Fort Bend County, Texas

County in Texas, United States

U.S. county in Texas

Fort Bend County

U.S. county

Fort Bend County Courthouse, Richmond, November 2008

Fort Bend County Courthouse, Richmond, November 2008

Official seal of Fort Bend County

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Texas's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State| File:Flag of Texas.svg Texas
Founded| 1838
Named for| A blockhouse positioned in a bend of the Brazos River
Seat| Richmond
Largest city| Sugar Land
Area

• Total| 885 sq mi (2,290 km2)
• Land| 861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Water| 24 sq mi (60 km2)  2.7%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 822,779
• Estimate

(2021)

| 858,527
• Density| 930/sq mi (360/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts| 9th, 22nd
Website| www.fortbendcountytx.gov

File:(Fort Bend County Court House, Richmond, Texas) (12819388513).jpg

Fort Bend County Court House in 1948

Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year.[1] It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days.

The county seat is Richmond.[2] The largest city located entirely within the county borders is Sugar Land. The largest city by population in the county is Houston; however, most of Houston's population is located in neighboring Harris County.

Fort Bend County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 822,779.[3][4] In 2017, Forbes ranked it the fifth-fastest growing county in the United States.[5]

In 2015, Fort Bend County became Texas's wealthiest county, with a median household income of $95,389 and a median family income of $105,944, surpassing Collin and Rockwall Counties since the 2000 census.[6]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 20th century to present
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Adjacent counties
* 3 Communities
* 3.1 Cities (multiple counties)
* 3.2 Cities
* 3.3 Town
* 3.4 Villages
* 3.5 Census-designated places
* 3.6 Unincorporated communities
* 3.7 Ghost towns
* 4 Demographics
* 4.1 Ethnic backgrounds
* 4.2 Economic characteristics
* 5 Government and politics
* 5.1 Commissioners' court
* 5.2 County officials
* 5.3 United States Congress
* 5.4 Texas Legislature
* 5.4.1 Texas Senate
* 5.4.2 Texas House of Representatives
* 5.5 Corrections
* 5.6 County buildings
* 6 Economy
* 7 Healthcare
* 8 Education
* 8.1 Public school districts
* 8.2 Higher education
* 8.3 Technical school
* 8.4 Libraries
* 9 Media
* 10 Transportation
* 10.1 Major highways
* 10.2 Major Farm to Market Roads
* 10.3 Airports
* 10.4 Mass transit
* 10.5 Freeway system
* 10.6 Toll roads
* 11 See also
* 12 References
* 13 External links

## History[edit | edit source]

Before European settlement, the area was inhabited by Karankawa Indians. Spanish colonists generally did not reach the area during their colonization, settling more in South Texas.

File:The Sugar Land Refinery in Sugar Land, TX.jpg

The former Sugar Land Refinery in Sugar Land, TX

After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, Anglo-Americans started entering from the east. In 1822, a group of Stephen F. Austin's colonists, headed by William Travis, built a fort at the present site of Richmond. The fort was called Fort Bend because it was built in the bend of the Brazos River.[7] The city of Richmond was incorporated under the Republic of Texas along with 19 other towns in 1837. Fort Bend County was created from parts of Austin, Harris, and Brazoria Counties in 1838.

Fort Bend developed a plantation economy based on cotton as the commodity crop. Planters had numerous African-American slaves as laborers. By the 1850s, Fort Bend was one of six majority-black counties in Texas.[8] In 1860, the slave population totaled 4,127, more than twice that of the 2,016 whites.[9] Few free Blacks lived there, as Texas refused them entry.

While the area began to attract white immigrants in the late 19th century, it remained majority-Black during and after Reconstruction. Whites endeavored to control freedmen and their descendants through violence and intimidation. Freedmen and their sympathizers supported the Republican Party because of emancipation, electing their candidates to office. The state legislature was still predominately white. By the 1880s, most white residents belonged to the Democratic Party. Factional tensions were fierce, as political elements split largely along racial lines. The Jaybirds, representing the majority of the Whites, struggled to regain control from the Woodpeckers, who were made up of some whites who were consistently elected to office by the majority of African Americans, as several had served as Republican officials during Reconstruction.

