Sugar Land, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Sugar Land | |
| Nickname: The Land of Sugar | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States of America |
| State | Texas |
| County | Fort Bend |
| Area | |
| - Total | 24.9 sq mi (64.5 km²) |
| - Land | 24.1 sq mi (62.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 79,943 |
| - Density | 2,629.1/sq mi (1,015.1/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 77478-79, 77487, and 77496 |
| Area code(s) | Mostly 281 also 713 and 832 |
| FIPS code | 48-70808[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1348034[2] |
Sugar Land is a city located in Fort Bend County along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade.[3] In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the city's population was 79,943.
Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid 1800s 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 refinery and distribution center was once located in this city. As a nod to 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 New Territory, Telfair, Greatwood, Chelsea Harbour, Riverstone and many others. As of 2006 Fort Bend County is the wealthiest county in Texas with a median household income of $75,202(In 2006 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars), having surpassed Collin and Rockwall counties(Dallas suburbs) since the 2000 census.[4]
Sugar Land holds 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. [5]
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"). [6]
In 2008, Forbes.com 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.[7]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Native Population
The Karankawa and the Atakapa tribes settled in what is now today Sugar Land.
[edit] Sugar Land's founding
Sugar Land has a heritage tracing 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 oaks 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 12,500 acre (51 km²) plantation soon after the Civil War and developed the town around his sugar refining plant around 1879.
[edit] Company town
In 1906, the Kempner family of Galveston, under the leadership of Isaac H. Kempner and in partnership with William T. Eldridge, purchased the 5,300 acre (21 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 12,500 acre (51 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 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.
Trains 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 schools, built a hospital for the workers well-being, and provided businesses 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 lead to the creation of a new subdivision of Venetian Estates. The subdivision featured water front homesites fronting Oyster Creek and other man-made lakes.
[edit] A city emerges
As the company town 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 introduced contemporary affordable housing in Sugar Land for the first time called Covington Woods. Later on that year, the Imperial Cattle Ranch sold about 1,200 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 courses and country clubs, swimming pools, and security.
Encouraged by the success of Sugar Creek, First Colony, a new master-planned community encompassing 10,000 acres (40 km²) set out to create a new standard in development in Sugar Land. Development began in 1977 by Sugarland Properties Inc. and would follow the next 30 years. The master-planned community offered homebuyers formal landscaping, neighborhoods segmented by price range, extensive greenbelts, a golf course and country club, lakes and boulevards, neighborhood amenities and shopping.
Around the same time of First Colony, another master-planned community development started in northern portion of Sugar Land called Sugar Mill. Sugar Mill offered traditional, lakefront, and estate lots.
Sugar Land began attracting the attention of major corporations 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.
[edit] A decade of growth
An Amendment on May 5, 1990, changed the composition of the City Council to a Mayor, four councilmembers to be elected by single-member districts and two councilmembers by at-large position.
Throughout much of the 1990s, Sugar Land was considered one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation and 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 was the first in Fort Bend County and located at the busiest intersection of the city: U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6. The mall was named after the 10,000 acre (40 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 10,000 acre (40 km²) First Colony master-planned community, bringing the city's population to almost 60,000. This was Sugar Land's largest annexation to date.
[edit] 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 Galveston 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 acre (1 km²) campus located off of 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 once was a generation ago. However, the company maintains its headquarters in Sugar Land.
The Texas Department of Transportation sold 2,018 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 back in 1992 and 1997, which will bring the city proper's population to approximately 120,000
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- See also: History of Texas
[edit] Geography and climate
[edit] Geography
Sugar Land is located in northeast Fort Bend County, 25 miles (40 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, -95.614089)[8].
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 lakes 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.
[edit] Geology
Underpinning the area's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands extending to depths of several miles. The region's geology developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. These sediments 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, 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."
[edit] Climate
Sugar Land's climate is classified as being humid subtropical. 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 thunderstorms sometimes bring tornadoes 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 of 2001.
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.
[edit] Economy
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. Ranging from semiconductors to seismic-data equipment, Sugar Land industry has grown dramatically over the past 10 years. The city has attracted numerous high-profile regional and international corporate relocations in a variety of industries including engineering, construction, technical services, energy exploration and production, technology and research, electronics and communications.
