• When Sugar Land was a company town in 1950, about 90% of the current residents of Sugar Land were not even born.  The same statistic holds true for Fort Bend County - about 90% of the current population were not born yet.
• In December, 1959, Sugar Land became an incorporated city.  The 1960 census lists Sugar Land with a population of 2,802.  The 2013 estimated census for Sugar Land is 83,860.  It is easy to come to the conclusion that 81,058 of the current residents  did not live here when the city transitioned from a company town to an incorporated city.
• 20 years later, in 1980, the population was 8,826, which is a 214% growth from the 1960 census.  In the same 20 years, Fort Bend County grew from a population of 40,527 to 130,846, a 223% growth in population.
• Beginning in 1980, things really started to grow.  The population in Sugar Land went from 8,826 in 1980 to 63,328 in the year 2000.  That is a 617% growth in 20 years!  Relative to today, that equates to 54,502 or 65% of the current estimated population of Sugar Land relocated or were born here between 1980 and the year 2000.  Fort Bend County grew from 130,846 to 354,452 for a 171% growth.
• The 2013 estimated population of Sugar Land is 83,860.  That is an estimated growth of 20,532 from the year 2000.  Of the 83,860 estimated residents of Sugar Land:
  1. 20,630 are less than 18 years old, which is 24.6% of the population.
  2. 54,509 are between the ages of 18 and 64, which is 65% of the population.
  3. 8,721 are ages 65 or older, which is 10.4% of the population.
• The 2013 estimated population of Fort Bend County is 652,365.  That is an estimated growth of 297,913 from the year 2000.  Of the 652,365 estimated residents of Fort Bend County:
  1. 184,619 are less than 18 years old, which is 28.3% of the population. 
  2. 409,685 are between the ages of 18 and 64, which is 62.8% of the population.
  3. 58,061 are ages 65 or over, which is 8.9% of the population

• Sugar Land/Fort Bend County/this region is rich with history and heritage.  The first colonies of settlers were authorized by the Spanish and then the Mexican governments via land grants to Moses Austin, and upon his death, to his son, Stephen F. Austin.  Of the "Old 300 Families", the vast majority were educated.
• Sugar Land is unique in that it successfully transitioned from a Company Town to a very successful modern city. Transitioning from an economy based on a single company to being one of the best places in America for a business to locate is a phenomenal achievement!
• Approximately 90% of the residents of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County did not live here or were not born when Sugar Land was a Company Town.  The vast majority of residents today have little knowledge of the history/life of Sugar Land as a Company Town.
• The population of Sugar Land increased by 69,991 from 1980 to 2010.  Many came from other parts of the U. S. and many came from other parts of the world.  They brought with them their story, their heritage.  Sugar Land/Fort Bend County is one of the most diverse areas in the world.

We have a compelling need to tell the Sugar Land/Fort Bend County story.  A story rich in history, a story of transitions and successes, a story rich with diversity, a story worthy of the state of Texas.

The mission of the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation is to inspire community pride by collecting, preserving, communicating, and celebrating the history of Sugar Land, Texas.  Come join us!  Please contact us at 281-494-0261 or visit our website at www.slheritage.org  

As this year quickly comes to an end, I would like to take a moment to detail some of the work that has been completed  at the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation in 2014. Until recently, most of our collection consisted of items that had been removed from some of the buildings before demolition. However, in the last two years, the SLHF received two large collections of extreme importance. The first of these was a collection given to the foundation by the City of Sugar Land.

It consisted of 29 Bankers Boxes that were filled with pictures, documents, artifacts, and other items. The contents were originally owned by Imperial and given to the City for safe keeping. These artifacts make up the core of the foundation's collection and they will be the backbone of many future exhibits. The boxes contain over 5,000 different items; this collection is a real treasure for the foundation and the city of Sugar Land. As of October, this collection has been accessed and is currently being stored in the proper (stable) environment. In the near future, we hope to exhibit these important artifacts to the community.

City of Sugar Land's Collection in Archival Storage

The second collection, known as the Richard Brown collection, consists of 30 Bankers Boxes and has a more specific focus which is advertising created by TracyLocke, dating from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. I have just started to access this collection and will continue the process over the course of the next few months. Like the city's collection, these boxes contain several thousand items, mainly documents and pictures, and will be a great addition to the museum's collection.  When this collection is complete, the museum will have a treasure trove of great artifacts to share with the community for years to come. My focus for the next several months will be to get this collection accessed and ready to be included in future exhibits.

Chris Bohannan, Lead Archivist