Fort Bend County was the site of the Jaybird–Woodpecker War in 1888–89. After a few murders were committed, the political feud culminated in a gun battle at the courthouse on August 16, 1889, when several more people were killed and the Woodpeckers were routed from the county seat.[10]

Governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross sent in militia forces and declared martial law. With his support, the Jaybirds ordered a list of certain Blacks and Woodpecker officials out of the county, overthrowing the local government. The Jaybirds took over county offices and established a "White-only pre-primary," disenfranchising African Americans from the only competitive contests in the county.[10] This device lasted until 1950, when Willie Melton and Arizona Fleming won a lawsuit against the practice in United States District Court, though it was overturned on appeal. In 1953, they ultimately won their suit when the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Jaybird primary unconstitutional in Terry v. Adams,[11] the last of the white primary cases.[12]

### 20th century to present[edit | edit source]

In the middle 1950s, Fort Bend and neighboring Galveston County were plagued by organized crime, which was involved with brothels and illegal casinos. Editor Clymer Wright of the Fort Bend Reporter joined with state officials and the Texas Rangers to rid the area of such corruption. Wright defied death threats to report on the issues and clean up the community.[13] He soon sold his paper, now known as the Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster.[14]

In the 1960s, the first of several master-planned communities that came to define the county were developed, marking the beginning of its transformation from a largely rural county dominated by railroad and oil and gas interests to a major suburban county dominated by service and manufacturing industries. Among the earliest such developments were Sugar Land's Sugar Creek and Missouri City's Quail Valley, whose golf course hosted the Houston Open during the 1973 and 1974 seasons of the PGA Tour.[15] Another was First Colony in Sugar Land, a 9,700-acre development commenced in the 1970s by Houston developer Gerald D. Hines that eventually became the southwest Greater Houston area's main retail hub, anchored by First Colony Mall and Sugar Land Town Square.[16]

Since the 1980s, new communities have continued to develop, with Greatwood, New Territory, and Sienna (originally Sienna Plantation) among the more recent notable developments.[17] In addition to continued development in the eastern part of the county around Sugar Land and Missouri City, the Greater Katy area began to experience rapid growth and expansion into Fort Bend County in the 1990s, led by the development of Cinco Ranch.[18] By 2010, the county's population exceeded 500,000, and it had become the second-largest county in the greater Houston area (behind Harris County).

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused significant flooding in Fort Bend County, leading to the evacuation of 200,000 residents and over 10,000 rescues. The unprecedented flooding, the result of record rainfall and overflow from the Brazos River and Barker Reservoir, resulted in damage to or destruction of over 6,800 homes in the county.[19]

## Geography[edit | edit source]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 885 square miles (2,290 km2), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km2) are land and 24 square miles (62 km2) (2.7%) are covered by water.[20]

### Adjacent counties[edit | edit source]

* Waller County (north)
* Harris County (northeast)
* Brazoria County (southeast)
* Wharton County (southwest)
* Austin County (northwest)

## Communities[edit | edit source]

### Cities (multiple counties)[edit | edit source]

* Houston (mostly in Harris County and a small part in Montgomery County)
* Katy (partly in Harris and Waller Counties)
* Missouri City (small part in Harris County)
* Pearland (mostly in Brazoria County and a small part in Harris County)
* Stafford (small part in Harris County)

### Cities[edit | edit source]

* Arcola
* Beasley
* Fulshear
* Kendleton
* Meadows Place
* Needville
* Orchard
* Richmond (county seat)
* Rosenberg
* Simonton
* Sugar Land
* Weston Lakes

### Town[edit | edit source]

* Thompsons

### Villages[edit | edit source]

* Fairchilds
* Pleak

### Census-designated places[edit | edit source]

* Cinco Ranch (small part in Harris County)
* Cumings
* Fifth Street
* Four Corners
* Fresno
* Greatwood
* Mission Bend (partly in Harris County)
* New Territory
* Pecan Grove
* Sienna Plantation

### Unincorporated communities[edit | edit source]

* Booth
* Crabb
* Clodine
* Foster
* Guy
* Juliff
* Long Point
* Pecan Hill
* Powell Point
* Riverstone
* Tavener

### Ghost towns[edit | edit source]

* Duke
* Pittsville

## Demographics[edit | edit source]

From 1930 to 1950, the county showed a decline in the rate of expansion and even a decrease in population. This was a period when many African Americans migrated in the second wave of the Great Migration from Texas and other parts of the South to the West Coast, where a buildup in the defense industry provided more job opportunities. Other minorities settled in the county during its residential development, and African Americans are now a minority.