Even though still commonly known as a "new money" residential suburb of Houston, Sugar Land does have a significant corporate presence. Like the rest of the Greater Houston area, much of the larger corporations are engaged in the energy industry, specifically oil/gas exploration and refining. The city has a large number of international energy, software and product firms. Sugar Land holds the Nalco/Exxon and Western Airways headquarters. Engineering firms and other related industries have managed to take the place as an economic engine. As further testaments to its economic growth in recent years, Sugar Land has seen the arrival of its own mall, Mercedes-Benz dealership, and a Marriott Hotel, all of which are located close to one of Fort Bend County's premier central business district, known as Sugar Land Town Square.
Sugar Land Town Square is a pedestrian-oriented, main-street city center and a central business district that is within walking distance of stores, services, mid-rise office buildings, mostly chain restaurants, sidewalk cafes, entertainment and a Marriott Hotel and conference center.
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, two of the six main traffic arterials within the city. In an attempt to manage future growth, the city has already placed restrictions on how many levels a building can have, with condominiums only able to reach 10 floors and office buildings having a maximum of 15 floors.
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 since been put out of operation since 2003, but its effect on the local economy was minimal, if at all, since Sugar Land today has much more of a reputation as an affluent Houston suburb than the blue-collar, agriculture-dependent town it once was a generation ago.
- Further information: List of companies in Sugar Land
[edit] Law and government
Sugar Land operates under the Council-Manager form of government. Under this system, Council appoints the city manager, 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.
[edit] Mayors
There have been eight mayors in Sugar Land:[9]
- T. E. Harman (1959-1961)
- Bill Little (1962-1967)
- C.E. McFadden (1968-1972)
- Roy Cordes, Sr. (1973-1981)
- Walter McMeans (1981-1986)
- Lee Duggan (1987-1996)
- Dean A. Hrbacek (1996-2002)
- David G. Wallace (2002 to present)
[edit] Politics
Sugar Land is widely seen as one of the most predominantly Republican areas in the nation,[10] and is also seen as a large Republican stronghold in both local and federal politics. For example, the presidential vote in Sugar Land has consistently gone to the Republican candidate in recent election cycles, and while Sugar Land's city council is officially non-partisan, all of its current elected officeholders are endorsed Republicans.
[edit] State representation
Sugar Land is represented in the Texas Legislature by State Representative Charlie Howard and State Senator Kyle Janek, both Republicans. Howard, who resides in Sugar Land and represents the Sugar Land-dominated 26th District of the Texas House of Representatives, defeated his Democratic challenger with nearly 70% of the vote in 2000 and has not faced a Democratic challenger since. When the office was won by Tom DeLay. Janek, whose district not only includes Sugar Land but also other prominent Greater Houston Republican strongholds such as Katy and some affluent areas of Houston including Janek's hometown of West University Place, was re-elected in 2006 without a Democratic opponent.
[edit] Federal representation
Sugar Land is located in Texas District 22 of the United States House of Representatives, which is a heavily Republican district as a result of the redistricting led by the Republican controlled state legislature. Before June 9, 2006, it had been represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who moved from Sugar Land to his Alexandria, Virginia home after he resigned his House position.
The current representative is Nick Lampson, a moderate Democrat who won the seat after Republican officials in four Houston-area counties, including Fort Bend, were prevented from selecting the new Republican nominee (DeLay previously had just won his primary with over 60% of the vote before he stepped down and received 55% of the vote in Fort Bend County in 2004) and thus resorted to a write-in campaign for Houston councilwoman and dermatologist Shelley Sekula-Gibbs; only Lampson and Bob Smither, a Libertarian candidate, were on the ballot. Although Sekula-Gibbs pushed an aggressive campaign (even winning the special election to finish DeLay's unexpired term for 7 weeks) that included branding Lampson as a "liberal" and welcomed a surprise visit by President George W. Bush at the Sugar Land Regional Airport, Lampson (who was also aided by the strong anti-GOP climate of 2006) managed to win the election, carrying more than 50% of the votes -- even in Fort Bend County (where Sugar Land is situated), which gave Lampson his smallest winning margin among the four counties. Lampson is the first Democrat to represent Sugar Land in any capacity since 1999, when Republicans swept all statewide offices in Texas, including the open seat of Democratic Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, though Democrats have represented some parts of the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction since then. Democratic State Representative Dora Olivo, for example, represents the Greatwood and River Park communities located in the western portion of the city's ETJ. These areas, along with the New Territory development, were also represented by Democratic State Senator Ken Armbrister before he retired in 2006. Armbrister's district is now held by Republican Glenn Hegar.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 2,285 |
|
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| 1960 | 2,802 | 22.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,318 | 18.4% | |
| 1980 | 8,826 | 166.0% | |
| 1990 | 33,712 | 282.0% | |
| 2000 | 63,328 | 87.9% | |
| Est. 2006 | 79,943 | 26.2% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, 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/sq mi (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.
