Sugar Land, TX

Located on the Brazos River, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land, Texas, is part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area and one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 63,328. In January 2009 the population was estimated to be nearly 80,000.

Much of Sugar Land's growth can be attributed to the annexation of planned communities built outside the city limits as they are completed. The strategy of annexing nearby communities should continue to fuel Sugar Land's growth in coming years. Sugar Land annexed the commercial portion of Riverpark in 2008 and the city is negotiating the annexation of the communities of New Territory and Greatwood. The combined annexations are expected to increase Sugar Land's population to roughly 120,000.

More than half the adult population of Sugar Land has at least a BA, twice the national average. The population of Sugar Land is increasingly diverse, with an Asian population of 30 percent.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Founded as a sugar plantation in the middle of the 19th century, Sugar Land was a company town first of the Oakland Plantation and later of the Imperial Holly Sugar Company. It was not incorporated as a city until 1958.

Today the refining and distribution of sugar plays no role in the Sugar Land economy, though the Imperial Sugar Company is still headquartered there. An aggressive economic development program has created an attractive climate for business, including creative incentives for relocation, such as a corporate aviation facility at the Sugar Land Regional Airport. The city enjoyed a 100 percent increase in jobs recently; not surprisingly, unemployment is low. Corporations make up roughly 75 percent of the city's tax base.

Major employers in Sugar Land include Aetna U.S. Healthcare, Baker Petrolite, ECO Resources, Fluor Corporation, Nalco, Schlumberger Companies, and Suntron Corporation. Minute Maid is completing construction of a new corporate headquarters in Sugar Land and is expected to move in soon.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

One of the fastest growing cities in Texas, Sugar Land's residential real estate market is growing to meet demands of the rising population. The city boasts numerous affordable and newly-developed planned communities, including:

• Avalon: A 427-acre waterfront community of four neighborhoods and more than 70 acres of lakes.
• First Colony: Extensive greenbelts, lakes and landscaped boulevards pave the way to private facilities, including a country club and aquatic center. This neighborhood features both retail and residential areas, with more than 17,000 houses, apartments and town homes
• Lake Pointe Town Center: A downtown neighborhood located in the heart of Sugar Land. The 190-acre mixed-use development features a variety of residential offerings, including gated waterfront villas and courtyard homes on private streets, brownstones, mid-rise condominiums, urban stucco town homes for living and working, and spacious Italian Renaissance style town homes with lake views.
• Riverpark: Direct access to more than 163 acres of Brazos River-front property, set aside as a natural park with densely wooded trails, wildlife reserves and open meadows that border the river.
• River Park West: 70 acres of recreational amenities, a 20-acre field sports complex and a 4.1-acre community park.
• Sugar Creek: The 1,200-acre community is home to more than 1,500 households, two private country clubs with 27-hole and 18-hole golf courses, a community park, and a retail district.
• Telfair: A 2,018-acre planned community with 300 acres of recreational space, including a 70-acre lake, park and trail system that meanders through the community. Located at U.S. 59 South and University, just south of Texas 6.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Despite its birth as a sugar town in the 19th century, Sugar Land considers itself a new town and commemorated its 50th birthday in 2009. This self-image as a brash newcomer is born out in the relative absence of the recreational and cultural facilities one would expect in such a prosperous city, a condition that Sugar Land is hurrying to change.

Existing facilities include:

• First Colony Mall, a major regional shopping mall with more than 130 stores
• Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center, which is open to the public as an ice rink and serves as the official practice facility for the Houston Aeros, an American Hockey League team
• Museum of Southern History, located on the campus of Southern National Bank, which deals with aspects of Southern history and culture, with an emphasis on the Civil War

Facilities yet to come:

• The newly completed Sugar Land Memorial Park, which includes two miles of walking and biking trails, picnic and playground facilities, and a man-made lake, is the first step in a planned 3,600-acre linear park along the Brazos River.
• The town approved the creation of a 52-acre entertainment and cultural district next to the new University of Houston campus. Proposed venues for the new cultural district include a minor league baseball stadium, an outdoor festival site, an indoor concert hall, a hotel and convention center, and a cultural arts facility.
• In 2005 Sugar Land purchased the old refinery from the Imperial Sugar Company. The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation, a newly created not-for-profit organization, is charged with creating a Sugar Land Museum at the site. The museum will tell the history of Sugar Land and the Imperial Sugar Company. In the meantime the foundation has installed a Sugar Land Heritage Exhibit at Sugar Land Regional Airport, featuring artifacts from the sugar refinery, interactive video displays, and murals that illustrate the history of the town and the sugar company.
• The Houston Museum of Natural History is scheduled to move into a new facility in Sugar Land in 2009.

EDUCATION

• Sugar Land is part of the consolidated Fort Bend Independent School District.
• The University of Houston opened a 250-acre campus in Sugar Land in 2002. The Sugar Land campus offers BA and MA degrees in 34 programs.
• Wharton County Junior College is a community college offering two-year associate's degrees and continuing education programs.

LOCAL MEDIA

Sugar Land is part of the Houston media market. Its only local media outlets are a cable access program produced by the city government, a free weekly paper (the Sugar Land Sun), and the online Sugar Land Magazine. Its daily newspapers are the Houston Chronicle, which reports on Sugar Land local news in a weekly section, and the alternative Houston Press.