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1850| 2,533| | —
1860| 6,143| | 142.5%
1870| 7,114| | 15.8%
1880| 9,380| | 31.9%
1890| 10,586| | 12.9%
1900| 16,538| | 56.2%
1910| 18,168| | 9.9%
1920| 22,931| | 26.2%
1930| 29,718| | 29.6%
1940| 32,963| | 10.9%
1950| 31,056| | −5.8%
1960| 40,527| | 30.5%
1970| 52,314| | 29.1%
1980| 130,846| | 150.1%
1990| 225,421| | 72.3%
2000| 354,452| | 57.2%
2010| 585,375| | 65.1%
2020| 822,779| | 40.6%
2021 (est.)| 858,527| [21]| 4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
1850–2020[23] 2010[24] 2020[25][3]
Fort Bend County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)  Race / Ethnicity  | Pop 2010[24] | Pop 2020[25] | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 211,680  | 243,726  | 36.16%  | 29.62%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 123,267  | 167,964  | 21.06%  | 20.41%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 1,159  | 1,269  | 0.20%  | 0.15%
Asian alone (NH)  | 98,762  | 181,522  | 16.87%  | 22.06%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 174  | 276  | 0.03%  | 0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)  | 1,341  | 4,055  | 0.23%  | 0.49%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)  | 10,025  | 25,387  | 1.71%  | 3.09%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 138,967  | 198,580  | 23.74%  | 24.14%
Total | 585,375 | 822,779 | 100.00% | 100.00%

Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[26] of 2000, 354,452 people, 110,915 households, and 93,057 families resided in the county. The population density was 405 people per square mile (156/km2). The 115,991 housing units averaged 133 per square mile (51/km2). The racial or ethnic makeup of the county was 56.96% White (46.21% White non-Hispanic), 19.85% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 11.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.10% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. About 21.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Other self-identifications were 8.8% of German ancestry, 6.3% American, and 5.8% English ancestry.

In 2000, of the 110,915 households, 49.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.10% were not families. About 13.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14, and the average family size was 3.46.

In the county, the age distribution of the population was 32.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 5.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

### Ethnic backgrounds[edit | edit source]

Since the 1970s, Fort Bend County has been attracting people from all ethnic backgrounds. According to a 2001 Claritas study, it was the fifth-most diverse U.S. county, among counties with a population of 100,000 or more.[27]

It is one of a growing number of U.S. counties with an ethnic plurality, with no single ethnic group forming a majority of the population. Fort Bend County also has the highest percentage of Asian Americans in the Southern United States; the largest groups are of Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and Filipino ancestry. By 2011, Fort Bend was ranked the fourth-most racially diverse county in the United States by USA Today. The newspaper based the ranking on calculating the probability that two persons selected at random would be of different ethnic groups or races. According to the USA Today methodology, the chance of people of being two different ethnic groups/races being selected was 75%. Karl Eschbach, a former demographer with the State of Texas, has said that many people from Houston neighborhoods and communities with clear racial identities, such as the East End, Sunnyside, and the Third Ward, moved to suburban areas that were too new to have established racial identities. Eschbach explained, "[a]s a large minority middle class started to emerge, Fort Bend was virgin territory that all groups could move to."[28]

In 2020 Fort Bend County had the highest percentage of Asian Americans of any county in Texas. In 2019 Indian Americans make up almost 50% of the Asian Americans in the county, with the second and third largest subsets being Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans. From 2010 to 2020 the percentage of non-Hispanic white people declined by 4.8%, the Asian American community grew by 83,167 (83.7% increase), the percentage of Hispanic people increased by 42.9% and the percentage of black people increased by 35.9%.[29]

### Economic characteristics[edit | edit source]

According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the county was $81,456, and for a family was $90,171.[30] Males had a median income of $54,139 versus $41,353 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,862. About 5.50% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2006, Fort Bend County is the wealthiest county in Texas, with a median household income of $95,389 and a median family income of $105,944, having surpassed Collin and Rockwall Counties since the 2000 census.[6] However, the Council for Community and Economic Research ranked Fort Bend County America's third-wealthiest county when the local cost of living was factored in.[31]

This estimate does not include property taxes and local taxes, as effective tax rates and home insurance were not measured. Along with other Texas counties, Fort Bend County has one of the nation's highest property-tax rates. In 2007, it was ranked fifth in the nation for property taxes as a percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. The list includes only counties with a population over 65,000.[32] Fort Bend County also ranked in the top 100 in property taxes paid and percentage of taxes of income. Part of this is due to Texas's complex Robin Hood plan school financing law.[33]

## Government and politics[edit | edit source]

County politics in Fort Bend County, as in all Texas counties, center around a commissioners' court. It is composed of four popularly elected county commissioners, one representing each precinct drawn decennially on the basis of population, and a county judge elected to represent the entire county. Other county officials include a sheriff, district attorney, tax assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, county treasurer, and county attorney.

