak group. It is a small tree, typically 10–15 m tall and 30–60 cm trunk diameter, though occasional specimens reach 30 m tall and 140 cm diameter. It is native to the eastern United States, from Connecticut in the northeast, west to southern Iowa, southwest...
, water oak, southern red oak
Southern Red Oak
Quercus falcata, commonly known as the Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak, is a tree in the red oak section of the genus Quercus native to the southeastern United States.-Range:...
, and live oak
Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana, also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South....
. Williams' brother, Nathaniel, purchased the land in 1838. They operated the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
by growing cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, and sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
. During these early years, the area that is now Sugar Land was the center of social life along the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. In 1853, Benjamin Terry and William J. Kyle purchased the Oakland Plantation from the S. M. Williams family. Terry is known for organizing Terry's Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and for naming the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
. Upon the deaths of Terry and Kyle, Colonel E. H. Cunningham bought the 12500 acres (50.6 km²) plantation soon after the Civil War, and developed the town around his sugar-refining plant around 1879.
Company town
In 1906, the Kempner family of GalvestonGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, under the leadership of Isaac H. Kempner
Isaac Herbert Kempner
Isaac H. Kempner, 1873 - August 1, 1967, was the founder of the Imperial Sugar Corporation and mayor of Galveston, Texas.-Early years:Kempner was born in 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was of the German Jewish Seinsheimer family from Cincinnati. ...
, and in partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
with William T. Eldridge, purchased the 5300 acres (21.4 km²) Ellis Plantation, one of the few plantations in Fort Bend County to survive the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Ellis Plantation had originally been part of the Jesse Cartwright league and in the years after the Civil War had been operated by a system of tenant farming under the management of Will Ellis. In 1908, the partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
acquired the adjoining 12500 acres (50.6 km²) Cunningham Plantation, with its raw sugar mill and cane-sugar refinery. The partnership changed the name to Imperial Sugar Company
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
; Kempner associated the name Imperial, which was also the name of a small raw-sugar mill on the Ellis Plantation, with the Imperial Hotel in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Around the turn of the 20th century, most of the sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
crops were destroyed by a harsh winter. As part of the Kempner-Eldridge agreement, Eldridge moved to the site to serve as general manager and build the company-owned town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
of Sugar Land.
Train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s have always been the sound of Sugar Land. These rails are on the route of the oldest railroad in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It went right through the middle of town, by the sugar refinery, and west of town, through the heart of what used to be known as the Imperial State Prison Farm.
As a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
from the 1910s until 1959, Sugar Land was virtually self-contained. Imperial Sugar Company provided housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
for the workers, encouraged construction of school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, built a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
for the workers' well-being, and provided business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es to meet the workers' needs. Many of the original homes built by the Imperial Sugar Company remain today in The Hill area and Mayfield Park of Sugar Land, and have been passed down through generations of family members.
During the 1950s, Imperial Sugar wanted to expand the town by building more houses. This led to the creation of a new subdivision, Venetian Estates, which featured waterfront homesites on Oyster Creek and other man-made lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s.
A city emerges
As the company townCompany town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
expanded, so did the interest of establishing a municipal government. It resulted in Sugar Land becoming a general law city in 1959 by voters. T. E. Harman became the first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Sugar Land.
In the early 1960s, a new subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
development called Covington Woods introduced contemporary, affordable housing in Sugar Land for the first time. Later that year, the Imperial Cattle Ranch sold about 1200 acres (4.9 km²) to a developer to create what became Sugar Creek in 1968. As a master-planned community, Sugar Creek introduced country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
living, with two golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s and country clubs, swimming pools, and security.
Encouraged by the success of Sugar Creek, First Colony, a new master-planned community encompassing 10000 acres (40.5 km²) set out to create a new standard in development in Sugar Land. Development began in 1977 by Sugarland Properties Inc., and would continue the next 30 years. The master-planned community offered homebuyers formal landscaping, neighborhoods segmented by price range, extensive green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
s, a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
, lakes and boulevards, neighborhood amenities and shopping.
Around the same time as First Colony, another master-planned community development started in northern portion of Sugar Land, called Sugar Mill, which offered traditional, lakefront, and estate lots.
Sugar Land began attracting the attention of major corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s throughout the 1980s, and many chose to make the city their home. Fluor Daniel, Schlumberger, Unocal (Unocal, however never headquartered in Sugar Land), and others offered their employees the opportunity to work within minutes of their home. This resulted in a 40/60 ratio of residential to commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
tax base within the city.
In 1981, a special city election was held for the purpose of establishing a home rule municipal government. Voters approved the adoption of a home rule charter. The type of municipal government provided by this charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
was known as "mayor-council government", and all powers of the city were invested in a council composed of a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and five councilmen.
A special city election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
was held Aug. 9, 1986, to submit the proposed changes to the electorate for consideration. By a majority of the voters, amendments to the Charter were approved which provided for a change in the city's form of government from that of "mayor-council" (strong mayor) to that of a "council-manager" form of government which provides that the city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
be the chief administrative officer of the city. Approval of this amendment
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
provided for the mayor to become a voting member of council, in addition to performing duties as presiding officer of the council.
Sugar Land annexed the master-planned Sugar Creek community in 1986, with the community being almost built-out. That same year, the city organized the largest celebration in its history—the Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration, celebrating 150 years of Texan independence from Mexican rule.
