Fort Bend County, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Seat	Richmond
Largest city	Sugar Land
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	886 sq mi (2,295 km²) 875 sq mi (2,265 km²) 11 sq mi (30 km²), 1.29%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	354,452
Founded	1837
Named for	A blockhouse positioned in a bend of the Brazos River, which was the center of life in the future county in early days.
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.fort-bend.tx.us

Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452; in 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to have reached 532,141, a 50% growth rate in eight years from the last U.S. Census.

Since the 1970s Fort Bend County has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River; the fort was the start of the community in early days. Its county seat is Richmond^[1], while its largest city is Sugar Land.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Major Highways 2.2 Adjacent counties 3 Demographics 4 Government and politics 4.1 Commissioners' Court 4.2 United States Congress 4.3 Texas Legislature 4.3.1 Texas Senate 4.3.2 Texas House of Representatives 5 Communities 5.1 Cities 5.2 Towns 5.3 Villages 5.4 Unincorporated areas 5.4.1 Census-designated areas 5.4.2 Other unincorporated areas 6 Education 6.1 Public school districts 6.2 Colleges and universities 6.3 Libraries 7 Transportation 7.1 Airports 7.2 Mass transit 7.3 Freeway system 8 Corrections 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

Prior to Anglo settlement, the area was inhabited by the Karankawa Indians. A group of Stephen F. Austin's colonists, headed by William Little, built a fort at the present site of Richmond around 1822. The fort was called "Fort Bend" since it was built in the bend of the Brazos River. The city of Richmond was incorporated under the Republic of Texas along with nineteen other towns in 1837. Fort Bend County was created from Austin, Harris, and Brazoria Counties in 1838. In April 2009, as part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice, Fort Bend County agreed to increase assistance to Spanish-speaking voters in elections held in the county.^[2] Fort Bend County was the site of the Jaybird-Woodpecker War.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 886 square miles (2,295 km²), of which, 875 square miles (2,265 km²) of it is land and 11 square miles (30 km²) of it (1.29%) is water.

[edit] Major Highways

• U.S. Highway 59
• U.S. Highway 90 Alternate
• State Highway 6
• State Highway 36
• Interstate 10

[edit] Adjacent counties

• Waller County (north)
• Harris County (east)
• Brazoria County (southeast)
• Wharton County (southwest)
• Austin County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	16,538		—
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%
Est. 2008	532,141		50.1%

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 354,452 people, 110,915 households, and 93,057 families residing in the county. The population density was 405 people per square mile (156/km²). There were 115,991 housing units at an average density of 133 per square mile (51/km²). The racial 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. 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 according to Census 2000.

In 2006 Fort Bend county had a population of 493,187. This represented a growth of 39.1% since 2000. The county's racial or ethnic makeup was 53.96% White (39.63% White Non-Hispanic), 20.88% African American, 14.77% Asian, 0.51% Native American, 7.73% other races and 2.14% from two or more races. 22.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.82% of the population was foreign born; of this, 50.24% came from Asia, 37.17% came from Latin America, 5.74% from Africa, 5.28% from Europe and 1.57% from other parts of the world.

Since the 1970s Fort Bend County has been attracting people from all types of racial and ethnic backgroups and according to a 2001 Claritas study, it is the 5th most diverse county in the United States among counties of 100,000+ population.^[4] It is one of a growing number of counties with no clear ethnic-racial group in the majority. Fort Bend County also has the highest percentage of Asian Americans in the Southern United States, with primarily Vietnamese Americans, Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, and Filipino Americans having large populations in Fort Bend County.

In 2000 There were 110,915 households out of which 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 non-families. 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 population was spread out with 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.

The median income for a household in the county was $63,831, and the median income for a family was $69,781 (these figures had risen to $76,635 and $85,025 respectively as of a 2007 estimate^[5]). Males had a median income of $47,979 versus $32,661 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,985. 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 and the 24th wealthiest in the US with a median household income of $75,202(In 2006 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars), having surpassed Collin and Rockwall counties(Dallas suburbs) since the 2000 census.^[6] However, the Council for Community and Economic Research ranked Fort Bend County as America's 3rd wealthiest county when the local cost of living was factored into the equation with median household income.^[7].

However, this estimate does not include property taxes and local taxes as they didn't measure effective tax rates and home insurance. Fort Bend County, along with other Texas counties, has one of the nation's highest property tax rates.