For decades, Fort Bend County was a stronghold for the Democratic Party, having achieved disenfranchisement of Blacks at the county level in 1889 in the aftermath of the Jaybird–Woodpecker War.[10] The state effectively disfranchised them with a poll tax and White primaries; the latter device was declared unconstitutional in 1944. By 1960, so few Republicans resided in Fort Bend County that the county's Republican chair once received a letter addressed simply to "Mr. Republican".[34]

As the 1960s progressed, though, rapid suburban-style development in west and southwest Houston began to overflow into Fort Bend County, where the development of numerous master-planned communities attracted many upper-middle-class families to developments in the eastern portion of the county. This development, along with the shift of conservative white Democrats towards the Republican Party in the wake of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, led to increased support for the GOP in the following years.[35] Richard Nixon narrowly carried the county in 1968, making it the only county in greater Houston outside of Harris County to go Republican that year, and carried it again in 1972. In 1976, conservative physician Ron Paul of Brazoria County, noted for his opposition to most government programs, which earned him the nickname "Dr. No", captured the 22nd district in the United States House of Representatives in a special election, before narrowly losing re-election in the November election in which Gerald Ford also won Fort Bend, despite losing Texas to Jimmy Carter.

Beginning in 1978, Republicans began to win several offices within the county, with William P. Clements carrying the county in his successful run for governor. That same year, Paul was returned to Congress, while businessman Tom DeLay captured the county's seat in the Texas House of Representatives. In 1984 DeLay succeeded Paul in Congress after the latter ran an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign, and became House majority leader by 2002. Beginning in 1982, Republicans won a number of county-level offices and judicial benches, and Fort Bend County's new reputation as a Republican stronghold culminated in the 1994 election of a Republican county judge to the commissioners' court for the first time since Reconstruction. As of 2019, five of Fort Bend County's eight countywide offices, including two precinct-level positions, are held by Republicans. The remaining three are held by Democrats.

With growing populations of minorities and more socially moderate suburban voters who often break Republican on fiscal and economic issues, Fort Bend County has recently become more competitive. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama came very close to winning the county, with 48.6% of the vote to Republican John McCain's 50.9%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to carry the county since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, largely due to the unpopularity of Republican nominee Donald Trump, with many voters splitting their tickets between Clinton and Republicans for other offices; Republicans won every elected countywide office by a margin similar to Clinton's, while also defeating an incumbent Democrat on the Fort Bend County Commissioners' Court.[36][37] In 2018, significant enthusiasm for U.S. Senate candidate Beto O' Rourke and strong Democratic infrastructure resulted in Democratic control of the commissioners' court (including county judge) and a number of countywide administrative and judicial posts, with Fort Bend Independent School District board trustee K.P. George becoming Texas's first Asian-American county judge.[38]

Today, Fort Bend County is often considered a swing county, with election results usually tilting more Democratic than statewide results, which almost always favor Republicans nowadays. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in more Republican-leaning areas in Sugar Land, Rosenberg, and southern Missouri City, with Republicans dominating in the Katy, Fulshear, and rural southern areas of the county and Democrats in the county's northeast corner around northern Missouri City and Fresno, as well as heavily Hispanic Mission Bend.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government has enforced it by regularly reviewing voting patterns and local practices, and plaintiffs have sometimes sued state or local governments over discriminatory practices. In April 2009, as part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice, officials of Fort Bend County agreed to increase assistance to Spanish-speaking Latino voters in elections held in the county.[35]