A decade of growth
An amendment on May 5, 1990, changed the composition of the city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
to a mayor, four council members to be elected by single-member districts, and two council members by at-large position.
Throughout much of the 1990s, Sugar Land was considered one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation; The majority of Sugar Landers are white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
, and college-educated working in Houston's renowned energy industry. An abundance of commercial growth, with numerous low-rise office buildings, banks and high-class restaurants popping up, can be seen along both U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6.
Sugar Land tremendously increased its tax base with the opening of First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall is a regional shopping mall in Sugar Land, Texas—about southwest of Houston. The mall—located west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6—opened on March 14, 1996 and was recently expanded in 2006...
in 1996. The over one-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
, the first in Fort Bend County, is located at the busiest intersection of the city: U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6. The mall was named after the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) master-planned community of First Colony.
On a late November night at 11:59 p.m. in 1997, Sugar Land annexed the remaining municipal utility districts (MUDs) of the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) First Colony master-planned community, bringing the city's population to almost 60,000. This was Sugar Land's largest annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
to date.
The new millennium
Sugar Land boasted the highest growth among Texas' largest cities per the U.S. Census 2000, with a population of 63,328. In 2003, Sugar Land became a "principal" city as the title changed to Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Sugar Land replaced GalvestonGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
as the second-most important city in the metropolitan area, after Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, as the title used to be Houston–Galveston–Brazoria.
The new millennium also saw the need of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
facility expansion located within the city. In 2002, the University of Houston System at Fort Bend moved to its new 250 acres (1 km²) campus located off the University Blvd and U.S. Highway 59 intersection. The city helped fund the Albert and Mamie George Building, and as a result, the multi-institution teaching center was renamed to the University of Houston System at Sugar Land
University of Houston System at Sugar Land
The University of Houston System at Sugar Land is a multi-institution teaching center of the University of Houston System located in Sugar Land, Texas...
.
In 2003, the Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
Company refinery plant and distribution center was put out of operation, but its effect on the local economy was minimal, since Sugar Land today has much more of a reputation as an affluent Houston suburb than the blue-collar, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
-dependent town it was a generation ago. However, the company maintains its headquarters in Sugar Land.
The Texas Department of Transportation sold 2018 acres (8.2 km²) of prison land in the western portion Sugar Land to Newland Communities, a developer, by bid in 2003. Thereafter, the developer announced to build a new master-planned community called Telfair
Telfair, Sugar Land
Telfair is a master planned community located in Sugar Land, Texas. It consists of former property of the Central Prison Unit.-History:In 2002 the State of Texas sold a parcel of land from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Central Prison Unit to Newland Communities, a developer from San...
in this prime location. In July 2004, Sugar Land annexed all of this land into the city limits to control the quality of development, extending the city limits westward. This was unusual, since Sugar Land only annexed built-out areas in the past, not prior to development.
On December 1, 2005 at 12:01 a.m., Sugar Land annexed the recently built-out, master-planned community of Avalon and four sections of Brazos Landing subdivision into the city limits, adding approximately 3,200 residents. The city is currently negotiating with the communities of Greatwood
Greatwood, Texas
Greatwood is a census-designated place and master-planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land within Fort Bend County, Texas...
, New Territory
New Territory, Texas
New Territory is a census-designated place and master-planned community within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,861 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and River Park, along with the subdivisions of Tara Colony and Tara Plantation, to annex in the near future. This annexation will be the largest, surpassing the annexation of First Colony in 1992 and 1997, which will bring the city proper's population to approximately 120,000
-
- See also: History of TexasHistory of TexasEuropean conquistadors first arrived in the region now known as Texas in 1519, finding the region populated by various Native American tribes...
- See also: History of Texas
Geography
Sugar Land is located in northeast Fort Bend CountyFort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
, 25 miles (40.2 km) southwest of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²), of which, 24.1 square miles (62.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (3.33%) is water.
The elevation of most of the city is between 70 and 90 feet (21 and 27 m). The elevation of Sugar Land Regional Airport is 82 feet (25 m).
Sugar Land is located at 29.599580°N 95.614089°W (29.599580, -95.614089).
Sugar Land has two major water ways running through the city. The Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
runs through the southwestern and southern portion of the city and then into Brazoria County
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
. Oyster Creek runs from the northwest to the eastern portion of the city limits and into Missouri City
Missouri City, Texas
Missouri City is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County with a small portion within Harris County. As of the 2000 U.S...
.
Sugar Land has many natural and man-made lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s connecting to Oyster Creek and one connecting to the Brazos River. The remainder of the lakes in Sugar Land are man-made through the development of many master-planned communities.
Geology
Underpinning the area's land surface are unconsolidated clayClay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
s, clay shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s, and poorly-cemented sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
s extending to depths of several miles. The region's geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. These sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, was transformed into oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Beneath these tiers is a water-deposited layer of halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands.
The region is earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
-free. While the neighboring city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically active surface faults with an aggregate length of 149 miles (239.8 km), the clay below the surface precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults move only very gradually in what is termed "fault creep".