The median income for a household in the city was $95,330, and the median income for a family was $103,841.[11] Males had a median income of $63,834 versus $47,498 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,506. 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.
[edit] People and culture
Sugar Land has a largely white-collar, university-educated workforce employed in Houston's energy industry.[12] Sugar Land is also notable for its affluent minority population, since it is also a popular place of residence among Houston's increasingly influential Asian American community.
In 2004, the city was named the top 100 places to live according to HomeRoute, a national real estate marketing company, 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.
[edit] Notable/Famous residents, past and present
SPORTS
David Carr - Football Player
Ahman Green - Football Player
Terry Puhl - Baseball Player
Carlos Lee - Baseball Player
Tracy Mcgrady - Basketball Player
Hakeem Olajuwon - Basketball Player
Shaquille O'Neal - Basketball Player
D. J. Augustin - Basketball Player
T.J. Ford - Basketball Player
Daniel Ewing - Basketball Player
Walt Anderson - NFL Supervisor
Bruce Matthews - Football Player
Charles Barkley - Basketball Player
Tara Lipinski - Figure skating
Steven Lopez - Taekwondo
Giff Nielsen - Football Player, News Anchor
POLITICS
Tom Delay - Congressman
FILM, TELEVISION, MEDIA
Beyonce Knowles - Singer, Destiny's Child
Kelly Rowland - Singer, Destiny's Child
Akil Kurji - Film & Television Producer
Giff Nielsen - Football Player, News Anchor
[edit] Local attractions
Sugar Land Town Square is the heart of entertainment district in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County. It has an array of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, shopping venues, a Marriott Hotel and conference center, mid-rise offices and homes, a public plaza, and the Sugar Land City Hall. Festival and important events take place in the plaza. Just outside of the Sugar Land Town Square district is First Colony Mall. Critics of Sugar Land Town Square decry the recent trend in suburbs creating corporate sponsored downtown areas.
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.
Sugar Land is home to the practice sites of the Houston Aeros and Houston Comets. Located just outside of the Sugar Land Town Square is the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), home of the Houston Aeros practice facility. It is also open to the public as an ice skating facility.
Alongside it is First Colony Mall, a very large mall that recently expanded from its original indoor design to include outdoor activities, several parking garages, and new signage to blend in with the surrounding area. In and outside bordering the mall, soothing and happy music is played. The mall is anchored by Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Barnes & Noble, along with over 130 stores, including Pottery Barn, Coach, Williams-Sonoma, Ann Taylor, Forever 21, Chico, and Talbots. Other major retailers located near the mall in various portions of the Town Center area include Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys "R" Us, Linens 'n Things, Finger Furniture, PetSmart, Kroger, Garden Ridge, Lowe's, Lane Home Furnishings, and DSW, as well as an award-winning Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Once a year a music festival called Teenstock is held. It is sponsored by the First Colony Association.
[edit] Districts and communities
Sugar Land is home to many master-planned communities featuring golf courses, country clubs, and lakes. 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 10,000 acres (40 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 2,200 acre (8.9 km²) master-planned community of New Territory and the upcoming 2,018 acre (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.
[edit] Architectural landmarks
Lakeview Auditorium, 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 semi-circle 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 buses and automobiles. 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.
[edit] Transportation
Sugar Land currently does not have a mass transit system. 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 the city's main thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 59, there has been large support in the area for such a project.
[edit] 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. Currently, widening of U.S. Highway 59 is just west of State Highway 6 out to 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 on its way to be widened to an eight-lane highway with a 30-foot median between State Highway 99 and U.S. Highway 59.
State Highway 6 is a major highway running from north to southeast Sugar Land and traverses through the 10,000 acre (40 km²) master-planned community of First Colony. Construction is about to start on a bridge over University Blvd and U.S. Highway 90A from First Colony Blvd to north of the railroad track at U.S. Highway 90A. When completed, it will have six main lanes and frontage roads.