United States presidential election results for Fort Bend County, Texas[39] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 157,718  | 44.12%  | 195,552  | 54.70% | 4,244  | 1.19%
2016 | 117,291  | 44.76%  | 134,686  | 51.39% | 10,089  | 3.85%
2012 | 116,126  | 52.91% | 101,144  | 46.08%  | 2,219  | 1.01%
2008 | 103,206  | 50.89% | 98,368  | 48.50%  | 1,248  | 0.62%
2004 | 93,625  | 57.38% | 68,722  | 42.12%  | 822  | 0.50%
2000 | 73,567  | 59.56% | 47,569  | 38.51%  | 2,373  | 1.92%
1996 | 49,945  | 53.79% | 38,163  | 41.10%  | 4,748  | 5.11%
1992 | 41,039  | 46.62% | 29,992  | 34.07%  | 17,000  | 19.31%
1988 | 39,818  | 62.43% | 23,351  | 36.61%  | 615  | 0.96%
1984 | 41,370  | 68.71% | 18,729  | 31.11%  | 110  | 0.18%
1980 | 25,366  | 66.25% | 11,583  | 30.25%  | 1,337  | 3.49%
1976 | 17,354  | 60.28% | 11,264  | 39.13%  | 169  | 0.59%
1972 | 10,475  | 69.42% | 4,541  | 30.09%  | 73  | 0.48%
1968 | 4,573  | 39.72% | 4,493  | 39.02%  | 2,448  | 21.26%
1964 | 3,493  | 36.01%  | 6,186  | 63.78% | 20  | 0.21%
1960 | 3,301  | 42.81%  | 4,339  | 56.27% | 71  | 0.92%
1956 | 3,779  | 59.83% | 2,464  | 39.01%  | 73  | 1.16%
1952 | 3,974  | 55.00% | 3,241  | 44.85%  | 11  | 0.15%
1948 | 1,016  | 28.12%  | 2,058  | 56.96% | 539  | 14.92%
1944 | 442  | 11.11%  | 2,781  | 69.87% | 757  | 19.02%
1940 | 748  | 19.43%  | 3,101  | 80.57% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 176  | 6.34%  | 2,588  | 93.26% | 11  | 0.40%
1932 | 148  | 4.53%  | 3,109  | 95.22% | 8  | 0.25%
1928 | 631  | 26.77%  | 1,724  | 73.14% | 2  | 0.08%
1924 | 356  | 15.82%  | 1,690  | 75.11% | 204  | 9.07%
1920 | 0  | 0.00%  | 27  | 2.91%  | 902  | 97.09%
1916 | 329  | 28.86%  | 788  | 69.12% | 23  | 2.02%
1912 | 276  | 24.86%  | 679  | 61.17% | 155  | 13.96%

### Commissioners' court[edit | edit source]

Commissioners | Name | Party | First Elected | Communities Represented

|
|
|
|

| Judge  | KP George  | Democratic | 2018  | Countywide
| Precinct 1  | Vincent Morales [40] | Republican | 2016  | Arcola, Beasley, Fairchilds, Fresno, Greatwood, Needville, Orchard, Richmond, Rosenberg, Sienna Plantation
| Precinct 2  | Grady Prestage  | Democratic | 1990  | eastern Stafford, most of Missouri City east of FM 1092, Meadows Place, Mission Bend
| Precinct 3  | Andy Meyers  | Republican | 1996  | Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Lakemont, Pecan Grove, Simonton, small portions of Sugar Land
| Precinct 4  | Ken DeMerchant  | Democratic | 2018  | Most of Sugar Land, Missouri City west of FM 1092, New Territory, Riverstone

### County officials[edit | edit source]

Office | Name | Party

|
|

| County Attorney  | Bridgette Smith-Lawson  | Democratic
| County Clerk  | Laura Richard  | Republican
| District Attorney  | Brian Middleton  | Democratic
| District Clerk  | Beverley McGrew Walker  | Democratic
| Sheriff  | Eric Fagan  | Democratic
| Tax Assessor-Collector  | Carmen Turner  | Democratic
| Treasurer  | Bill Rickert  | Republican

### United States Congress[edit | edit source]

Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Level

|
|
|
|

| Senate Class 1  | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012  | Junior Senator
| Senate Class 2  | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002  | Senior senator
Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented
| District 9  | Al Green | Democratic | 2004  | Mission Bend, eastern portion of Stafford, northern and eastern portions of Missouri City, county's entire share of Houston
| District 22  | Troy Nehls | Republican | 2020  | Majority of Sugar Land, Rosenberg and Greater Katy areas, plus Fulshear, western and southern Missouri City and Stafford

### Texas Legislature[edit | edit source]

#### Texas Senate[edit | edit source]

District | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented

|
|
|
|

| 13  | Borris Miles | Democratic | 2016  | Northern portions of Missouri City, Stafford, county's share of Houston
| 17  | Joan Huffman | Republican | 2008  | most of Sugar Land, Mission Bend and southern Missouri City
| 18  | Lois Kolkhorst | Republican | 2015 (special)  | Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Fulshear, Needville and western portions of Sugar Land

