Editing Sugar Land, Texas

{{Short description|City in the United States}}
{{Redirect|Sugar Land}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Sugar Land, Texas
| settlement_type          = [[City (Texas)|City]]
| image_skyline            = Sugarland Town Square.jpg
| image_caption            = [[Sugar Land Town Square]], [[First Colony]] in 2010
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = Seal of the City of Sugar Land.png
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_map                = FortBend County Sugarland.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location in [[Fort Bend County, Texas]]
| pushpin_map              = USA Texas#USA
| pushpin_label = Sugar Land
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Texas##Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief          = yes

<!-- Location -->| coordinates              = {{Coord|29|35|58|N|95|36|51|W|region:US-TX_type:city(111,000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = [[Council-manager government|Council-Manager]]
| leader_title             = [[City Council]]
| leader_name              = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mayor]] Joe R. Zimmerman
* William Ferguson
* Jennifer J. Lane
* Suzanne Whatley
* Naushad Kermally
* Stewart Jacobson
* Carol K. McCutcheon
}}
| leader_title1            = [[City Manager]]
| leader_name1             = Mike Goodrum
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 111.12
| area_total_sq_mi         = 42.90
| area_land_km2            = 104.81
| area_land_sq_mi          = 40.47
| area_water_km2           = 6.31
| area_water_sq_mi         = 2.44
<!-- Population -->| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_m              = 
| elevation_ft             = 100
| population_total         = 111026
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=160XX00US4870808 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Sugar Land city, Texas |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
| population_density_km2   = 1130.49
<!-- for 2019 pop est. -->| population_density_sq_mi = 2927.94
<!-- General information -->| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code              = 77478–79, 77487, 77496, and 77498
| area_codes                = [[Area codes 713, 281, 832, 346, and 621|281, 346, 621, 713, 832]]
| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = &minus;6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = &minus;5
<!-- tax information -->
| blank_name_sec1                     = [[Sales Tax]]
| blank_info_sec1                     = 8.25%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://irs-offices.com/texas/sugar-land/|title=Sugar Land (TX) sales tax rate|website=Irs-offices.com|access-date=2022-11-10}}</ref>
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 48-70808
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 1348034<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/}}
| footnotes                = 
}}

'''Sugar Land''' (sometimes incorrectly spelled as  '''Sugarland'''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Santana|first=Glissette|date=December 14, 2021|title=Is Sugar Land one word or two? We have your answer.|url=https://sugar-scoop.com/2021/12/14/is-sugar-land-one-word-or-two-we-have-your-answer/|website=Sugar-Scoop.com|location=Sugar Land, TX|publisher=The Sugar Scoop|access-date=January 19, 2025}}</ref>) is the largest city in [[Fort Bend County, Texas]], United States, located in the southwestern part of the {{nowrap|[[Greater Houston|Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land]]}} metropolitan area. Located about {{Convert|19|mi|km}} southwest of [[downtown Houston]], Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around the junction of [[Texas State Highway 6]] and [[Interstate 69]]/[[U.S. Route 59]].

Beginning in the 19th century, the present-day Sugar Land area was home to a large [[sugar]] [[plantation]] situated in the fertile [[floodplain]] of the [[Brazos River]]. Following the consolidation of local plantations into [[Imperial Sugar|Imperial Sugar Company]] in 1908, Sugar Land grew steadily as a [[company town]] and [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a city in 1959. Since then, Sugar Land has grown rapidly alongside other [[Edge city|edge cities]] around Houston, with large-scale development of [[Planned community|master-planned communities]] contributing to population swells since the 1980s.

Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas. The [[2020 United States Census]] reported that the city's population had grown more than 40% in the preceding 10 years following the [[Municipal annexation in the United States|annexation]] of the [[Greatwood, Sugar Land, Texas|Greatwood]] and [[New Territory, Sugar Land, Texas|New Territory]] communities in December 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Sugar_Land_city,_Texas?g=160XX00US4870808|title=Geography Profile: Sugar Land city, Texas|access-date=January 3, 2024}}</ref> Over the same 10-year period, the number of employed persons living in Sugar Land increased by 61%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2020.DP03?q=Sugar%20Land%20city,%20Texas&t=Employment|title=Selected Economic Characteristics: Sugar Land city, Texas|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 3, 2024}}</ref> 

Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar; the company's main [[sugar refinery]] and distribution center were once located in the city. The Imperial Sugar crown logo is featured in the city seal and logo.

==History==
{{See also|History of Texas}}
===Sugar Land's founding===
Sugar Land has roots in the original Mexican [[land grant]] made to Anglo-American [[Stephen F. Austin]]. One of the first settlers of the land, Samuel M. Williams, called this area "Oakland Plantation". Williams' brother, Nathaniel, purchased the land from Austin in 1838.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hfs10|title=SUGAR LAND, TX|first=BETTYE J.|last=ANHAISER|date=June 15, 2010|website=tshaonline.org}}</ref> They developed the [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] by growing [[cotton]], [[maize|corn]], and [[sugarcane]].

During these early years, the plantation was the center of social life along the Brazos River. In 1853, Benjamin Terry and William J. Kyle purchased the Oakland Plantation from the Williams family. Terry is known for organizing a division of [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Rangers]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and for naming the town.

Upon the deaths of Terry and Kyle, Colonel E. H. Cunningham bought the {{convert|12500|acre|adj=on}} plantation soon after the Civil War. He had a sugar-refining plant built here, and developed the town around it in 1879, platting the land and attracting settlers during the post-Reconstruction era.

===Company town===
[[File:The Sugar Land Refinery.jpg|200px|thumb|Sugar Land's former Imperial Sugar refinery|left]]
In 1906, the Kempner family of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], under the leadership of [[Isaac Herbert Kempner|Isaac H. Kempner]], and in partnership with Logan J. Copenhaver, purchased the {{convert|5300|acre|adj=on}} 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; Will Ellis had operated it after the Civil War by a system of [[tenant farming]], made up mostly of African-American families who were previously enslaved on the land.

In 1908, the partnership acquired the adjoining {{convert|12500|acre|adj=on}} 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-Copenhaver agreement, Copenhaver moved to the site to serve as general manager and build the [[Company town|company-owned town]] of Sugar Land.

The trains running through Sugar Land are on the route of the oldest railroad in Texas. They run adjacent to the sugar refinery, west of the town, and through the center of what used to be known as the [[Central Unit|Imperial State Prison Farm]]. It operated with [[convict lease]] labor. Between the end of the Civil War and 1912, more than 3,500 prisoners died in Texas as a result of the racist convict leasing program. Archaeologists have uncovered unmarked graves of African Americans from this period in the region around Sugar Land's prison and sugar factory.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/07/18/bodies-of-95-black-forced-labor-prisoners-from-jim-crow-era-unearthed-in-sugar-land-after-one-mans-quest/|title=Bodies believed to be those of 95 black forced-labor prisoners from Jim Crow era unearthed in Sugar Land after one man's quest|first=Meagan |last=Flynn|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/07/16/295915/uncovered-remains-at-forgotten-sugar-land-grave-site-tell-their-own-texas-history-story/|title=Uncovered Remains At Forgotten Sugar Land Grave Site Tell Their Own Texas History Story|first=Elizabeth|last=Trovall|date=July 16, 2018|website=Houston Public Media}}</ref> Since the early 21st century, this area has been largely redeveloped as the suburban planned community of [[Telfair, Sugar Land|Telfair]].

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 to treat workers, and provided businesses to meet the workers' needs. Many of the original houses built by the Imperial Sugar Company remain today in The Hill and Mayfield Park areas 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. It developed a new subdivision, Venetian Estates, which featured waterfront homesites on [[Oyster Creek (Texas)|Oyster Creek]] and on man-made lakes.

===Development of city===
As the company town expanded, so did the interest of establishing a [[municipal government]]. Voters chose to make Sugar Land a [[general-law city]] in 1959, with T. E. Harman becoming the first [[mayor]].

In the early 1960s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.covingtonwoods.net/documents.html|title=Documents|website=M. Campbell|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref> a new [[Subdivision (land)|subdivision]] development called Covington Woods was constructed. Later that year, the Imperial Cattle Ranch sold about {{convert|1200|acre}} to a developer to create what became Sugar Creek in 1968. As a master-planned community, Sugar Creek introduced the concept of [[country club]] living to Sugar Land. Custom houses were built to surround two [[golf course]]s, and country clubs, swimming pools, and a private home security service were part of the amenities developed.

The success of Sugar Creek, buoyed by the construction of [[U.S. Route 59 in Texas|U.S. Highway 59]], quickly made Sugar Land's vast farmlands attractive to real-estate developers for residential housing. In 1977, development began on [[First Colony]], a master-planned community encompassing {{convert|10000|acre}}. Developed by a [[Gerald D. Hines|Gerald Hines]]-led consortium that became known as Sugarland Properties Inc., development on First Colony would continue over 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 called Sugar Mill was started in the northern portion of Sugar Land,<ref>[https://archive.today/20130125131422/http://www.hoatown.com/sugarmillhoa] </ref> offering traditional, lakefront, and estate lots. The master-planned communities of Greatwood and New Territory, at the time situated west of the city in what was then its extraterritorial jurisdiction, also began to be developed by the end of the 1980s.

