Where is Sugar Land?
Sugar Land is a city in eastern Fort Bend County, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston. It sits on Oyster Creek and U.S. Highway 90A, east of the Brazos River. The 2020 Census counted 111,026 residents. The Census lists 40.47 square miles of land area. The city reports 42.86 square miles inside its full-purpose limits as of 2026.
How did Sugar Land develop?
In 1828, the land was granted to Samuel M. Williams for his service as secretary to Stephen F. Austin. In 1838, he sold it to his brother Nathaniel F. Williams. Nathaniel and Matthew R. Williams ran Oakland Plantation, which grew cotton, corn and sugarcane.
Benjamin F. Terry and William J. Kyle bought the plantation in 1853. They were the first to call the area Sugar Land. A post office opened in 1858. After the Civil War, Edward H. Cunningham of San Antonio bought the plantation. In the 1890s he built a sugar refinery, a raw-sugar mill and the Sugar Land Railroad. Much of the workforce was leased from state prison farms.
The Kempner family of Galveston and W. T. Eldridge of Eagle Lake formed the Imperial Sugar Company in 1905. In 1908, Isaac H. Kempner and Eldridge acquired the refinery, the town and about 12,500 acres. Sugar Land was a company town for five decades. The last sugarcane crop in Fort Bend County was harvested in 1928. After that, the refinery processed imported raw sugar.
Homesites were first offered for private ownership in 1950. In 1958, the Kempner-owned companies began selling businesses, homes and land. Sugar Land incorporated in 1959 and elected its first mayor and council. In 1972, Sugarland Industries sold 7,500 acres to Gerald Hines Interests for the First Colony development.
In 2018, contractors building a Fort Bend ISD school found 95 unmarked graves. The city describes the individuals as African-American males aged 14 to over 70. The city maintains the Old Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery, which was declared a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2007.
Who governs Sugar Land, and who provides services?
Sugar Land has a council-manager form of government. The city runs its own police, fire, and parks and recreation departments. Its Permits and Inspections office handles building permits and inspections.