#### Texas House of Representatives[edit | edit source]

District | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented

|
|
|
|

| 26  | Jacey Jetton | Republican | 2020  | Most of Sugar Land, plus Richmond, Pecan Grove and Greatwood
| 27  | Ron Reynolds | Democratic | 2010  | Missouri City, Sienna Plantation, Fresno and county's share of Houston
| 28  | Gary Gates | Republican | 2020  | Northern areas of county including Cinco Ranch, Fulshear and Richmond
| 85  | Phil Stephenson | Republican | 2012  | Southern areas including Rosenberg, Needville and Riverstone; district also includes all of Wharton and Jackson counties

### Corrections[edit | edit source]

The Fort Bend County Jail is at 1410 Richmond Parkway in Richmond.[41]

Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the following facilities in Fort Bend County, all at the Jester State Prison Farm site:

Prisons for men:

* Jester III Unit (unincorporated area)[42] (co-located with the Jester units)
* Carol Vance Unit (unincorporated area)[43] (co-located with the Jester units)

Other facilities:

* Jester I Unit – Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (unincorporated area)[44] (co-located with the Jester units)
* Jester IV Unit – Psychiatric Facility (unincorporated area)[45] (co-located with the Jester units)

The TDCJ announced that the Central Unit in Sugar Land was closing in 2011. The City of Sugar Land is exploring the property for future economic development, including light industrial uses, as well as a potential expansion of Sugar Land Regional Airport.[46]

### County buildings[edit | edit source]

* Richmond TX FBC Service Center.jpg

Fort Bend County Justice Center at 1422 Eugene Heimann Cir.

* Richmond TX Wm Travis Bldg.jpg

William B. Travis Building is just east of the courthouse.

* FortBendRosenAnnex.jpg

Fort Bend County Rosenberg Annex

## Economy[edit | edit source]

In contrast to greater Houston in general, Fort Bend County's economy is more diverse, with numerous service-sector jobs in healthcare, energy, education, hospitality, and other areas. Major companies with a presence in the county include Schlumberger, Minute Maid, Fluor, and Sunoco's logistics operations in Sugar Land. The Houston Business Journal reported in 2010 that the diversity of industries promoted decades of rapid population growth.[47] After Memorial Hermann Hospital and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital opened facilities in Fort Bend County, already home to local facilities for Houston Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land, as well as locally based OakBend Medical Center in Richmond, many doctors moved their offices to the county.[48] Compared to Montgomery County, which has experienced rapid growth in corporate employment following ExxonMobil's decision to move its greater Houston operations to an area directly south of The Woodlands, Fort Bend County has yet to experience significant corporate growth, though Schlumberger recently announced plans to move its North American headquarters to Sugar Land.

## Healthcare[edit | edit source]

The county does not have a hospital district. OakBend Medical Center serves as the county's charity hospital which the county contracts with.[49]

## Education[edit | edit source]

### Public school districts[edit | edit source]

School districts in the county include:[50]

* Brazos Independent School District (formerly Wallis-Orchard ISD)
* Fort Bend Independent School District
* Katy Independent School District
* Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
* Needville Independent School District
* Stafford Municipal School District

Kendleton Independent School District, which formerly served parts of the county,[51] closed in 2010 and merged into LCISD.[52]

### Higher education[edit | edit source]

* University of Houston Sugar Land campus

The Texas Legislature assigns these community college districts to the following:[53]

* Houston Community College System: Katy ISD, Stafford MSD, and portions of FBISD in the Houston, Missouri City, and Pearland city limits
* Wharton County Junior College: The City of Sugar Land and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, Lamar CISD (including the former Kendleton ISD), Needville ISD, and Brazos ISD (stated in the legislation as Wallis-Orchard)

The legislation does not specify which community college district is for portions of FBISD outside of Sugarland and its ETJ and the cities of Houston, Missouri City, and Pearland.

### Technical school[edit | edit source]

* Texas State Technical College

### Libraries[edit | edit source]

Fort Bend County Libraries operates many libraries in the county.