In addition to the development of master-planned communities targeted at commuters from Houston, Sugar Land began attracting the attention of major corporations throughout the 1980s. Many chose to base their operations in the city. [[Fluor Corporation|Fluor Daniel]], [[Schlumberger]], [[Unocal]], and others began to locate offices and facilities in the city. This resulted in a favorable 40/60 ratio of residential to commercial tax base within the city.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

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, which established a [[mayor-council]] form of government, with all powers of the city vested in a council composed of a mayor and five councilmen, elected from [[single-member districts]].

A special city election was held August 9, 1986, to submit the proposed changes to the electorate for consideration. By a majority of the voters, amendments to the charter were approved that 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 for a professional [[city manager]] to be the chief administrative officer of the city. Approval of this [[Bill (law)|amendment]] authorized the mayor to be a voting member of council, in addition to performing duties as presiding officer of the council.

Sugar Land annexed Sugar Creek in 1986, after the latter community was nearly 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 (DGA). 

===Suburban expansion===
[[Image:OysterCreekPark.JPG|right|thumb|Oyster Creek Park]]
An amendment on May 5, 1990, changed the composition of the city council, adding a mayor and two council members, each to be elected [[at-large]], to the five-member council. The at-large positions require election by a majority of voters, which reduces representation of any minority interests.

Throughout much of the 1990s, Sugar Land grew rapidly. The majority of residents are [[White-collar worker|white-collar]] and college-educated, working in [[Houston]]'s energy industry. An abundance of commercial development, with numerous low-rise office buildings, banks, and high-class restaurants, has taken place along both [[Interstate 69 in Texas|Interstate 69]]/[[U.S. Route 59 in Texas|U.S. Highway 59]] and [[Texas State Highway 6|State Highway 6]].

Sugar Land added to its tax base with the opening of [[First Colony Mall]] in 1996. The more than one-million-square-foot (100,000 m<sup>2</sup>) [[shopping mall|mall]], the first in Fort Bend County, is located at the busiest intersection of the city: Interstate 69/U.S. 59 and State Highway 6. The mall was named after the {{convert|10000|acre|adj=on}} master-planned community of First Colony.

In November 1997, Sugar Land annexed the remaining municipal utility districts of the {{convert|10000|acre|adj=on}} First Colony master-planned community, bringing the city's population to almost 60,000. This was Sugar Land's largest annexation at the time.

===After 2000===
Sugar Land boasted the highest growth among Texas' largest cities, per the [[U.S. Census]] 2000, when it had a population of 63,328. In 2003, Sugar Land became a "principal" city, recognized in the metropolitan area's official title change to Houston–Sugar&nbsp;Land–Baytown, with Sugar Land replacing [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] as the second-most important city in the metropolitan area after Houston. The metro area is now officially referred to as the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area.

With its population increase, the city needed to attract [[higher education]] facilities. In 2002, the University of Houston System at Fort Bend moved to a new {{convert|250|acre|adj=on}} campus located off the University Boulevard and Interstate 69/U.S. 59 intersection. The city helped fund the Albert and Mamie George Building, and as a result, the multi-institution teaching center was renamed as the [[University of Houston Sugar Land]].

In 2003, the Imperial Sugar Company refinery plant and distribution center were closed, but the effect on the local economy was minimal. Sugar Land has become an affluent Houston suburb rather than the [[blue-collar]], [[agriculture]]-dependent town it was a generation ago. Many of its lower-income residents, including African American workers who at one time made up the majority working sugarcane, have been displaced and have had to seek work and housing elsewhere. The company maintains its headquarters in Sugar Land.

[[File:Telfair Entrance Sign.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Telfair master-planned community]]
The Texas Department of Transportation sold {{convert|2018|acre}} of prison land in the western portion of Sugar Land to Newland Communities, a developer, by bid in 2003. The developer announced plans to build a new master-planned community called [[Telfair, Sugar Land|Telfair]] in this 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 had earlier annexed only built-out areas, not lands prior to development.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

In December 2005, Sugar Land annexed the recently built-out, master-planned community of Avalon and four sections of Brazos Landing subdivision, adding about 3,200 residents. The city eventually annexed the communities of River Park, [[Greatwood, Texas|Greatwood]], and [[New Territory, Texas|New Territory]], with the latter two being annexed on December 12, 2017, bringing the city proper's population to 117,869.

In the 2010s, development began on the Imperial master-planned community, located in undeveloped territory east of Sugar Land Regional Airport and incorporating the former refinery property of Imperial Sugar Company. This development includes [[Constellation Field]], home of the [[Sugar Land Space Cowboys]], originally an independent baseball team but later a member of affiliated [[Minor League Baseball]]. Retail needs are to be served in the planned Imperial Market development. In 2017, the 6,400-seat [[Smart Financial Centre]] concert hall opened.

==Geography==
[[File:SugarLandTXMap.gif|right|thumb|Map of Sugar Land]]
Sugar&nbsp;Land is located in northeast Fort Bend County, {{convert|20|mi}} southwest of downtown Houston. It is bordered by Houston to the northeast, and by [[Stafford, Texas|Stafford]], [[Missouri City, Texas|Missouri City]], and [[Meadows Place, Texas|Meadows Place]] to the east. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city of Sugar Land has a total area of {{convert|111.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|104.8|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|6.3|km2|order=flip}}, or 5.7%, are covered by water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019"/> The elevation of most of the city is between {{convert|70|and|90|ft}} above sea level. The elevation of [[Sugar Land Regional Airport]] (SGR) is {{convert|82|ft}}.

Sugar Land has two major waterways running through the city. The southwestern and southern portion of the city were developed along the Brazos River, which runs into [[Brazoria County, Texas|Brazoria County]]. [[Oyster Creek (Texas)|Oyster Creek]] runs from the northwest to the eastern portion of the city limits and into Missouri City. Sugar Land developers have built many artificial lakes connecting to Oyster Creek or the Brazos River, as part of new master-planned communities.<!-- Relation to floodplains? Effects here during the last hurricanes? -->

Sugar Land and other surrounding areas are [[subsidence|subsiding]] and the rate of subsidence is increasing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/10/17/suburbs-sinking-at-a-substantial-rate-in-the-woodlands-spring-katy-and-mont-belvieu-study-shows/ | title=Suburbs sinking at a substantial rate in the Woodlands, Spring, Katy and Mont Belvieu, study shows |website=Click2houston.com |date=October 17, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://txpub.usgs.gov/houston_subsidence/ | title=USGS &#124; Gulf Coast Aquifer Subsidence|website=Txpub.usgs.gov }}</ref> The area sunk about 1 foot between 1943 and 1964, while it sunk over 6 feet between 1988 and 2016<ref name="storymaps.arcgis.com">{{cite web | url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f110a5148a43409993737913d10d5639 | title=Land Subsidence in Fort Bend County, TX|website=Storymaps.arcgis.com | date=July 28, 2021 }}</ref> Currently, it is estimated that Sugar Land is subsiding at a rate of between 10 and 25 millimeters per year.<ref name="storymaps.arcgis.com"/> The subsidence is exacerbated by [[Climate Change]], increased suburban development, and inadequate replenishment.<ref name="storymaps.arcgis.com"/> The subsidence has significant human cost. For example, the historic flooding caused by [[Hurricane Harvey]] was worse than it would have otherwise been due to the effect,<ref name="storymaps.arcgis.com"/> and houses and buildings in the city are sinking and having their foundations damaged.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood/woodlands/article/Homes-in-The-Woodlands-could-sink-by-more-than-a-16752150.php | title=Homes in the Woodlands could sink by more than a foot over decades under new groundwater guidelines|website=Houstonchronicle.com | date=January 6, 2022 }}</ref> To manage the rapidly increasing subsidence, the Texas State Legislature created the Fort Bend Subsidence District in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fbsubsidence.org/|title=Fort Bend Subsidence District (FBSD) - Fort Bend County, Texas|website=Fbsubsidence.org|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> The [[United States Geological Survey|US Geologic Survey]] and the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|US Army Corps of Engineers]] have performed studies and monitoring of the subsidence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Portals/26/docs/Library/LBITPTXAM.pdf|title=Purpose of and Need for the Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project|website=Swg.usace.army.mil|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref>

===Hydrology===
Sugar Land sits atop three [[aquifers]]: Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper. The Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers have been the primary source of municipal water for Sugar Land, Houston, Galveston and other surrounding areas. The Jasper Aquifer is the only one of the three that is not used to extract drinking water.<ref name="twdb.texas.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/numbered_reports/doc/R155/R155_mainText.pdf|title=GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS : REPORT 155|website=Twdb.texas.gov|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> Due to the rapid building of suburbs in the city and surrounding region, aquifer replenishment has significantly decreased.<ref name="twdb.texas.gov"/> The city government has enacted a program to manage the aquifers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/331/Groundwater-Reduction-Program | title=Groundwater Reduction Program &#124; Sugar Land, TX - Official Website }}</ref>

===Geology===
Underpinning the area's land surface are unconsolidated [[clay]]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, were transformed into [[Petroleum|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 [[Fault (geology)|faults]] with an aggregate length of {{convert|149|mi|km}}, the clay below the surface in Sugar Land 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 subtropical climate|humid subtropical]], featuring two seasons, a [[wet season]] from April to October, and a [[dry season]] from November to March. 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&nbsp;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, daily high temperatures are in the 95&nbsp;°F (35&nbsp;°C) range throughout much of July and August. The air tends to feel still and the abundant humidity, with dewpoints typically in the low to mid 70°Fs, creates a heat index around 100&nbsp;°F each day. Summer thunderstorms are common with 30 to 50% of the days having thunder. The highest temperature recorded in the area was 109&nbsp;°F in August 2023.