Climate
Sugar Land's climate is classified as being humid subtropicalHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
. The city is located in the gulf coastal plains biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
, and the vegetation is classified as a temperate grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
. The average yearly precipitation is 48 inches. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
In the summer time, daily high temperatures are in the 95°F (35°C) range throughout much of July and August. The air tends to feel still and the humidity (often 90 to 100 percent relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
) makes the air feel hotter than it really is. Summer thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s sometimes bring tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es to the area. Afternoon rains are not uncommon, and most days Houston meteorologists predict at least some chance of rain. The highest temperature recorded in the area was 109°F in September 2000.
Winters in the Houston area are cool and temperate. The average winter high/low is 62°F/45°F (16°C/7°C). The coldest period is usually in January, when north winds bring winter rains. Snow is almost unheard of, and typically does not accumulate when it is seen. A freak snowstorm hit Houston on Christmas Eve
2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm
The 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm was a rare weather event that took place in Louisiana and Texas in the United States on December 24, 2004 before the storm moved northeast to affect the coastal sections of the Mid-Atlantic states and New England in the succeeding few days...
2004. A few inches accumulated, but was all gone by the next afternoon.
Economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
through diversification, corporate vitality, and quality of life and was ranked as one of the "Top Cities in Texas" for business relocation and expansion by both Outlook Magazine and Texas Business. Industries calling Sugar Land home are as diverse as its resident population.
Like the rest of the Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
area, there is a large energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
industry presence, specifically petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
exploration and refining. Sugar Land holds the headquarters to Western Airways and Nalco
NALCO
NALCO may refer to:* National Aluminium Company - India's Govt sector Aluminium manufacturer* Nalco Holding Company - formerly known as Nalco Chemical Company* Nalconagar, Angul - a town in Angul District, Orissa, India...
's Energy Services division. Engineering firms and other related industries have managed to take the place as an economic engine.
Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of the Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
Company. It also served as the home of the company's main (and sole) refinery
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
and distribution center. The refinery and distribution center have been put out of operation since 2003.
Schlumberger
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
moved its Houston-area offices from 5000 Gulf Freeway
Interstate 45
Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
in Houston to a campus in Sugar Land in 1995. Minute Maid
Minute Maid
Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but now extends to soft drinks of many kinds, including Hi-C...
opened its headquarters in Sugar Land Town Square
Sugar Land Town Square
Sugar Land Town Square is a , office and shopping complex in Sugar Land, Texas, United States. The complex, developed by Planned Community Developers Ltd. , owned by Sugarland Properties Inc., and located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Texas State Highway 6, includes the corporate...
in First Colony on February 16, 2009; previously it was headquartered in 2000 St. James Place
2000 St. James Place
2000 St. James Place is a 12 story, office building in Houston, Texas. It formerly housed the headquarters of Minute Maid. The building is located on a site. The building is in proximity to The Galleria.-History:...
in Houston.
In 1989 BMC Software
BMC Software
BMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...
had plans to lease 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) in One Sugar Creek Place in Sugar Land.
In 1991 BMC leased leased about 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) at the Sugar Creek National Bank Building and about 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) in the Fluor Daniel Building, both in Sugar Land. BMC planned to vacate both Sugar Land facilities when its current headquarters, located in Westchase, opened; BMC's headquarters were scheduled to open in 1993.
Largest employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fluor | 2,000 |
| 2 | Schlumberger Schlumberger Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries... |
2,000 |
| 3 | Methodist Sugar Land Hospital The Methodist Hospital The Methodist Hospital is a hospital located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Established in 1919 as an outreach ministry of The United Methodist Church, Methodist is one of the most comprehensive teaching hospitals in the United States, with leading specialists in every field of... |
1,000 |
| 4 | Nalco Nalco Holding Company Nalco Holding Company supplies water treatment and process improvement services, chemicals and equipment programs for industrial and institutional markets. These products and services are marketed in some cases to prevent corrosion, contamination and the buildup of harmful deposits... |
541 |
| 5 | St. Luke's Hospital St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital serves as the lead hospital for St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, and is based at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. St. Luke's Episcopal Health System also includes St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital, St. Luke's Sugar Land... |
532 |
| 6 | Memorial Hermann | 457 |
| 7 | Noble Noble Corporation Noble Corporation is the modern name of Noble Drilling Corporation, by which it was known through the 1990s. The company was part of the S&P 500 stock market index until 3/26/2009, when the headquarters were transferred to Switzerland. Noble Corporation is a major contract driller of oil and... |
407 |
| 8 | Camelot Desserts | 400 |
| 9 | Aetna Aetna Aetna, Inc. is an American health insurance company, providing a range of traditional and consumer directed health care insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans, and medical management... |
360 |
| 10 | Baker Petrolite | 350 |
Local government
Sugar Land operates under the Council-Manager form of government. Under this system, Council appoints the city managerCity manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
, who acts as the chief executive officer of the government. The city manager carries out policy and administers city programs. All department heads, including the city attorney, police chief and fire chief, are ultimately responsible to the city manager. Sugar Land's composition of the City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
consists of a Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, four councilmembers to be elected by single-member districts and two councilmembers by at-large position. All city council positions are officially nonpartisan.
