Where is Sienna?
Sienna is a residential master-planned community in eastern Fort Bend County. The Handbook of Texas places it about twenty miles southwest of Houston, off State Highway 6 and near Houston Southwest Airport. The developer’s website gives the community a Missouri City mailing location.
The U.S. Census Bureau tracks the area as the Sienna census-designated place (CDP). The 2020 Census counted 20,204 residents in the CDP. The Census Bureau measured its land area at 12.94 square miles in 2020.
What was the land used for before Sienna?
The tract was a sugar and cotton plantation for much of the 19th century. South Carolina planter Jonathan D. Waters bought the land in 1840. He ran his own wharf on the Brazos River. Thomas W. House bought the property in 1872. Thomas H. Scanlan acquired it in 1913.
Scanlan’s heirs placed the property with the Scanlan Foundation, which supported Catholic charities. In the 1950s and 1960s the land served as the Cenacle Retreat until 1972. The Handbook of Texas says the name honors the Siena area of Tuscany in Italy.
How was Sienna developed?
By 1978 developers sought approval for a large planned community on the land. In the mid-1980s the Johnson Corporation began building homes, condominiums and roads. By the 1990s the community covered more than 7,300 acres, including about 2,000 acres of parkland.
Why did Sienna change its name?
The community was known as Sienna Plantation. According to the developer’s website, the change to the name Sienna was initiated in May 2019. The Census Bureau’s 2020 tables list the area as Sienna CDP.
How has Sienna’s population changed?
Texas Almanac figures published with the Handbook of Texas show the following counts:
- 2000: 1,896
- 2010: 13,721
- 2020: 20,204
Who governs Sienna, and who provides services?
Sienna is not incorporated. Texas Almanac data lists it as an unincorporated place with no post office of its own. The developer describes the community as including Camp Sienna, a 160-acre sports park.
Which school districts serve Sienna?
Fort Bend Independent School District operates Sienna Crossing Elementary School, at 10011 Steep Bank Trace with a Missouri City mailing address.
How does flooding affect Sienna?
The land lies along the Brazos River. During development in the mid-1980s, the Johnson Corporation built a ten-mile-long levee for flood protection, according to the Handbook of Texas. The levee project covered about 6,000 wooded acres.