Winters in the area are cool and mild. The average winter high/low is 62/45&nbsp;°F (16/7&nbsp;°C). The coldest period is usually in January, when north winds bring winter rains. Snow is almost unheard of and typically does not accumulate. One such rare [[snowstorm]] hit Houston on [[2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm|Christmas Eve]] 2004. A few inches accumulated, but had melted by the next afternoon. The earliest snowfall to occur in any winter fell on December 4, 2009.

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|date=April 2012}}

=== Districts and communities ===
{{Main|Geographic areas of Sugar Land, Texas}}

[[Image:SugarLakes.JPG|thumb|Sugar Lakes planned community]]
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]], [[Greatwood (Sugar Land, Texas)|Greatwood]], [[New Territory]], [[Telfair, Sugar Land|Telfair]], Sugar Creek, River Park, Imperial, [[Riverstone (Sugar Land, Texas)|Riverstone]] and many others. Many of the communities feature [[golf course]]s, [[country club]]s, and lakes. 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", comprises all the communities north of [[U.S. Route 90 Alternate (Texas)|U.S. Highway 90A]], but it also includes the subdivisions/areas of Venetian Estates, and Belknap/Brookside, which is just south of U.S. 90A. Most of this area was the original city limits of Sugar Land when it was incorporated in 1959. Located in this part of town is the former Imperial Sugar Company refinery and distribution center that was shut down in 2003, even though the company's headquarters are still located within the city. To the east of northern Sugar Land is the Sugar Land Business Park, the largest business and industrial area in the city. Many of the city's electronic and energy companies are located here, including the future North American headquarters of [[Schlumberger]]. The Imperial master-planned community, including Constellation Field and the future Imperial Market development, is also located in north Sugar Land.

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, Sugar Land, Texas|First Colony]], the largest in Sugar Land encompassing {{convert|10,000|acre|km2}}. Other master-planned communities in this area are Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, Commonwealth, Avalon, [[Telfair, Sugar Land|Telfair]], and [[Riverstone (Sugar Land, Texas)|Riverstone]]. This area is the location of First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Square, the 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, including [[Sweetwater Country Club]] (the former home of the [[LPGA]]), as well as the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome).

The southwestern area of Sugar Land was recently annexed into the city limits, and is sometimes referred to as the "other side of the river". This is due to this area being separated from the rest of Sugar Land by the [[Brazos River]], as well as being served by the [[Lamar Consolidated Independent School District]]. The southwest side has two master-planned communities, Greatwood and River Park. Other communities in this area are Canyon Gate on the Brazos and Tara Colony, the latter an older large subdivision which has a Richmond address but is actually in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar&nbsp;Land and up for future annexation.

The western portion of Sugar Land was also fully incorporated into the [[city limits]] in 2017. It is home to two master-planned communities, New Territory and Telfair, the latter of which was previously prison farm land owned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It was sold in 2003 and annexed to the city limits by Sugar Land in 2004. A new highway, [[Texas State Highway 99|State Highway 99]] (more commonly known as the "Grand Parkway"), opened in 1994 as a major arterial in this area. North of this area and U.S. Highway 90A is the [[Sugar Land Regional Airport]] and the recently decommissioned Texas Department of Corrections [[Central Unit]], which in 2011 became the first Texas prison to be closed without a replacement facility and is being targeted by the city for future light industrial development.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1950= 2285
|1960= 2802
|1970= 3318
|1980= 8826
|1990= 24529
|2000= 63328
|2010= 78817
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref>
|2020=111026}}

[[File:Race and ethnicity 2020 Sugar Land, TX.png|thumb|Map of racial distribution in Sugar Land, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(115, 178, 255)|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(159, 212, 0)|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(255, 0, 0)|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(255, 170, 0)|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(140, 81, 181)|Multiracial}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=rgb(153, 102, 51)|Native American/Other}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Sugar Land city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Sugar Land city, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US4870808&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sugar Land city, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4870808&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sugar Land city, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4870808&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|38,526
|35,014
|style='background: #ffffe6; |42,305
|60.84%
|44.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |38.10%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,242
|5,744
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,969
|5.12%
|7.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.18%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|112
|135
|style='background: #ffffe6; |150
|0.18%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|15,042
|27,672
|style='background: #ffffe6; |42,639
|23.75%
|35.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |38.40%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|18
|26
|style='background: #ffffe6; |30
|0.03%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|Some Other Race alone (NH)
|109
|179
|style='background: #ffffe6; |578
|0.17%
|0.23%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|1,226
|1,723
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,925
|1.94%
|2.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.54%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|5,053
|8,324
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,430
|7.98%
|10.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12.10%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''63,328'''
|'''78,817'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''111,026'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 111,026 people, 38,852 households, and 31,328 families residing in the city. At the publication of the [[census]] of 2010, 78,817 people, 26,709 households, and 21,882 families were residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,432.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 27,727 housing units averaged 855.8 per square mile (330.5/km<sup>2</sup>).

In 2010, the [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 52.0% White, 7.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 35.3% Asian, 2.34% other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.6% of the population.<ref name="Census 2010 DP">{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/1600000US4870808| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213115044/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/1600000US4870808| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 13, 2020| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Sugar Land, Texas| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=American FactFinder| access-date=August 31, 2016}}</ref> Sugar Land has the highest concentration of [[Asian Americans]] in Texas. Altogether in 2010, 10.7% were Indian, 11.5% [[Chinese Americans in Texas|Chinese]], 4.5% [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]], and 2.0% [[Filipino Americans|Filipino]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=77479&_cityTown=77479&_state=&_zip=77479&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y |title=Community Facts — 77479 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |website=American FactFinder |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212051316/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=77479&_cityTown=77479&_state=&_zip=77479&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is also a sizable [[Pakistan]]i community in Sugar Land. As of 2013, about one-third of the Asian population was [[Indian American]], according to Harish Jajoo, a former city council member of Indian origin. The Sugar Land area has Indian grocery stores, temples, several mosques and many [[Ismaili Jamatkhana|Ismaili]] Jamatkhanas. Sugar Land is the national headquarters for the United States Ismaili Community. Jajoo stated that the quality of the jobs, schools, and parks attracts people of Indian origin to Sugar Land.<ref>Maclaggan, Corrie. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/us/what-ethnic-diversity-looks-like-fort-bend.html?_r=1& What Ethnic Diversity Looks Like: Fort Bend]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131214023725/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/us/what-ethnic-diversity-looks-like-fort-bend.html?_r=2& Archive]). ''[[The New York Times]]''. November 24, 2013. Retrieved on May 24, 2014.</ref>

Of the 26,709 households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% were not families. About 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90, and the average family size was 3.25.<ref name="Census 2010 DP"/>

In the city, the age distribution was 24.6% under  18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.<ref name="Census 2010 DP"/>