The current city hall is a part of the Sugar Land Town Square
Sugar Land Town Square
Sugar Land Town Square is a , office and shopping complex in Sugar Land, Texas, United States. The complex, developed by Planned Community Developers Ltd. , owned by Sugarland Properties Inc., and located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Texas State Highway 6, includes the corporate...
development in First Colony. Prior to the opening of the current city hall, city hall was located at 10405 Corporate Drive, which currently houses the Sugar Land Fire Department offices.
Mayors
There have been nine mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
s of Sugar Land:
- T. E. Harman (1959–1961)
- Bill Little (1962–1967)
- C.E. McFadden (1968–1972)
- Roy Cordes, Sr. (1972–1981)
- Walter McMeans (1981–1986)
- Lee Duggan (1987–1996)
- Dean A. HrbacekDean A. HrbacekDean A. Hrbacek, CPA is an American attorney and Republican politician who served as the mayor of Sugar Land, Texas from 1996 to 2002. Before serving in that capacity, he served as a city council member...
(1996–2002) - David G. WallaceDavid G. WallaceDavid Gordon Wallace is an American businessman, politician, and author from the state of Texas.- Personal life :David Wallace attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, and later received a scholarship at the University of Reading in England for international studies in Real Estate, Finance...
(2002–2008) - James A. ThompsonJames A. ThompsonJames A. Thompson is an American politician from the state of Texas. He is currently the mayor of Sugar Land, Texas.- Personal life :James Thompson attended Bellaire High School in Houston. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He has served on the Board of...
(2008–present)
Politics
Politically, Sugar Land is widely seen as one of the most heavily Republican areas in Greater HoustonGreater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
. Sugar Land's city council is officially non-partisan; all of its current elected officeholders are endorsed Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
In the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Sugar Land is located in District 22
Texas's 22nd congressional district
Texas District 22 of the United States House of Representatives is the Congressional district that covers a south-central portion of the metropolitan area. It includes the cities of Rosenberg and La Marque as well as portions of Missouri City and Pearland, in Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, and...
which is currently represented by Republican Pete Olson
Pete Olson
Peter Graham "Pete" Olson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of southeastern Houston, as well as most of the city's southern suburbs such as Pearland, Sugar Land, and Pasadena.-Early life, education, and military...
. The district is a notable one, as it was previously held by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
from 1985 until his 2006 resignation which eventually forced Republicans to run a write-in campaign, and by current congressman (in the adjacent 14th District
Texas's 14th congressional district
Texas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
) and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
in 1976 and from 1979 until 1985.
In the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
, most of Sugar Land is represented in District 17
Texas Senate, District 17
District 17 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Senator Kyle Janek announced his resignation on May 29, 2008. Governor Rick Perry called for a special...
of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
, which is represented by Republican Joan Huffman
Joan Huffman
Joan J. Huffman is a former felony court judge in Houston, Texas, and an incoming Republican member of the 31-member Texas State Senate from District 17, which includes a portion of populous Harris County. Huffman will also be the sixth currently serving female member of the chamber...
. Some western segments of the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, including the master-planned communities of New Territory
New Territory, Texas
New Territory is a census-designated place and master-planned community within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,861 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Greatwood
Greatwood, Texas
Greatwood is a census-designated place and master-planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land within Fort Bend County, Texas...
, River Park and Telfair
Telfair, Sugar Land
Telfair is a master planned community located in Sugar Land, Texas. It consists of former property of the Central Prison Unit.-History:In 2002 the State of Texas sold a parcel of land from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Central Prison Unit to Newland Communities, a developer from San...
, are situated in District 18
Texas Senate, District 18
District 18 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington and Wharton counties and a western portion of Fort Bend...
, represented by Republican Glenn Hegar
Glenn Hegar
Glenn Allen Hegar, Jr. is a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 18th District. Hegar formerly represented the 28th District in the Texas House. Senator Hegar, the youngest member of the Texas Senate, is a sixth generation Texan who farms on land that has been in his family since...
. In the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
, Sugar Land is located in District 26 which is represented by Republican Charlie Howard
Charles F. Howard
Charles F. Howard, known more commonly as Charlie Howard, is an American politician and has been a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 1995...
.
State government
The Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) operates the Jester State Prison Farm
Jester State Prison Farm
The Jester State Prison Farm refers to a complex of Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons for men in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas...
complex (Jester I
Jester I Unit
The Beauford H. Jester I Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice substance abuse felony punishment facility located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The unit, with about of land, is co-located with Carol Vance Unit,...
, Vance
Carol Vance Unit
Carol S. Vance Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated central Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit, located in flatlands, is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The facility is in proximity to Sugar Land, and it is about southwest of Downtown...
, Jester III
Jester III Unit
The Beauford H. Jester III Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The unit is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond...
, and Jester IV
Jester IV Unit
The Beauford H. Jester IV Unit is a psychiatric facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, east of Richmond. It is a part of the Jester State Prison Farm property and it is located in U.S. Highway 90A.The unit was established in...
) in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
near Sugar Land.
The TDCJ operated the Central Unit
Central Unit
The Central Unit was a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison in Sugar Land, Texas. The approximately facility is from central Sugar Land on U.S. Highway 90A. The unit first opened in April 1909. The unit had 950 beds for men...
in Sugar Land. The Central Unit was the only state prison within the city limits of Sugar Land. The Sugar Land Distribution Center, a TDCJ men's correctional supply warehouse, was inside the Central Unit compound. In 2011 the TDCJ announced that the prison was closing and would be vacant by the end of August of that year. With the prison's closing, Sugar Land became the first Texas city to have its state prison close without a replacement facility.