Houston Public Library operates one branch in the county, the Stimley Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library in Blue Ridge, Houston.[54]

## Media[edit | edit source]

Local newspapers in the county include three weeklies: the Fort Bend Star, headquartered in Stafford; the Fort Bend Independent; and the Fort Bend Sun, headquartered in Sugar Land. The daily Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster focuses on news coverage in the Richmond-Rosenberg area. Fort Bend County is also a major service area for the Houston Chronicle, which provides separate local coverage for the Sugar Land and Katy areas.

## Transportation[edit | edit source]

### Major highways[edit | edit source]

File:EnterFortBend.JPG

Farm to Market Road 1092, a major entry into the county

* File:I-10 (TX).svg Interstate 10
* File:I-69 (TX).svg Interstate 69 (Under Construction)
* File:US 59.svg U.S. Route 59
* File:Alternate plate.svg
File:US 90.svg U.S. Route 90 Alternate
* File:Texas 6.svg State Highway 6
* File:Texas 36.svg State Highway 36
* File:Texas 99.svg State Highway 99 — Grand Parkway (Under Construction)
* File:Fort Bend Toll Road.svg Fort Bend Parkway
* File:Westpark Tollway.svg Westpark Tollway

### Major Farm to Market Roads[edit | edit source]

* File:Texas FM 359.svg Farm to Market Road 359
* File:Texas FM 442.svg Farm to Market Road 442
* File:Texas FM 521.svg Farm to Market Road 521
* File:Texas FM 762.svg Farm to Market Road 762
* File:Texas FM 1092.svg Farm to Market Road 1092
* File:Texas FM 1093.svg Farm to Market Road 1093
* File:Texas FM 1464.svg Farm to Market Road 1464
* File:Texas FM 1876.svg Farm to Market Road 1876
* File:Texas FM 2234.svg Farm to Market Road 2234
* File:Texas FM 2759.svg Farm to Market Road 2759
* File:Texas FM 2977.svg Farm to Market Road 2977
* File:Texas FM 3345.svg Farm to Market Road 3345

### Airports[edit | edit source]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

The sole publicly owned airport in the county is Sugar Land Regional Airport in Sugar Land.

Privately owned airports for public use include:

* Houston Fort Bend Airport in an unincorporated area east of Beasley
* Houston Southwest Airport in Arcola
* Westheimer Air Park in an unincorporated area between Fulshear and Houston

Privately owned for private use:

* Cardiff Brothers Airport in an unincorporated area near Fulshear and Katy
* Dewberry Heliport is a general-aviation heliport (privately owned, for private use) in unincorporated areas between Fulshear and Katy.

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is Houston's William P. Hobby Airport in Harris County. Fort Bend County is also within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.[55]

### Mass transit[edit | edit source]

Fort Bend County officially created a department of public transportation in 2005 that provides commuter buses to Uptown, Greenway Plaza, and Texas Medical Center. It also provides demand-and-response buses to senior citizens and the general public that travel only in Fort Bend County.[56] Parts of the county, such as Katy and Missouri City, participate in the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and are served by several park-and-ride routes.

### Freeway system[edit | edit source]

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Fort Bend County.[57]

### Toll roads[edit | edit source]

The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority in Sugar Land manages and operates tolled portions of these toll roads operating in the county:

* Fort Bend Parkway
* Westpark Tollway
* Grand Parkway Toll Road

## See also[edit | edit source]

* List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Fort Bend County, Texas
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Fort Bend County