According to the 2014 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $115,069, and for a family was $132,534. Male full-time workers had a median income of $98,892 versus $60,053 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $48,653. About 6.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/DP03/1600000US4870808| title=Selected Economic Characteristics: 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (DP03): Sugar Land city, Texas| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=American FactFinder| access-date=August 31, 2016| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213061143/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/DP03/1600000US4870808| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Religion===
====Catholicism====
[[Catholics]] account for over 30% of the city population with 11,998 households registered by St. Laurence, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Theresa parishes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archgh.org/default.asp?id=5 |title=Find a Parish |publisher=Archgh.org |access-date=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190530/http://www.archgh.org/default.asp?id=5 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston]] operates three churches in Sugar Land:
* St. Laurence Church – Its sanctuary had its dedication ceremony in 1992. By 2006 St. Laurence had 4,600 families on its rolls and was oversubscribed. Its service area previously included [[Sienna Plantation]].<ref name=DooleyMembershipBoom>{{cite web|author=Dooley, Tara|url=https://www.chron.com/life/houston-belief/article/Catholic-archdiocese-seeing-membership-boom-1490961.php|title=Catholic archdiocese seeing membership boom|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=March 25, 2006|access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref>
* St. Theresa Church – The [[Imperial Sugar Company]] donated the land for the church, which opened in 1924. In 1955 the [[Basilian Fathers]] began serving as employees.<ref>{{cite web|author=Henderson, Robert B.|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Diocese-assigns-new-priest-to-church-in-Sugar-Land-2061684.php|title=Diocese assigns new priest to church in Sugar Land|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=October 18, 2001|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> In 2006 it was finalizing expansion plans,<ref>{{cite web|author=Foster, Bliss|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Sugar-Land-church-takes-expansion-steps-1851153.php|title=Sugar Land church takes expansion steps|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=January 5, 2006|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> which originated from a 2005 survey.<ref>{{cite web|author=Foster, Bliss|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Sugar-Land-church-to-revise-expansion-plan-1853616.php|title=Sugar Land church to revise expansion plan|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=September 28, 2006|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref>
* St. Thomas Aquinas Church<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stasugarland.com/|title=Home|publisher=St. Thomas Aquinas Church|access-date=May 30, 2020|quote=12627 W. BELLFORT AVE SUGAR LAND, TX 77478}} - On [https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4597/City-Map-Book?bidId= Map Book page 3D]</ref>

====Hinduism====
The [[BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston]], a [[Swaminarayan]] sect Hindu temple, is along Brand Lane in [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[Fort Bend County]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fcc3bc201aca57a1f6a9-358b951b55aa5ffcd7f6e60e00990c32.r30.cf1.rackcdn.com/City_Map_Updated_Jan_15.pdf|title=Map of Stafford|publisher=[[Stafford, Texas|City of Stafford]]|access-date=November 7, 2019}} - [http://www.staffordtx.gov/maps-gis/pdf-maps.html Linked from this page on the Stafford website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016161313/http://www.staffordtx.gov/maps-gis/pdf-maps.html |date=October 16, 2020 }} - Based on the location, BAPS is in the [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]] but not the city limits</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baps.org/houston|title=Home|publisher=BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston, TX, USA|access-date=November 7, 2019|quote=BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir 1150 Brand Lane Stafford, TX 77477 USA }} - Despite the "Stafford, TX" city name, it is outside of the Stafford city limits</ref><!--This may only be changed *IF* the city of Stafford annexes the land. If it does, it will release an article about it--> near [[Stafford, Texas|Stafford]] and Sugar Land.<ref name=DooleySree>Dooley, Tara. "[http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-Hindu-temple-is-dedicated-in-Stafford-1659580.php New Hindu temple is dedicated in Stafford]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. July 26, 2004. Retrieved on May 3, 2014.</ref> The Sri Saumyakasi, a Sugar Land [[Chinmaya]] Hindu temple, opened in December 2007. It is the only Hindu temple in the city devoted to [[Shiva]]. The Chinmaya Mission Houston started in 1982. Originally classes were held in an apartment. In a ten year period the members raised $2.5 million for the permanent temple.<ref>Karkabi, Barbara. "[http://www.chron.com/life/houston-belief/article/Hindu-learning-is-the-focus-of-Sugar-Land-temple-1756179.php Hindu learning is the focus of Sugar Land temple]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. February 9, 2008. Retrieved on May 3, 2014.</ref> Shri Krishna Vrundavana has a Sugar Land postal address, but is physically in the [[Alief]] super neighborhood in the Houston city limits.<ref name=KadifaSugarLand>{{cite web|author=Kadifa, Margaret|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend/news/article/Hindu-temple-finds-new-home-in-Sugar-Land-6683194.php|title=Hindu temple finds new home in Sugar Land|agency=[[Fort Bend Sun]]|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=December 8, 2015|access-date=June 7, 2020|quote=10223 Synott Road}} - This property [http://www.txtemple.org/ has a Sugar Land postal address] but in fact is in the city of Houston. [https://web.archive.org/web/19961031170034/http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/annexation/annexation_FAQ.html USPS postal service boundaries do not necessarily correspond to municipal boundaries]. Compare the address to the maps of the Houston city limits.</ref><ref name=Houstonmap>{{cite web|url=https://cohegis.houstontx.gov/cohgisweb/MycityFiles/documents/map-2018CityLimit-Districts_pj20489.pdf|title=City of Houston and ETJ|publisher=City of Houston|access-date=June 7, 2020|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523095727/https://cohegis.houstontx.gov/cohgisweb/MycityFiles/documents/map-2018CityLimit-Districts_pj20489.pdf|url-status=dead}} and {{cite web|url=https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Demographics/docs_pdfs/SN/25_Alief.pdf|title=No. 25 Super Neighborhood Resource Assessment (Alief)|publisher=City of Houston|page=2|access-date=June 7, 2020}} - Compare these maps to the Shri Krishna Vrundavana address: "10223 Synott Road"  to the Masjid At-Taqwa address: "10415 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX, 77478", and to the Darul Arqam Southwest address, same as that of Masjid At-Taqwa.</ref> It occupies the 450-person, {{convert|9000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} former La Festa Hall. It was established in 2011 with about 200 people in its congregation; originally the temple rented its property. In October 2015 the temple organizers bought the current site for $1.3 million. In December 2015 its congregation had numbered over 800.<ref name=KadifaSugarLand/>

==== Islam ====
The [[Islamic Society of Greater Houston]] operates two mosques in the area, Masjid Maryam (New Territory Islamic Center)<ref name="Maryam Islamic Center">{{Cite web|title=Maryam Islamic Center|url=https://www.maryammasjid.org/|access-date=2022-02-01|language=en-US}}</ref> and Masjid At-Taqwa (Synott Islamic Center).<ref name="Maryam Islamic Center"/>

==Economy==
[[File:MinuteMaidHQSugarLandTX.JPG|thumb|[[Minute Maid]] headquarters, [[Sugar Land Town Square]], [[First Colony]]]]
[[File:FortBend 379.JPG|thumb|Imperial Sugar offices]]
As in the rest of the Greater Houston area, the energy industry presence is large, specifically petroleum exploration and refining. Sugar Land holds the headquarters to [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]]<ref name="money.cnn.com"/> company CVR Energy, Inc.<ref name="cvrenergy.com">[http://cvrenergy.com CVR Energy, Inc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508174456/http://www.cvrenergy.com/ |date=May 8, 2012 }} Retrieved May 22, 2012.</ref> ({{NYSE|CVI}}), Western Airways, and NalcoChampion's Energy Services division. CVR Energy was listed as the city's only resident 2012 [[Fortune 500]] company<ref name="money.cnn.com">{{cite web| url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/full_list/401_500.html |title=2012 Fortune 500 List by ''Fortune'' magazine |publisher=Money.cnn.com |date=May 21, 2012 |access-date=June 24, 2012}}</ref><ref name="cvrenergy.com"/> and the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' ranked it the No. 5 public company in the Houston area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/business/chron-100/article/No-5-public-company-CVR-Energy-3652313.php|title=No. 5 public company: CVR Energy|date=June 21, 2012|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref> Sugar&nbsp;Land also has a large number of international energy, software, engineering, and product firms.

Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of the Imperial Sugar Company. It was once the home of the company's main (and sole) [[Sugar refinery|refinery]] and distribution center. The refinery and distribution center have been closed since 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=June 4, 2003|title=Imperial Sugar shuts down Sugar Land plant|work=[[Houston Business Journal]]|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/06/02/daily33.html|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119014014/https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/06/02/daily33.html|archive-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref>

[[Schlumberger]], an [[oil services]] company, moved its Houston-area offices from 5000 [[Interstate 45|Gulf Freeway]] in Houston to a campus in Sugar Land in 1995.<ref>Sarnoff, Nancy. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090215060628/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2005_3843924 Burger King sniffing for new home / Houston said to be in running for headquarters' possible relocation]" ([http://web.archive.org/web/20090215060628/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2005_3843924 Archive]). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. February 3, 2005. Business 3. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.</ref><ref name="Schlumhq">"[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/10/24/daily21.html?from_yf=1 Schlumberger to move U.S. headquarters to Houston]". ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Wednesday October 26, 2005. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.</ref><ref>"[http://www.slb.com/content/contact/geomarkets/nsa/nsa.asp North America (NAM) Contacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204025147/http://www.slb.com/content/contact/geomarkets/nsa/nsa.asp |date=2009-02-04 }}". ''Schlumberger''. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.</ref> This {{convert|33|acre|ha|adj=on}} campus is at the northeast corner of [[U.S. Highway 90A]] and Gillingham Lane. (The former Gulf Freeway headquarters was repurposed as the University of Houston Energy Research Park after 2009.)