Post offices
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Sugar Land Post Office at 225 Matladge Way and the First Colony Post Office at 3130 Grants Lake Boulevard.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census Sugar Land had a population of 78,817. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 44.4% non-Hispanic white, 7.3% non-Hispanic black, 0.2% non-Hispanic Native American, 35.1% non-Hispanic Asian, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 2.2% non-Hispanic from two or more races and 10.6% Hispanic or Latino.As of a census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
estimate in 2006, there were 63,328 people, 20,515 households, and 17,519 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,629.1 people per square mile (1,015.0/km2). There were 21,090 housing units at an average density of 875.6 per square mile (338.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 56.00% White, 5.20% African American, 0.24% Native American, 33.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.32% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.98% of the population.
There were 20,515 households out of which 51.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. Of the 20,525 households, 527 are unmarried partner households: 400 heterosexual, 71 same-sex male, and 56 same-sex female. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $107,187, and the median income for a family was $117,720. Males had a median income of $78,183 versus $47,209 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $41,316. About 3.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
People and culture
Sugar Land has a largely white-collarWhite-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
, university-educated workforce employed in Houston's energy industry.
In 2004, the city was named one of the top 100 places to live according to HomeRoute, a national real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
marketing company which identifies top American cities each year through its Relocate-America program. Cities are selected based on educational opportunities, crime rates, employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
and housing data. The magazine started with statistics on 271 U.S. cities provided by OnBoard LLC, a real estate information company. These cities had the highest median household incomes in the nation and above average population growth.
Sugar Land was awarded the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population range 50,000–100,000 in 2004, 2005 (in a tie with Round Rock
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
) and 2006. The "Fittest City in Texas" program is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.
Considering Sugar Land's connection to health and sports, local sports are hugely popular both at the recreational and competitive levels. Consider that Sugar Land had its first community swim team, the Sugar Land Sharks, formed in 1967 and is still competing today. Official links: www.sugarlandsharks.org & www.slsharksphotos.com
Sugar Land has the highest concentration of Asians in Texas. Altogether, 34% of the city's population is Asian; 10% is Asian Indian, 9% is Chinese, and 6% is Filipino.
Local attractions
Sugar Land Town Square
Sugar Land Town Square is a , office and shopping complex in Sugar Land, Texas, United States. The complex, developed by Planned Community Developers Ltd. , owned by Sugarland Properties Inc., and located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Texas State Highway 6, includes the corporate...
serves as the primary entertainment district in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. The district offers an array of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, shopping venues, a Marriott Hotel and conference center, mid-rise offices and homes, a public plaza, and Sugar Land City Hall. Festivals and important events take place in the plaza. The new city hall and public plaza, a cornerstone of Sugar Land Town Square, received the "Best Community Impact" award from the Houston Business Journal at the fifth annual Landmark Awards ceremony.
Next door to the district is First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall is a regional shopping mall in Sugar Land, Texas—about southwest of Houston. The mall—located west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6—opened on March 14, 1996 and was recently expanded in 2006...
, a major regional shopping mall that recently expanded from its original indoor design to include an outdoor lifestyle component, several parking garages, and new signage that blends in with the surrounding area. The mall is anchored by two Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
stores, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, JCPenney, and Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, along with over 130 stores.
Sugar Land also hosts the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), which serves as the practice facility for the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
, the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate (and top farm team) of the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. It is also open to the public as an ice skating facility.
Once a year a music festival called Teenstock is held, which showcases various bands from the area. It is sponsored by the First Colony Association.
Districts and communities
Sugar Land is home to many master-planned communities featuring golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
s, and lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s. The city has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation. The first master-planned community to be developed in Sugar Land was Sugar Creek. There are now a total of thirteen master-planned communities located in Sugar Land's city limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
and its extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
combined.
The northern portion of Sugar Land, sometimes referred to by residents and government officials as "Old Sugar Land", is all the communities north of U.S. Highway 90A, but it also includes the subdivisions/areas of Venetian Estates, and Belknap/Brookside, which is just south of U.S. Highway 90A. Most of this area was the original city limits of Sugar Land when it was incorporated in 1959. Located in this side of town is the former Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
Company refinery and distribution center that was shut down in 2003, but the headquarters is still located within the city. To the east of northern Sugar Land is the Sugar Land Business Park. Many of the electronic and energy companies are located here. Sugar Land Business Park is the largest business and industrial area in the city.
The largest economic and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
activities are in the areas of south and southeastern Sugar Land. Most of the population in the city limits are concentrated here. This area is all master-planned communities and it includes nearly all of First Colony, the largest in Sugar Land encompassing 10000 acres (40.5 km²). Other master-planned communities in this area are Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, Commonwealth, Avalon, and Riverstone
Riverstone (Sugar Land, Texas)
Riverstone is a master-planned residential community in Fort Bend County, Texas. About 18,000 residents ultimately will live in 6000 homes.The community is mostly located in unincorporated areas, primarily in the extraterritorial jurisdictions of the cities of Sugar Land and Missouri City. A...