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.
[edit] Airport
Sugar Land Regional Airport (formerly 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 northeast, and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), 30 miles 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 operates 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. [13] The service will end when China Airlines pulls out of Houston on January 29, 2008.[14]
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
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 (MITC) for the four universities within the University of Houston System, which comprises the University of Houston, UH–Clear Lake, UH–Downtown, and UH–Victoria. Currently, the programs and degrees offered at the Sugar Land teaching center are from UH–Downtown and UH–Victoria.
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.
[edit] Secondary and primary education
[edit] Public schools
All public school systems in Texas are administered by the Texas Education Agency (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 Elkins High School in nearby Missouri City ranked 313th, 626th, and 702nd, respectively, among the top 1000 schools in the United States by Newsweek's 2005 report. Elkins serves some portions of Sugar Land.
In 2007, the Texas Mathcounts team at the national competition had two members from Sugar Land, Kevin Chen (who also took the national championship) and Bobby Shen (ranked 13th, the highest scoring sixth grader). The coach, Jeffrey Boyd, was also from Sugarland.[15]
[edit] Private schools
There are many private schools 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.
[edit] Public libraries
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.[16] The main library is in Richmond.
[edit] Postal service
The United States Postal Service operates two post offices in Sugar Land:
- Sugar Land Post Office at 225 Matlage Way, 77478-9998
- First Colony Post Office at 3130 Grants Lake Boulevard, 77479-9998
[edit] Media
[edit] Movie references
A portion of the 1974 movie, The Sugarland Express, 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.
In a television feature production, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003) (TV), Sugar Land was mentioned as an affluent area to buy a house as did the main female character (Courtney).
[edit] Newspapers
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 two free newspapers, the Fort Bend 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.
[edit] Television
Sugar Land is served by the Houston television market, which is the tenth-largest in the nation according to Nielsen Media Research.
NOTE: TCD stands for Tentative Channel Designation, which is the channel television stations must broadcast on by the end of the analog cutoff related to the digital television (DTV) conversion in the United States.
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Major stations:
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English-language independent stations:
Spanish-language stations:
Religious stations: |
The city is also served by a citywide public access channel on cable 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. 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).
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ City of Sugar Land - Press Room - Quick Facts
- ^ 2006 American Community Survey: Fort Bend County, Texas. census.gov (2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ Best Places to Live 2006 - Money Magazine
- ^ Experts say 'most dangerous city' rankings twist numbers - CNN.com
- ^ Top Suburbs to Live Well - Forbes.com
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.ci.sugar-land.tx.us/sugarland/about_us/history_presentation.asp
- ^ For a Conservative, Life Is Sweet in Sugar Land, Tex. (washingtonpost.com)
- ^ Sugar Land city, Texas - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
- ^ City of Sugar Land - Press Room - Quick Facts - Selected Census 2000 Information
- ^ "Houston International Airport Bus Service," China Airlines
- ^ "2 foreign airlines curtailing Houston passenger service," Houston Chronicle, January 11, 2008
- ^ Sugar Land's Kevin Chen and Bobby Shen Led Texas Students Won 2007 MATHCOUNTS National Champions!.
- ^ "City Map." City of Stafford
- Sugar Land, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Slotboom, Oscar F. "Erik" (2003). Houston Freeways. Oscar F. Slotboom. ISBN.
[edit] External links
- Sugar Land, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown METROPOLITAN AREA |
|---|---|
| Counties | Austin | Brazoria | Chambers | Fort Bend | Galveston | Harris | Liberty | Montgomery | San Jacinto | Waller |
| "Principal" cities |
Houston | Sugar Land | Baytown | Galveston |
| Cities and towns |
Alvin | Angleton | Bellaire | Cleveland | Clute | Conroe | Dayton | Deer Park | Dickinson | Freeport | Friendswood | Galena Park | Hitchcock | Hempstead | Humble | Jacinto City | Jersey Village | Katy | Lake Jackson | La Marque | La Porte | League City | Liberty | Meadows Place | Missouri City | Pasadena | Pearland | Richmond | Rosenberg | Santa Fe | Seabrook | Sealy | South Houston | Stafford | Texas City | Tomball | Webster | West University Place |
| Unincorporated areas | Atascocita | Channelview | Cloverleaf | Cypress | Klein | Spring | The Woodlands |
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