As of 2015, Schlumberger was the second-largest employer in Sugar Land. In 2015, Schlumberger announced that it was moving its U.S. corporate headquarters to the Sugar Land facility from a Houston office building. The company plans to build new buildings with a scheduled completion time of late 2017. They include a total of {{convert|250000|sqft|sqm}} of class A office space and an "amenities" building with {{convert|100000|sqft|sqm}} of space.<ref>Mulvaney, Erin. "[http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2015/10/schlumberger-plans-to-relocate-national-headquarters-to-sugar-land/ Schlumberger plans to relocate national headquarters to Sugar Land]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151023163225/http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2015/10/schlumberger-plans-to-relocate-national-headquarters-to-sugar-land/ Archive]). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. October 5, 2015. Retrieved on October 24, 2015.</ref>

[[Fluor Daniel]] also has a major office in Sugar Land at 1 Fluor Daniel Dr.

[[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.<ref>Dawson, Jennifer. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/02/16/daily5.html Minute Maid headquarters opens in Sugar Land]". ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Monday February 16, 2009. Retrieved on February 16, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4454032
|title=Deal of the Week / Cameron buys Galleria-area building
|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]
|access-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref><ref>Dawson, Jennifer. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/01/21/daily7.html?surround=lfn&brthrs=1 Minute Maid gets $2.4M incentive for move to Sugar Land]". ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Monday January 21, 2008. Retrieved on February 16, 2009.</ref>

In 1991, [[BMC Software]] leased about {{convert|120000|sqft|m2}} at the Sugar Creek National Bank Building and about {{convert|16000|sqft|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, Houston|Westchase]], opened; BMC's headquarters were scheduled to open in 1993.<ref>Bivins, Ralph. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1991_822915 BMC signs a big lease/Firm needs space until tower's done]". ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. November 17, 1991. Retrieved on August 2, 2009.</ref>

===Largest employers===
According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web|date=September 30, 2019|title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report — Fiscal Year 2018-2019|url=https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23657/COSL-CAFR-FY2019-FINAL?bidId=|access-date=July 31, 2020|publisher=City of Sugar Land|format=PDF}}</ref> the largest employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
! Employer
! No. of employees
|-
|1
|[[Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital|Methodist Sugar Land Hospital]]
|2,400
|-
|2
|[[Fluor Corporation|Fluor Enterprises, Inc]]
|1,980
|-
|3
|[[Schlumberger]]
|1,900
|-
|4
|[[Nalco Champion]]
|1,216
|-
|5
|[[Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital|Memorial Hermann Sugar Land]]
|800
|-
|6
|[[CHI St. Luke's Health|St. Luke's Hospital Sugar Land]]
|473
|-
|7
|Accredo Packaging
|425
|-
|8
|[[Baker Hughes]]
|422
|-
|9
|Applied Optoelectronics
|396
|-
|10
|[[AmerisourceBergen|AmerisourceBergen Drug Company]]
|380
|-
|}

==Government and infrastructure==
===Local government===
[[File:SugarLandTXCityHall.JPG|right|thumb|City of Sugar Land City Hall, [[Sugar Land Town Square]], [[First Colony]]]]
[[File:SugarLAndFireDept1.JPG|thumb|The grounds of Sugar Land Fire Department #1 house the City of Sugar Land Fire Department offices, and at one time housed City Hall.]]
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.

Some of the strengths of the council-manager form of government as opposed to a strong-mayor form of government include - all councilmembers have equal rights, obligations and opportunities, the power is assigned to the council as a whole, and the city manager must be responsive in providing day-to-day services to citizens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/index.aspx?nid=170| title=Form of Government| publisher=City of Sugar Land| access-date=August 31, 2016}}</ref>

Sugar Land has had four city managers since instituting the council-manager form of government in 1986:

* William H. Lewis (1986&ndash;1988)
* David Neeley (1988&ndash;2001)
* Allen Bogard (2001–2020)
*Michael Goodrum (2020–Present)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/2019/11/02/sugar-land-names-new-city-manager/|title=Sugar Land names new city manager|last=Taylor|first=Brittany|date=November 2, 2019|website=KPRC|language=en|access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>

The average tenure nationwide for municipal and county managers is 7.4 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://icma.org/en/icma/career_network/education/data |title=Statistics and Data |website=ICMA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613055953/https://icma.org/en/icma/career_network/education/data |archive-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> The City of Sugar Land's last two city managers have an average tenure of over 13 years. The longevity of Sugar Land's city managers indicates stability in this form of government.

Sugar Land's composition of the [[city council]] consists of a [[mayor]], four councilmembers to be elected by [[single-member districts]] in odd-numbered years and two councilmembers by [[at-large]] positions in even-numbered years with the mayor.

The city hall was built as part of the Sugar Land Town Square development in First Colony.<ref name="HallHeart">Hall, Christine. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/04/18/focus2.html?q=%20Sugar%20Land%20Town%20Square%20%20%20First%20Colony Sugar Land Town Square gets a 'heart' with addition of City Hall]." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. April 15, 2005. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref> Prior to the opening of the current city hall, city hall was located at 10405 Corporate Drive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/template.asp?pageid=511 |title=City Phone Directory |publisher=City of Sugar Land |date=May 16, 2003 |access-date=June 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030725091402/http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/template.asp?pageid=511 |archive-date=July 25, 2003 }}</ref> That space was converted for use by the offices of the Sugar Land Fire Department.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/fire/programs/citizens_fire_academy/index.asp |title=Citizen's Fire Academy |publisher=City of Sugar Land |access-date=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719164401/http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/fire/programs/citizens_fire_academy/index.asp |archive-date=July 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Sugar Land has had nine mayors:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.sugar-land.tx.us/sugarland/about_us/history_presentation.asp |title=City of Sugar Land |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720145744/http://www.ci.sugar-land.tx.us/sugarland/about_us/history_presentation.asp |archive-date=July 20, 2007}}</ref>
* 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. Hrbacek]] (1996–2002)
* [[David G. Wallace]] (2002–2008)
* [[James A. Thompson (Texas politician)|James A. Thompson]] (2008–2016)
* Joe R. Zimmerman (2016–Present)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/index.aspx?nid=160|title=Mayor & City Council - Sugar Land, TX - Official Website|website=Sugarlandtx.gov|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

===Politics===
At the start of the 21st century, Sugar Land was well-known as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] stronghold.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/04/26/for-a-conservative-life-is-sweet-in-sugar-land-tex/0a2f5ae5-2892-4a0f-83c0-c8e7b1817fe5/ |title=For a Conservative, Life Is Sweet in Sugar Land, Tex. |date=2004-04-26 |access-date=2022-10-11 |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Finkel |first=David}}</ref> More recently, the city has been trending [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] in presidential elections; after voting Republican in 2012<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/CanvassReport.pdf |title=2012 Canvass Report |access-date=2022-10-11}}</ref> and 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/FBCcanvass2016PDF.pdf |title=2016 Canvass Report |access-date=2022-10-11}}</ref> Sugar Land was won by [[Joe Biden]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/sites/default/files/document-central/document-central/elections-documents/2020-election-results/FBCCanvass.pdf |title=2020 Canvass Report |access-date=2022-10-11}}</ref>

Sugar Land is located in [[Texas's 22nd congressional district]]. It is represented in the US House of Representatives by Republican [[Troy Nehls]], a former Fort Bend county sheriff. The district had long elected former House Majority Leader [[Tom DeLay]], who served from here from 1985 until his 2006 resignation.  Previously in 1976, Republicans ran a write-in campaign and gained election of Republican [[Ron Paul]], who served briefly in 1976. He ran for a full term in 1978, serving from 1979 until 1985.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Stronghold: How Republicans Captured Congress But Surrendered the White House |last=Schaller| first=Thomas F. |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0300172034 |pages=173}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000583 |title=Biography Ronald Ernest Paul |website=Bioguide.congress.gov |publisher=Biographical Director of the United States Congress |access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref>

In the [[Texas Legislature]], most of Sugar Land is represented in [[Texas Senate, District 17|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, Texas|New Territory]], [[Greatwood, Texas|Greatwood]], River Park and [[Telfair, Sugar Land|Telfair]], are situated in [[Texas Senate, District 18|District 18]], represented by Republican [[Lois Kolkhorst]]. She succeeded [[Glenn Hegar]] in a 2014 special election following the latter's election as [[Texas State Comptroller]] earlier that year.

In the [[Texas House of Representatives]], most of Sugar Land is located in District 26, which is represented by Republican [[Rick Miller (Texas politician)|Rick Miller]], a retired [[United States Navy]] officer and current Sugar Land businessman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/138333/rick-miller |title=Rick Miller's Biography |website=Vote Smart |access-date=March 1, 2014}}</ref> Some parts of the city are also represented by Democrat [[Ron Reynolds (Texas politician)|Ron Reynolds]] (the Sugar Land Business Park) in District 27 and Republican Phil Stephenson in District 85 (the River Park, Commonwealth and Riverstone communities).