. This area is the location of First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Square, new Sugar Land City Hall, and other major commercial areas. This area boasts a wide range of recreational activities including three golf courses and country clubs. Another recreational facility in the area is the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), home of the practice facility for the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
.
Most of southwestern area of Sugar Land is actually in the extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
of the city. This area is sometimes referred to as the "other side of the river" because it is separated from the rest of Sugar Land's ETJ and the city itself by the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. Its culture and activities are different from other parts of Sugar Land's ETJ and the city itself as well due to a separation by the Brazos River. All of this area is in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, also Lamar Consolidated ISD, Lamar CISD or LCISD, is a public school district in the U.S...
. This area has two master-planned communities, Greatwood and River Park. Other communities in this area are Canyon Gate on the Brazos, still in development, and Tara Colony, an older large subdivision which has a Richmond address but is actually in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land and is up for future annexation.
The western portion of Sugar Land is partially in the city limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
and partially in the extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
. It is home to the 2200 acres (8.9 km²) master-planned community of New Territory and the upcoming 2018 acres (8.2 km²) development, Telfair. All of the land of what is now the upcoming Telfair community was a prison farm land owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. It was sold in 2003 and annexed to the city limits by Sugar Land in 2004. A new highway, State Highway 99, opened in 1994 is a major arterial in this area. North of this area, north of U.S. Highway 90A, is the Sugar Land Regional Airport
Sugar Land Regional Airport
Sugar Land Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located in Sugar Land, Texas , southwest of the central business district of Houston....
and the Texas Department of Correction, Central Unit.
Architectural landmarks
Lakeview AuditoriumAuditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, located on the campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of Lakeview Elementary School, is the oldest public building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
still standing in the area. Originally one of eleven buildings that composed the campus of the old Sugar Land Independent School District, the auditorium was a focal point for a vibrant and growing community. The stately auditorium still stands today and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, as of 2002.
In 1912, Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
Company built a small building at the corner of Wood Street and Lakeview Drive (then known as Third Street) to serve as a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. The original campus consisted of 11 buildings arranged in a semicircle with the large, airy auditorium in the center. The buildings were connected by a covered walkway
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
supported by large, white columns. There was a circular driveway
Driveway
A driveway is a type of private road for local access to one or a small group of structures, and is owned and maintained by an individual or group....
for bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s. All the buildings were finished in white stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
on the outside and had large windows that allowed fresh air to circulate and cool the buildings. The auditorium was a hub of community activity.
Transportation
Sugar Land currently does not have a mass transit systemPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
. However, this could change as it has been a possible candidate for expansion of Houston's METRORail
METRORail
METRORail is the light rail line in Houston . It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. With an approximate daily ridership of 34,155, the METRORail ranks as the fourteenth most-traveled light rail system in the United States, with the...
system by means of a planned commuter rail
Regional rail
Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
along U.S. Highway 90A. Since many of Sugar Land's residents work in Houston, thus creating routine rush hour traffic along two of the city's main thoroughfares, U.S. Highways 59 and 90A, there has been large support in the area for such a project. It should be noted, however, that the city is not a participant in the Houston area's METRO
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...
transit authority; Sugar Land's merchants do not collect the one-cent sales tax that helps support that agency.
Major thoroughfares
U.S. Highway 59, the major freeway running diagonally through the city, has undergone a major widening project in recent years to accommodate Sugar Land's daily commuters. The finished portion of the freeway east of State Highway 6 currently has eight main lanes with two diamond lanes and six continuous frontage road lanes, while just west of University BLVD to State Highway 6 has eight main lanes. Currently, widening of U.S. Highway 59 is just west of University BLVD out to just west of State Highway 99. It's also is expected to become Interstate 69, sometime in the near future.U.S. Highway 90A is a major highway running through Sugar Land from west to east and traverses through a historic area of the city, known as "Old Sugar Land". U.S. Highway 90A is currently widened to an eight-lane highway with a 30 feet (9.1 m) median between State Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 59.
State Highway 6 is a major highway running from north to southeast Sugar Land and traverses through the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) master-planned community of First Colony. There is a freeway section that just recently opened in 2008 from just west of Brooks Street/First Colony BLVD all the way to 3/4 miles north of U.S. Highway 90A.
State Highway 99 is a new highway opened in 1994. It currently traverses through the New Territory and River Park master-planned communities. Construction will soon to start south of the U.S. Highway 59 at its current terminus.
Texas F.M. 1876, widely known as Eldridge Road, is a north-south state highway in north Sugar Land. It traverses through many established areas and acts as the western border of the Sugar Land Business Park.
Airport
Sugar Land Regional AirportSugar Land Regional Airport
Sugar Land Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located in Sugar Land, Texas , southwest of the central business district of Houston....
(formerly Hull Field; then, Sugar Land Municipal Airport) was purchased from a private interest in 1990 by the city of Sugar Land. Sugar Land Regional is the fourth largest airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
. The airport handles approximately 250 aircraft operations per day.
The airport today serves the area's general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
(GA) aircraft serving corporate, governmental, and private clientele. A new 20,000 square foot (1,900 m2) Terminal and a 60 acre (243,000 m2) GA complex opened in 2006. Sugar Land Regional briefly handled commercial passenger service during the mid-1990s via a now-defunct Texas carrier known as Conquest Airlines. For scheduled commercial service, Sugar Landers rely on Houston's two commercial airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59...
