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Renting an Apartment in Sugar Land
Sugar Land is a city located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It is the fastest-growing city in Texas—growing more than 158 percent in the last decade. As of the 2004 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a population of 74,472. Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid 1800s and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County. The city is the third-largest in population and second-largest in economic activities of the Houston area.Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar and the company's main refinery and distribution center was once located in this city. As a nod to this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo. The city also holds the headquarters for Western Airways and a major manufacturing facility for Nalco Chemical Company. In addition, Sugar Land has a large number of international energy, software, engineering, and product firms.
Sugar Land ranked second among the "hottest" places to live within the state of Texas and 46th in the United States for 2005 according to Money magazine. The city has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation. Sugar Land holds the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population 50,000–100,000 range, a title it has held for three consecutive years.
Granite Towers at
Sugar CreekSugar Land hosts its economy through diversification, corporate
vitality, and quality of life and was ranked as one of the “Top Cities in Texas”
for business relocation and expansion by both Outlook Magazine and Texas
Business. Industries calling Sugar Land home are as diverse as its resident
population. Ranging from semiconductors to seismic-data equipment, Sugar Land
industry has grown dramatically over the past 10 years. The city has attracted
numerous high-profile regional and international corporate relocations in a
variety of industries including engineering, construction, technical services,
energy exploration and production, technology and research, electronics and
communications.
Even though still commonly known as a "new money" residential suburb of Houston,
Sugar Land does have a significant corporate presence. Like the rest of the
Greater Houston area, much of the larger corporations are engaged in the energy
industry, specifically oil/gas exploration and refining. The city has a large
number of international energy, software and product firms. Sugar Land holds the
Nalco/Exxon and Western Airways headquarters. Engineering firms and other
related industries have managed to take the place as an economic engine. As
further testaments to its economic growth in recent years, Sugar Land has seen
the arrival of its own mall, Mercedes-Benz dealership, and a Marriott Hotel, all
of which are located close to one of Fort Bend County's premier central business
district, known as Sugar Land Town Square.
Sugar Land Town Square is a pedestrian-oriented, main-street city center and a
central business district that is within walking distance of stores, services,
mid-rise office buildings, mostly chain restaurants, sidewalk cafes,
entertainment and a Marriott Hotel and conference center.
An abundance of commercial growth, with numerous low-rise office buildings,
banks and high-class restaurants popping up, can be seen along both U.S. Highway
59 and Texas Highway 6, two of the six main traffic arterials within the city.
In an attempt to manage future growth, the city has already placed restrictions
on how many levels a building can have, with condominiums only able to reach 10
floors and office buildings having a maximum of 15 floors.
Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of the Imperial Sugar Company. It also
served as the home of the company's main (and sole) refinery and distribution
center. The refinery and distribution center have since been put out of
operation since 2003, but its effect on the local economy was minimal, if at
all, since Sugar Land today has much more of a reputation as an affluent Houston
suburb than the blue-collar, agriculture-dependent town it once was a generation
ago.
The majority of Sugar Landers are white-collar, and university-educated
working in Houston's renowned energy industry. Sugar Land is also notable for
its affluent minority population, since it is also a popular place of residence
among Houston's increasingly influential Asian American community. According to
the U.S. Census, nearly a quarter of its residents were Asian American in 2000.
Sugar Land could quite possibly have the largest and most affluent Asian
American community in Texas.
In 2004, the city was named the top 100 places to live according to HomeRoute, a
national real estate marketing company, 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. These cities had the highest median household incomes in
the nation and above average population growth.
Also in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Sugar Land was awarded the title of "Fittest City
in Texas" for the population range 50,000-100,000 (the 2005 award was a tie
between Sugar Land and Round Rock). The "Fittest City in Texas" awards program
is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.