===County government===
Fort Bend County does not have a hospital district. OakBend Medical Center serves as the county's charity hospital which the county contracts with.<ref>{{cite web|last=Knipp|first=Bethany|url=https://communityimpact.com/news/2016/11/02/fort-bend-county-lacks-hospital-district/|title=Fort Bend County lacks hospital district|newspaper=[[Community Impact Newspaper]]|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=October 18, 2021}}</ref>

===State government===
The [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] (TDCJ) operates the [[Jester State Prison Farm]] complex ([[Jester I Unit|Jester I]], [[Carol Vance Unit|Vance]], [[Jester III Unit|Jester III]], and [[Jester IV Unit|Jester IV]]) in an [[unincorporated area]] near Sugar Land.<!--Vance is one of the institutions of the Jester farm--><ref>Nowell, Scott. "[http://www.houstonpress.com/2003-09-18/news/doing-time/ Doing Time]" ''[[Houston Press]]''. Thursday September 18, 2003. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.</ref>

The TDCJ operated the [[Central Unit]] in Sugar Land.<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/c.htm CENTRAL (C)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725200946/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/c.htm |date=2010-07-25 }}." ''[[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]''. Retrieved September 14, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://svrch15.sugarlandtx.gov/website/street_locator/viewer.htm |title=Street/Address Locator |publisher=City of Sugar Land |access-date=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609004604/http://svrch15.sugarlandtx.gov/website/street_locator/viewer.htm |archive-date=June 9, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Central Unit was the only state prison within the city limits of Sugar Land.<ref name="HansonHist">Hanson, Eric. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5640750.html Historic prison may be closed]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. March 22, 2008. Retrieved on April 30, 2011.</ref> The Sugar Land Distribution Center, a TDCJ men's correctional supply warehouse, was inside the Central Unit compound.<ref name="SLDC">"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/manufacturing-logistics/transport/transport-agricul--warehs.htm Sugar Land Distribution Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712211436/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/manufacturing-logistics/transport/transport-agricul--warehs.htm |date=2010-07-12 }}." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.</ref> In 2011 the TDCJ announced that the prison was closing and would be vacant by the end of August of that year.<ref>Ward, Mike. "[http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=59098 Texas closing prison as part of cutbacks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401142044/http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=59098 |date=2012-04-01 }}." ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' at KDH News. Wednesday August 3, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.</ref> With the prison's closing, Sugar Land became the first Texas city to have its state prison close without a replacement facility.<ref>Maxey, Elsa. "[http://www.fortbendstar.com/?p=7238 Sugar Land Central prison unit to be emptied out by end of August]." ''[[Fort Bend Star]]''. Retrieved on September 30, 2011.</ref>

===Post offices===
[[File:SugarLandPostOfficeSugarLandTX.JPG|thumb|Sugar Land Post Office]]The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the Sugar Land Post Office at 225 Matlage Way and the First Colony Post Office at 3130 Grants Lake Boulevard.<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120719165856/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/48747?p=1&s=TX&service_name=post_office&z=Sugar+Land Post Office Location - SUGAR LAND]". ''[[United States Postal Service]]''. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.</ref><ref>"[https://archive.today/20120718001903/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/57192?p=1&s=TX&service_name=post_office&z=Sugar+Land Post Office Location - FIRST COLONY]". ''[[United States Postal Service]]''. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.</ref>

==Culture and sports==
{{See also|Culture of Houston|Sports in Houston}}
[[File:Smart Financial Centre.jpg|thumb|The [[Smart Financial Centre]] in Sugar Land.|left]]
Sugar Land has a largely [[White-collar worker|white-collar]], university-educated workforce employed in Houston's energy industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/sugarland/press_room/quick_facts/census_2000.asp |title=Press Room - Quick Facts - Selected Census 2000 Information |publisher=City of Sugar Land |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128111405/http://sugarlandtx.gov/sugarland/press_room/quick_facts/census_2000.asp |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.

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, Texas|Round Rock]]) and 2006. The "Fittest City in Texas" program is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.<ref name="SLFCT">{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=11552 |title=Sugar Land Wins Fourth Straight "Fittest City in Texas" Title |publisher=Sugarlandtx.gov |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121214065333/http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=11552 |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="SLFCT2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=11336 |title=Sugar Land Stays Active to Three-peat as "Fittest City in Texas" |publisher=Sugarlandtx.gov |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121214035919/http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=11336 |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Local sports are popular both at the recreational and competitive levels. Sugar Land formed its first community swim team, the Sugar Land Sharks, in 1967, and it is still competing as of 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=12076 |title=City of Sugar Land Articles |publisher=City of Sugar Land |date=October 22, 2009 |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120806005320/http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/program/view.asp?ID=12076 |archive-date=August 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sugarlandsharks.org/|title=Start Here! - Sugar Land Sharks|website=Sugarlandsharks.org|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

Sugar Land is home to the [[Smart Financial Centre]], an indoor concert hall that is the only such venue of its kind in [[Greater Houston]], and can seat 6,400 seats for multiple events including concerts, cultural events and graduations. An outdoor arts plaza is also being constructed around the concert hall, and will be incorporated with a new mixed-use development that will include two hotels, a conference center, office and ground-level retail, and an age-restricted senior living multifamily complex.

Sugar Land is the home of the [[Sugar Land Space Cowboys]] [[Minor League Baseball]] team, founded in 2012, who play at [[Constellation Field]] in the Imperial master-planned community, located between the Sugar Land Regional Airport and the former Imperial Sugar property.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sugarlandskeeters.com/index.cfm |title=Official Website of the Sugar Land Skeeters |publisher=sugarlandskeeters.com |date=May 27, 2012 |access-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526064526/http://sugarlandskeeters.com/index.cfm |archive-date=May 26, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Originally known as the Sugar Land Skeeters, they won the 2016 and 2018 championship in the independent [[Atlantic League of Professional Baseball]]. In 2021, the Skeeters joined the [[Triple-A West]] as the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] affiliate of the [[Houston Astros]].<ref>{{cite web |last=McTaggart |first=Brian |url=https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-sugar-land-skeeters-agreement |title=Sugar Land Becomes Astros affiliate  |website=Houston Astros |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=November 20, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> After the 2021 season, the team rebranded as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Winkler|first=Adam|title=Digging Into the Process of Rebranding From Sugar Land Skeeters to Space Cowboys|url=https://abc13.com/minor-league-baseball-sugar-land-skeeters-team-rebranding/11520651/|website=ABC 13|date=January 29, 2022|access-date=January 30, 2022}}</ref>

In 2014 the Sugar Land Youth Cricket Club, a children's [[cricket (sport)|cricket]] club, was established. In 2016 it played its home games at [[Islamic Education Institute of Texas|Everest Academy]] in [[Stafford, Texas|Stafford]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Kadifa, Margaret|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/news/article/Cricket-isn-t-a-bug-to-this-group-of-youngsters-6946946.php|title='Cricket' isn't a bug to this group of youngsters|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=March 22, 2016|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:Sugar Land TX Constellation Field.jpg|Constellation Field, Home of Space Cowboys Minor League Baseball Team
File:Sugar Land TX Natural Science Museum.jpg|Houston Natural Science Museum at Sugar Land
</gallery>

==Local attractions==
[[Image:1cmall.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Colony Mall]]]]
[[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. 

Sugar Land also hosts the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), offers ice skating and hockey lessons. It is open to the public as an ice skating facility. Previously, it served as the practice facility for the [[Houston Aeros (1994–2013)|Houston Aeros]] of the [[American Hockey League]]. Also Olympic medalist [[Tara Lipinski]] trained at the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center.

In May 2016, two sculptures in the Town Square's public plaza were installed as part of a 10-piece collection donated by a Sugar Land resident to the city through the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=798 |date=May 27, 2016 |title=Sugar Land Installs Donated Sculptures to Town Square Plaza |publisher=City of Sugar Land}}</ref> One of the statues, which depicts two girls taking a selfie, has received criticism<ref>{{cite news |url=http://abc7ny.com/news/selfie-statue-in-texas-sparks-backlash/1367187/ |title=Selfie Statue in Texas Sparks Backlash |via=[[WABC-TV]]|agency=ABC News |author=Patrick Clarke |date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> and acclaim<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Year in Nine Objects |author=Rob Walker |date=December 30, 2016 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-in-nine-objects |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Jacob Brogan |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/06/02/a_defense_of_the_bronze_selfie_statue_in_sugar_land_tx.html |title=In Defense of the Controversial Selfie Statue in Sugar Land, Texas |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]}}</ref> from the media and general public.

Future developments in the city include new mixed-use developments on the grounds of the former Imperial Sugar refinery, Imperial Market, which will incorporate the property's 1920s-era char house as a boutique hotel, as well as in the southern part of the Telfair master-planned community with the [[Smart Financial Centre]] as an anchor.

==Education==
===Higher education===
{{see also|List of colleges and universities in Houston}}
[[File:University of Houston System at Sugar Land.jpg|thumb|Albert and Mamie George Building on University of Houston Sugar Land campus]]
A branch campus of [[Wharton County Junior College]] and a branch campus of [[University of Houston]] are both located in Sugar Land.