(IAH), 45 miles (72.4 km) northeast, and William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located from Downtown Houston. The airport covers and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969...
(HOU), 30 miles (48.3 km) east.
The city of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
maintains a park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
that occupies 750 acres (3 km²) of land directly north of the Sugar Land Regional Airport and developers have built master-planned communities (Telfair, and the future development of TX DOT Tract 3 immediately east of the airport) around the airport, both factors that block airport expansion.
China Airlines
China Airlines
China Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
operated private bus shuttle services from Wel-Farm Super Market/Metro Bank on State Highway 6 in Sugar Land to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to feed the flight from Bush Intercontinental to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The service ended when China Airlines pulled out of Houston on January 29, 2008.
Colleges and universities
Wharton County Junior College
Wharton County Junior College is a two-year college based in Wharton, Texas which is home to its main campus. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City...
and the University of Houston System at Sugar Land
University of Houston System at Sugar Land
The University of Houston System at Sugar Land is a multi-institution teaching center of the University of Houston System located in Sugar Land, Texas...
are both located in Sugar Land.
The University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL) is a multi-institution teaching center of the University of Houston System
University of Houston System
The University of Houston System is a state university system in Texas, encompassing four separate and distinct universities. It has two system centers, which operate as and distance learning course delivery sites for its universities...
. The courses and programs at UHSSL are offered by the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
(UH), the University of Houston–Clear Lake
University of Houston–Clear Lake
The University of Houston–Clear Lake is a state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 524-acre in Pasadena, with a satellite campus in Pearland. Founded in 1971, UHCL has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students...
(UHCL), and the University of Houston–Victoria
University of Houston–Victoria
The University of Houston–Victoria is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20-acre in Victoria, with satellite locations at UH System centers in Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch...
(UHV).
Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a comprehensive community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
offering a wide range of postsecondary educational programs and services including associate degrees, certificates, and continuing-education courses. The college prepares students interested in transferring to baccalaureate-granting institutions.
Public schools
All public school systems in Texas are administered by the Texas Education AgencyTexas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
(TEA). The Fort Bend Independent School District
Fort Bend Independent School District
The Fort Bend Independent School District, also known as Fort Bend ISD or FBISD, is a school district system in the U.S. state of Texas based in the city of Sugar Land....
is the school district that serves almost all of the city of Sugar Land. The southwest portion of Sugar Land's extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
(ETJ) and some very small areas within the Sugar Land city limits are in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, also Lamar Consolidated ISD, Lamar CISD or LCISD, is a public school district in the U.S...
. LCISD serves the master-planned communities of Greatwood and River Park. Other communities in the ETJ served by Lamar Consolidated include Canyon Gate at the Brazos and Tara Colony.
Clements High School, in Sugar Land and Austin High School
Austin High School (Sugar Land, Texas)
Stephen F. Austin High School is a secondary school located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas and is named after Stephen F. Austin, who helped lead the Anglo American colonization of Texas, and many regard as "The Father of Texas." The school happens to be only miles from Austin's original...
in unincorporated Fort Bend County (and serving Sugar Land), both of Fort Bend ISD, have been recognized by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
magazine in its list of the top 10 high schools in the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In addition, Clements and Austin high schools and ranked 353th and 845th, respectively, among the top 1000 schools in the United States by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
s 2009 report.
In 2007, Texas won national Mathcounts
MathCounts
Mathcounts is a middle school mathematics competition held in the United States. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth...
championship. The Texas Mathcounts
MathCounts
Mathcounts is a middle school mathematics competition held in the United States. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth...
team had two members from First Colony Middle School in Sugar Land, Kevin Chen (who also took the individual national championship) and Bobby Shen (ranked 13th, the highest scoring sixth grade
Sixth grade
Sixth grade is a year of education in the United States and some other nations. The sixth grade is the sixth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 11 – 12 years old...
r). The coach, Jeffrey Boyd, was also from Sugar Land.
They repeated their victory in 2008, with Jeff Boyd as their coach again. Bobby Shen coming in 2nd at final Countdown, and won 1st in Written and Masters Rounds. In 2009, Bobby Shen came 3rd place in Written and won final Countdown and was crowned with 2009 MATHCOUNTS national champion, , and the Texas team with Lilly Shen and Coach Boyd, won for the third year in a row
MathCounts historical results
This is a list of historical results in all areas of the National Mathcounts competition.-Countdown Champions:The champions of the Countdown Round are considered the individual national champions of Mathcounts.*1984: Michael Edwards, Texas...
.
Private schools
There are many private schoolPrivate school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
s in Sugar Land and the surrounding area of all types: non-sectarian, Catholic, and Protestant. The Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
has no authority over private school operations; private schools may or may not be accredited, and achievement tests are not required for private school graduating seniors. Many private schools will obtain accreditation and perform achievement tests as a means of demonstrating that the school is genuinely interested in educational performance.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
operates the St. Laurence School, a K-8 private Catholic school, in Sugar Land. Pope John XXIII High School
Pope John XXIII High School (Harris County, Texas)
Pope John XXIII High School is a Catholic school in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States.Pope John XXIII serves the west side of the Houston area in the Greater Katy Area. The school has a Katy address. The current principal is Tim Petersen....
in unincorporated Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
east of the neighboring suburb of Katy
Katy, Texas
Katy is a city located in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area...