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
4. ^ "Fort Bend County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
5. ^ Kotkin, Joel. "No 5: Fort Bend County, Texas - pg.5". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
6. ^ a b "2015 American Community Survey: Fort Bend County, Texas". census.gov. 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
7. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 128.
8. ^ Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (November 8, 2011). Texas Almanac 2012–2013. Texas A&M University Press. pp. Contents. ISBN 9780876112571. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
9. ^ Virginia Laird Ott, "FORT BEND COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online ("FORT BEND COUNTY | the Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)". Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.), accessed February 22, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association
10. ^ a b c Yelderman, Pauline (2010). "Handbook of Texas Online: JAYBIRD-WOODPECKER WAR". Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
11. ^ Hayes, Bonni C. (2010). "Handbook of Texas Online: ARIZONA FLEMING". Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
12. ^ Johnson, Paul (2000). A History of the American People. Orion Publishing Group, Limited. p. 661\. ISBN 978-1-84212-425-3.
13. ^ "Doug Miller, "Clymer Wright, conservative term-limit advocate, found dead in his home", January 25, 2011". KHOU-TV. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
14. ^ "About Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster". fbherald.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
15. ^ "Quail Valley's History: Golf, Special Events & Restaurant". www.golfquailvalley.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
16. ^ Company, One Design (July 4, 2018). "First Colony - Sugar Land - Properties – Hines". Hines. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
17. ^ "History | Fort Bend County, TX". www.fortbendcountytx.gov. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
18. ^ E., JASINSKI, LAURIE (June 12, 2010). "CINCO RANCH, TX". tshaonline.org. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
19. ^ "Hurricane Harvey damaged or destroyed 6,800 homes in Fort Bend, officials say". Houston Chronicle. March 14, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
20. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
21. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved April 10, 2022.
22. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
23. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
24. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fort Bend County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
25. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fort Bend County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
26. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
27. ^ "Claritas Study Ranks Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Counties Nationwide; Analysis Shows California Leads Nation In Diversity Among Counties Of 100,000-Plus Population". Business Wire. July 23, 2001. Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
28. ^ Kever, Jeannie. "FACING A CROSSROADS Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. June 1, 2011. Retrieved on June 3, 2011.
29. ^ Bauman, Anna (September 26, 2021). "Asian Americans are the fastest growing demographic in Houston's suburbs. Here's why". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
30. ^ American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "Fort Bend County, Texas - Selected Economic Characteristics: 2006–2008". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
31. ^ Cost of Living Can Significantly Affect "Real" Median Household Income Archived July 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Council for Community and Economic Research website. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
32. ^ "Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing by County, 2005 - 2008, Ranked by Taxes as Percentage of Home Value". The Tax Foundation. September 22, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
33. ^ Postrel, Virginia (October 7, 2004). "Economic Scene; A Texas experiment that shifts money from rich to poor school districts is turning into a major policy disaster". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
34. ^ "Party History". November 20, 2002. Archived from the original on November 20, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
35. ^ a b Bernstein, Alan and Zen T. C. Zheng. "Fort Bend accepts vote decree Archived April 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine," Houston Chronicle. April 10, 2009. Retrieved on April 11, 2009.
36. ^ Quinn, Kevin (November 10, 2016). "Political shift in Ft. Bend leans toward Clinton". ABC13 Houston. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
37. ^ Kadifa, Margaret (November 14, 2016). "Clinton wins FB County, Republicans dominate local races". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
38. ^ Gray, Lisa (January 2, 2019). "Indian-American K.P. George takes historic place as Fort Bend County judge". Houston Chronicle.
39. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
40. ^ "Commissioner's defeat leaves 1 Dem on Fort Bend County board". timesunion.com. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
41. ^ "Detention." Fort Bend County. October 3, 2006.
42. ^ "JESTER III (J3) Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
43. ^ "VANCE (J2) Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
44. ^ "JESTER I (J3) Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
45. ^ "JESTER IV (J4) Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
46. ^ Ward, Mike. "Texas closing prison as part of cutbacks Archived April 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Austin American-Statesman at KDH News. Wednesday August 3, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
47. ^ "Fort Bend County tops Forbes growth list." Houston Business Journal. Tuesday February 2, 2010. Retrieved on February 8, 2010.
48. ^ Latson, Jennifer. "Businesses finding the suburbs superb Archived September 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. May 18, 2010. Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
49. ^ Knipp, Bethany (November 2, 2016). "Fort Bend County lacks hospital district". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
50. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Fort Bend County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022. \- Text list
51. ^ Texas Education Agency: See map of Fort Bend County. Retrieved on July 3, 2022.
52. ^ "CONSOLIDATIONS, ANNEXATIONS AND NAME CHANGES FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
53. ^ Texas Education Code Sec. 130.182. HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
54. ^ "Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library". Houston Public Library. Retrieved July 3, 2022. "3810 West Fuqua Street|Houston, TX 77489"
55. ^ "Master Plan Executive Summary Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.
56. ^ http://www.FBCTransit.org Fort Bend County Transit
57. ^ TxDoT, TTC Section C & S, Detailed Maps 2 & 3, December 17, 2007[permanent dead link]

## External links[edit | edit source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Bend County, Texas.

* Fort Bend County official website Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
* Fort Bend Museum Web site
* Fort Bend County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
* Fort Bend County profile from The County Information Project

Places adjacent to Fort Bend County, Texas

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Fort Bend County, Texas

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County seat: Richmond

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Fort Bend County map

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Coordinates: 29°32′N 95°46′W﻿ / ﻿29.53°N 95.77°W﻿ / 29.53; -95.77
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