Sugar Land is under state law in the service area of Wharton County Junior College, as its [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm|title=EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 130. JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICTS|website=Statutes.capitol.texas.gov|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> Wharton County College is a comprehensive [[community college]] offering a wide range of postsecondary educational programs and services including [[associate degree]]s, certificates, and continuing-education courses. The college prepares students interested in transferring to baccalaureate-granting institutions.

===Primary and secondary education===
====Public schools====
[[File:FBISDAdmin.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Bend Independent School District]] administration building]]
All public school systems in Texas are administered by the [[Texas Education Agency]] (TEA). The [[Fort Bend Independent School District]] (FBISD) is the school district that serves almost all of the city of Sugar&nbsp;Land; it formed in 1959 by the consolidation of Missouri City Independent School District and the [[Sugar Land Independent School District]].<ref name="FBISDSchoolHist">"[https://www.fortbendisd.com/Page/226 History]." [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Retrieved on July 20, 2017.</ref> The southwest portion of Sugar&nbsp;Land and some very small areas within its [[extraterritorial jurisdiction]] (ETJ) are in the [[Lamar Consolidated Independent School District]] (LCISD).

High schools serving Sugar Land residents in Fort Bend ISD include [[Clements High School]], [[Dulles High School (Sugar Land, Texas)|Dulles High School]] and [[Kempner High School]], as well as [[Stephen F. Austin High School (Fort Bend County, Texas)|Austin High School]] and [[Travis High School (Fort Bend County, Texas)|Travis High School]] north of the city, which both serve students in New Territory, while Lamar Consolidated ISD's [[Lamar Consolidated High School]] and [[George Ranch High School]], respectively, serve the River Park and Greatwood master-planned communities in Sugar Land.

Dulles, Clements, and Austin have been recognized by ''[[Texas Monthly]]'' magazine in its list of the top high schools in  Texas. In addition, Dulles, Clements, and  Austin high schools were also ranked among the top 1000 schools in the United States by ''[[Newsweek]]'''s 2009 report.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/?s=sugar+land&q=2009/rank/1! |title=America's Top Public High Schools - The Daily Beast |publisher=Newsweek.com |date=June 7, 2009 |access-date=June 24, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:ClementsSugarLandTX..jpg|thumb|left|[[Clements High School]]]]
Prior to 1959 [[Sugar Land High School]], which merged into Dulles that year, served the city.<ref name="FB1997" /> At the time FBISD formed, white students attended an elementary school in Sugar Land, a junior high school in Sugar Land, and a high school site in Missouri City. The elementary and junior high campus now houses Lakeview Elementary School and the high school site now houses Missouri City Middle School. Dulles High School became the zoned high school for white students in FBISD. Black students in Sugar Land for grades 1–12 were served by [[M.R. Wood School]], one of FBISD's three [[black school|schools for black children]]. Following racial desegregation in 1965,<ref name="FBISDSchoolHist" /> Dulles became the only zoned high school for students of all races in FBISD until [[Willowridge High School (Houston)|Willowridge High School]] opened in 1979.<ref name="FB1997">{{cite news |author=Solomon, Jerome |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1433312 |title=FOOTBALL 1997/HIGH SCHOOLS/FORT BEND BONANZA/Phillips, Dulles in hunt to add to town's memories |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=August 28, 1997 |access-date=December 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709123726/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1433312 |archive-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref>

In addition, the [[Harmony Public Schools]] operates three [[charter schools]] in the city, the grades K–5 Harmony Science Academy, 6–8 Harmony School of Excellence, and grades 9–12 Harmony School of Innovation.

====Private schools====
Many [[private school]]s in Sugar Land and the surrounding area are of all types: nonreligious, nonsectarian, 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.

The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston]] operates two Catholic [[K–8 school]]s in Sugar Land: St. Theresa Catholic School and St. Laurence School, both named for two of the city's Catholic parishes. St. Laurence, established in 1992,<ref>"[https://stlaurenceschool.org/history-1 History]." St. Laurence School. Retrieved on March 30, 2019.</ref> received additions in 1996 and 2002.<ref>"[https://stlaurenceschool.org/campus Campus]." St. Laurence School. Retrieved on March 30, 2019. "2630 Austin Parkway Sugar Land, TX.  77479"</ref> St. Theresa was established in 2008.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090408052308/http://www.sttheresacatholicschool.org/ Home]. St. Theresa Catholic School. April 8, 2009. Retrieved on March 30, 2019.</ref> The city government approved the permit for the St. Theresa school building in 2007,<ref>{{cite web|author=Kumar, Seshadri|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Sugar-Land-OKs-permit-for-St-Theresa-school-1664066.php|title=Sugar Land OKs permit for St. Theresa school|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=April 25, 2007|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> and it was dedicated on August 13, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend-news/article/St-Theresa-Catholic-Church-to-dedicate-1745306.php|title=St. Theresa Catholic Church to dedicate educational building Aug. 13|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=August 3, 2009|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> Some high school students attend [[Pope John XXIII High School (Harris County, Texas)|Pope John XXIII High School]] in [[Greater Katy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/schools/article/Pope-John-XXIII-High-golfers-take-second-place-4954881.php|title=Pope John XXIII High golfers take second place|publisher=The Katy Rancher at the [[Houston Chronicle]]|date=November 4, 2013|access-date=March 25, 2017|quote=Pope John XXIII High School, [...] serves Houston's far west side, including areas of [...] Sugar Land, [...]}}</ref>

The [[Fort Bend Christian Academy]], formerly known as Fort Bend Baptist Academy, is in Sugar Land. Logos Preparatory Academy is also located in Sugar Land. The Honor Roll School has grades PK-8.  The [[Darul Arqam Schools]] Southwest Campus is located in Alief, Houston, with a Sugar Land postal address.<ref name="DarulSW">{{cite web |title=Darul Arqam Southwest |url=http://www.southwest.darularqamschools.org/ |access-date=January 20, 2018 |archive-date=January 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071425/http://www.southwest.darularqamschools.org/ |url-status=dead }} Quote "An AdvancEd accredited Islamic School in Sugar Land and a member of the IEIT School System." and "10415 Synott Rd.  Sugar Land, TX 77498" However the school is actually in the Houston city limits. See the City of Houston and Alief super neighborhood maps. From the [https://web.archive.org/web/19961031170034/http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/annexation/annexation_FAQ.html City of Houston]: "The U.S. Postal Service establishes ZIP codes and mailing addresses in order to maximize the efficiency of their system, not to recognize jurisdictional boundaries."</ref><ref name=Houstonmap/>

{{Asof|2019}} [[The Village School (Houston)|The Village School]] in the [[Energy Corridor]] area;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/houston/village-school/our-school/our-students/student-life/bus-services|title=Bus Services|publisher=[[The Village School (Houston)|The Village School]]|access-date=March 30, 2019}} - [https://img.nordangliaeducation.com/resources/us/_filecache/c1e/4ca/29363-village-bus-routes-2018-2019.pdf Village Bus Routes 2018-2019] and [https://img.nordangliaeducation.com/resources/us/_filecache/bb3/799/29362-sugarland.pdf Sugar Land Bus Route]</ref> the [[British International School of Houston]] in [[Greater Katy]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/houston/british-international/admissions/school-bus-transportation|title=School Bus Transportation|publisher=[[British International School of Houston]]|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> and [[Awty International School]] in [[Spring Branch, Houston|Spring Branch]], which includes the Houston area's French international school,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awty.org/uploaded/news_and_events/parent_eguide/parentguide1718/Bus_Schedule_2017-2018.pdf|title=Bus Schedule 2017-2018|publisher=[[Awty International School]]|access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> have bus service to Sugar Land.

===Public libraries===
Residents of Sugar Land are served by the [[Fort Bend County Libraries]] system, which has 11 libraries. Three branches are within the city: Sugar Land Branch, First Colony Branch, and University Branch on the University of Houston Sugar Land branch campus.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:SugarLandLibrarySugarlandTX.JPG|Sugar Land Library Branch
File:Sugar Land TX First Colony Library.jpg|First Colony Library Branch
File:Fort Bend County Libraries - University Branch.JPG|University Library Branch
</gallery>

==Media==
===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 [[Jester State Prison Farm|Beauford H. Jester prison pre-release center]]. Other parts of the set were filmed in and around Sugar Land. The movie's title parses the name of the city as one word rather than two. It was among [[Steven Spielberg]]'s first films before he became famous. The film was the first theatrical feature film directed by Spielberg.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sugar Land Express Gang|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/%E2%80%9Csugarland-express%E2%80%9D-gang|work=Texas Monthly}}</ref>

In 2010, ''The Legend of Action Man'' was filmed in Sugar Land. The film was produced by Dingoman Productions, a sketch comedy group formed by Sugar Land residents Andy Young, Derek Papa & James McEnelly who got their start attending Austin High School together. The story takes place in the Sugar Land area and makes use of many of the landmarks there. ''Action Man'' is famous for being one of the least expensive films ever made, made on a budget of $200. Director Andy Young has written about the experience for ''Moviemaker'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.moviemaker.com/articles-directing/how-to-make-a-feature-film-for-under-200-legend-of-action-man-20110408/ | title=How to Make a Feature Film for Under $200 - MovieMaker Magazine | date=April 26, 2011 }}</ref>

===Music references===
[[Folk musician]] [[Lead Belly]]'s song "[[Midnight Special (song)|Midnight Special]]" discusses his arrest in Houston and his stay at the Sugar Land Prison (now the Beauford H. Jester pre-release Center{{fact|date=May 2025}}) in 1925.