. The Fort Bend Baptist Academy is also located in Sugar Land. The Darul Arqam Schools
Darul Arqam Schools
Darul Arqam Schools is a network of Islamic schools in Greater Houston, Texas, United States.The Darul Arqam School system is headquartered in unincorporated northern Harris County....
Southwest Campus is located in Houston, near Sugar Land.
Public libraries
Fort Bend County Libraries
Fort Bend County Libraries is a public library system in Fort Bend County, Texas .The library system, headquartered in the George Memorial Library in Richmond, operates two libraries and nine branches throughout Fort Bend County.-Libraries:...
system, which has two libraries and seven branches. There are three branches within the city: Sugar Land Branch, First Colony Branch, and the Mamie George Branch. The main library is in Richmond
Richmond, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,413 households, and 2,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,975.4 people per square mile . There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 965.3 per square mile...
.
The Mamie George Branch Library opened in November 1974. The First Colony Library opened in June 1993. The Sugar Land Branch Library opened in August 1999.
Movie references
A portion of the 1974 movie, The Sugarland ExpressThe Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American drama film starring Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, and Michael Sacks. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, his first film to be intended as a theatrical release .It is about a husband and wife trying to outrun the law and was based on a...
, takes place in Sugar Land. Many of the movie's earliest scenes were filmed at the nearby Beauford H. Jester prison pre-release center
Jester State Prison Farm
The Jester State Prison Farm refers to a complex of Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons for men in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas...
. Other parts of the set were filmed in and around Sugar Land. The movie's title spells the name of the city incorrectly, and it was among Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's first films before he became famous. The film was the first theatrical feature film directed by Spielberg.
Powder (film)
Powder (film)
Powder is a 1995 film directed by Victor Salva, about a boy, nicknamed "Powder", with incredible intellect, telepathy, and paranormal powers. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery in the title role, with Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Bradford Tatum, Lance Henriksen, and Brandon Smith in supporting roles...
was filmed in and around the Sugar Land area, including the old prison property that is now residential development.
In a television feature production, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron
The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron
The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron is a television movie aired by CBS in January 2003, which was based on the book Anatomy of Greed by Brian Cruver...
(2003), Sugar Land was mentioned as an affluent area to buy a house as did the main female character (Courtney).
Music references
Folk musician LeadbellyLeadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
's song "Midnight Special
Midnight Special (song)
"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....
" discusses his arrest in Houston and his stay at the Sugar Land Prison (now the Beauford H. Jester pre-release Center) in 1925.
"If you're ever down in Houston,
Boy, you better walk right.
And you better not squabble.
And you better not fight.
Bason and Brock will arrest you.
Payton and Boone will take you down.
You can bet your bottom dollar,
That you're Sugar Land bound."
Country music band Sugarland gets its name from the city. They reference it in their song "Sugarland".
Newspapers and magazines
For over 21 years Fort Bend Lifestyles & Homes magazine has been mailing to the homes in Sugar land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg and Stafford. The magazine features local human interest stories, home improvement, events, health and fitness, kids, school news and more.Since 1996 UpClose Magazine is a magazine about area businesses, community news, local heroes designed to give the reader an UpClose look at the people who run and operate local businesses, head up local community events & call Fort Bend home. We know that people prefer to do business with people, not businesses. With UpClose Magazine, the reader gets a chance to meet those people and learn more about them and their business, community involvement & events allowing them to make educated choices about where they purchase their goods and services, donate their time and have fun.
The primary newspaper serving Sugar Land residents is the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, which is the only major newspaper in the Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
region. On Thursdays, the Houston Chronicle offers a localized segment covering the Sugar Land area under its "Fort Bend" section. An alternative newspaper, the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
, is also offered in this area.
Additionally, Sugar Land residents receive local area news coverage via FortBendNow, which covers local news and political happenings in the Sugar Land area. Residents also are served by three free weekly newspapers, the Fort Bend Independent, the Fort Bend-Southwest Star, and the Sugar Land Sun. The Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster, a daily newspaper covering primarily the Richmond-Rosenberg area west of Sugar Land, also covers news stories in Sugar Land.
Television
Over-the-air television in Sugar Land is broadcast in the Houston television market, which is the tenth-largest market in the United States according to Nielsen Media Research.The city is also served by a citywide Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channel 16, which covers city council meetings, planning and zoning meetings, community events, FBISD
Fort Bend Independent School District
The Fort Bend Independent School District, also known as Fort Bend ISD or FBISD, is a school district system in the U.S. state of Texas based in the city of Sugar Land....
board meetings, and Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
Commissioners' Court meetings.
The vast majority of cable subscribers in the Sugar Land area are served by Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, which took over from Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. Other cable options include AT&T Home Entertainment, En-Touch Systems (which covers the River Park West and Telfair areas of the city), Phonoscope Cable, TVMAX, and Ygnition
Ygnition
Ygnition is an American private cable operator and broadband Internet services company headquartered in Seattle, Washington focused on the MDU market. It is a privately held company with backers including ComVentures, a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, Advanced Equities and...
(the latter two of which cover cable subscribers in multifamily housing developments).
Notable residents
- KevJumba- YouTube celebrity/comedian.Reality Star as a contestant of The Amazing Race.