<blockquote><poem>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.</poem></blockquote>

Country music band [[Sugarland]] gets its name from the city. They reference it in their song "Sugarland".

[[Bruce Springsteen]] recorded but did not release a song called "Sugar Land", about the economic crisis facing American agriculture in the 1980s.

===Newspapers and magazines===
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 ''Covering Fort Bend'', 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 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 seventh-largest market in the United States according to Nielsen Media Research.

The city is also served by a citywide [[public-access television]] on [[cable TV|cable]] channel 16, which covers city council meetings, planning and zoning meetings, community events, [[Fort Bend Independent School District|FBISD]] board meetings, and [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend County]] Commissioners' Court meetings.

The vast majority of cable subscribers in the Sugar Land area are served by [[Comcast]]-owned [[Xfinity]], which took over the Houston area's dominant cable franchise from [[Time Warner]] in 2007. Other cable options in Sugar Land include [[AT&T U-verse]], En-Touch Systems (which covers the River Park West and Telfair areas of the city), [[Phonoscope Communications|Phonoscope]], TVMAX, and [[Ygnition]] (the latter two of which cover cable subscribers in multifamily housing developments).

Sugar Land is the setting in the new Lifetime series, ''[[The Client List (TV series)|The Client List]]'' starring [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]]. Hewitt's character lives in Beaumont, but commutes to Sugar Land to work at a scandalous massage parlor.

Sugar Land is mentioned in Season 7 of the television series ''[[The Rookie (TV series)|The Rookie]]'', where the character Officer Miles Penn, portrayed by Deric Augustine, is said to have worked as a police officer in Sugar Land for two years before transferring to [[Los Angeles]].

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transportation in Sugar Land, Texas}}
Sugar Land currently does not have a [[public transport|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 [[regional rail|commuter rail]] along [[U.S. Route 90 Alternate (Texas)|U.S. Highway 90A]]. The city is not a participant in the Houston area's [[Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas|METRO]] transit authority; Sugar Land's merchants do not collect the sales tax that partially funds that agency. [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend County]] Public Transit provides commuter service from Sugar Land to Houston.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/index.aspx?page=317|title=Fort Bend County, TX : Commuter Park and Ride Services|website=Fortbendcountytx.gov|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

===Major thoroughfares===
[[Interstate 69 in Texas|Interstate 69]]/[[U.S. Route 59 in Texas|U.S. Highway 59]], the major freeway running diagonally through the city, has undergone a major widening project in recent years to accommodate the region's daily commuters. The finished portion of the freeway from east of State Highway 6 to just west of State Highway 99 currently has eight main lanes, with two diamond lanes and six continuous frontage road lanes. The freeway is currently undergoing a major expansion west of the city to accommodate growth in the nearby Richmond/Rosenberg area and western Fort Bend County, as well as upgrading it to federal highway standards to reflect its newfound status as an [[Interstate Highway System|interstate highway]].

[[U.S. Route 90 Alternate (Texas)|U.S. Highway 90 Alternate]] is another major highway running through Sugar Land from west to east and traverses a historic area of the city, known as "Old Sugar Land". Originally the main highway in Sugar Land prior to the construction of what is now Interstate 69, U.S. Highway 90A is currently widened to an eight-lane highway with a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} median between State Highway 6 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59.

[[Texas State Highway 6|State Highway 6]] is a major highway running from north to southeast Sugar Land and traverses through the {{convert|10,000|acre|km2}} master-planned community of First Colony. There is a freeway section that 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.

A segment of [[Texas State Highway 99|State Highway 99]]/[[Grand Parkway]] currently traverses the New Territory and River Park master-planned communities. The original highway opened in 1994, with toll lanes added in 2014. Construction will start soon south of its current terminus at Interstate 69/US 59, which is expected to extend the highway east to Alvin in Brazoria County.

Texas F.M. 1876, widely known as Copenhaver 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===
[[Image:SugarLandAirportSugarLandTX.JPG|thumb|right|[[Sugar Land Regional Airport]]]]
[[Sugar Land Regional Airport]] (formerly Hull Field, later Sugar Land Municipal Airport) was purchased from a private interest in 1990 by the city of Sugar Land. It is the fourth largest airport within the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The airport handles approximately 250 aircraft operations per day. The airport has an on-field United States Customs office, making this airport attractive to energy companies based in the Houston metropolitan area as this allows flights directly to and from countries wherein overseas operations are located, allowing fliers to avoid the delays inherent in high traffic airports such as [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|George Bush Intercontinental]].

The airport today serves the area's [[general aviation]] (GA) aircraft serving corporate, governmental, and private clientele. A new {{convert|20000|sqft|adj=on}} terminal and a {{convert|60|acre|adj=on}} 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), {{convert|40|mi}} northeast, and [[William P. Hobby Airport]] (HOU), {{convert|27|mi}} east.

The city of Houston maintains a park that occupies {{convert|750|acre}} 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 [[Texas State Highway 6|State Highway 6]] in Sugar Land to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to feed the flight from Bush Intercontinental to [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]].<ref>"[http://www.china-airlines.com/en/promotionen/promotionen000007.htm Houston International Airport Bus Service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704062327/http://www.china-airlines.com/en/promotionen/promotionen000007.htm |date=2007-07-04 }}", ''[[China Airlines]]''</ref> The service ended when China Airlines pulled out of Houston on January 29, 2008.<ref name="Curtail">Hensel, Bill, Jr. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2008_4493415 2 foreign airlines curtailing Houston passenger service / High fuel prices hit carriers from Mexico, Taiwan]". ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Saturday January 12, 2008. Business 1. Retrieved on June 12, 2009.</ref>

==Notable people==
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* [[Katie Armiger]], country singer
* [[Kevin Bass]], former outfielder for the [[Houston Astros]] and the [[San Francisco Giants]]
* [[Derek Carr]], NFL quarterback
* [[Tom DeLay]], former United States Representative and House Majority Leader
* [[Ed Fiori]], Professional Golfer
* [[Sean Patrick Flanery]], Actor
* [[Derrick Frazier]], NFL [[cornerback]]
* [[Stuart Holden]], soccer player
* [[Jerry Hughes]], defensive end for the [[Buffalo Bills]]
* [[George Iloka]], NFL player
* [[Brittney Karbowski]], voice actor
* [[Tara Lipinski]], Olympic gold medalist in figure skating
* [[Diana López (taekwondo)|Diana López]], [[Mark López (taekwondo)|Mark López]], and [[Steven López]], Taekwondo athletes
* [[Keshi (singer)|Casey Luong, known as Keshi]], singer, grew up in Sugar Land
* [[Simone Manuel]], Olympic gold medalist in swimming<ref>Rogers, Katie (August 12, 2016). [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/sports/olympics/a-closer-look-at-simone-manuel-olympic-medalist-history-maker.html "A Closer Look at Simone Manuel, Olympic Medalist, History Maker"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved July 21, 2021.</ref>
* [[Maddie Font]], member of country duo [[Maddie & Tae]]
* [[Pete Olson]], United States Representative
* [[Ashley Spillers]], actress, grew up in Sugar Land
* [[Allison Tolman]], [[66th Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy]]-nominated actress
* [[Ryan Trahan]], [[YouTuber]]
* [[Simeon Woods Richardson]], MLB pitcher
* [[Rosé (drag queen)|Rosé]], drag queen, [[RuPaul's Drag Race]] [[RuPaul's Drag Race season 13|Season 13]] finalist
* [[Nicholas Alexander Chavez]], actor, spent part of his early childhood in Sugar Land

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Handbook of Texas|id=hfs10|name=Sugar Land, Texas}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Slotboom
  | first = Oscar F. "Erik"
  | title = Houston Freeways
  | publisher = Oscar F. Slotboom
  | year = 2003 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.sugarlandtx.gov City website]

{{Sugar Land}}
{{Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA}}
{{Fort Bend County, Texas}}
{{Texas|expand}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sugar Land, Texas| ]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Cities in Texas]]
[[Category:Company towns in Texas]]
[[Category:Cities in Fort Bend County, Texas]]
[[Category:Greater Houston]]
[[Category:Planned communities in the United States]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1908]]
[[Category:Sugar plantations in Texas]]