In 2007, it was ranked 5th in the nation for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner occupied housing. The list only includes counties with a population over 65,000 for accuracy.^[8] Fort Bend County also ranked in the top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income. Part of this is due to the complex Robin Hood plan school financing law that exists in Texas.^[9]

[edit] Government and politics

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic
2008	50.9% 102,846	48.6% 98,136
2004	57.4% 93,625	42.1% 68,722
2000	59.6% 73,567	38.5% 47,569
1996	53.8% 49,945	41.1% 38,163
1992	46.6% 41,039	34.1% 29,992
1988	62.4% 39,818	36.6% 23,351
1984	68.7% 41,370	31.1% 18,729
1980	66.3% 25,366	30.3% 11,583
1976	60.3% 17,354	39.1% 11,264
1972	69.4% 10,475	30.1% 4,541
1968	39.7% 4,573	39.0% 4,493
1964	36.0% 3,493	63.8% 6,186
1960	42.8% 3,301	56.3% 4,339

County politics in Fort Bend County, as with all counties in Texas, are centered around a Commissioners' Court. It is composed of four popularly elected County Commissioners, one representing each precinct drawn 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.

Fort Bend County, like most Texas counties, for decades was a stronghold for the Democratic Party, when the franchise was mostly limited to whites. In fact, so few Republicans resided in Fort Bend County at one time that in 1960, the county's Republican chair once received a letter addressed simply to "Mr. Republican".^[10] However, after national Democratic Party support for civil rights legislation in the 1960s and cultural realignments, some voters began to move to support Republican candidates. As master-planned communities in the eastern and northern portions of the county began to develop, the Houston area's growing Republican base on the west side began to expand into Fort Bend County. Beginning in 1978, Republicans began to win several offices within the county.

Among the first Republicans elected was fiscally conservative Ron Paul to the U.S. House of Representatives. He became known for opposition to the general platforms of both major parties. He earned the nickname "Dr. No".

Another key Republican elected was future Congressman and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who was elected to the county's only seat in the Texas House of Representatives. By 1982, several county-level positions were gained by Republicans. In 1984, DeLay succeeded Paul in Congress after the latter ran for an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign; the Senate seat was won by the Republican primary winner Phil Gramm.

In 1994 a Republican County Judge was elected to the Commissioners' Court for the first time since Reconstruction. This solidified Fort Bend County's new reputation as a Republican stronghold. Today, every elected countywide office in Fort Bend County is held by Republicans. They control a majority of precinct-based positions (County Commissioners, Constables, Justices of the Peace, etc.). No Democrat has carried Fort Bend County in the presidential election since 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas won his second term. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama came very close in heavy voting, when he won 48.6 percent of the vote compared to 50.9 percent for Republican John McCain.

Among the four Commissioners' Court precincts, two precincts, Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 which cover most of the Sugar Land and Katy areas, consistently vote Republican. Precinct 1 also votes heavily Republican, but it contains significant Democratic areas, specifically in Rosenberg and in the northeastern parts of the county near Fresno (which have large Hispanic populations). The fourth precinct, Precinct 2, contains a significant African-American voter bloc concentrated in the county's majority share of Houston and northern Missouri City. It votes mostly Democratic with a few Republican pockets, particularly around the Quail Valley neighborhood of Missouri City. All of its precinct-level officeholders are Democrats.

[edit] Commissioners' Court

Commissioners		Name	Party	First Elected	Communities Represented
	Judge	Bob Hebert	Republican	2002	Countywide
	Precinct 1	Richard Morrison	Democratic	2008	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
	Precinct 3	Andy Meyers	Republican	1996	Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Lakemont, Mission Bend, Pecan Grove, Simonton, north Sugar Land, western Stafford
	Precinct 4	James Patterson	Republican	1998	Missouri City west of FM 1092, New Territory, western and southern areas of Sugar Land (including the planned development of First Colony)

[edit] United States Congress

Senators		Name	Party	First Elected	Level
	Senate Class 1	Kay Bailey Hutchison	Republican	1993	Senior Senator
	Senate Class 2	John Cornyn	Republican	2002	Junior Senator
Representatives		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented
	District 9	Al Green	Democrat	2004	Mission Bend, eastern portion of Stafford, northern and eastern portions of Missouri City, county’s entire share of Houston
	District 14	Ron Paul	Republican	1996 (also served 1976-1977 and 1979-1985)	Far northern and western areas
	District 22	Pete Olson	Republican	2008	Sugar Land, Rosenberg, western and southern portions of Missouri City

[edit] Texas Legislature

[edit] Texas Senate

District		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented
	13	Rodney Ellis	Democrat	1990	Northern portions of Missouri City, Stafford, county’s share of Houston
	17	Joan Huffman	Republican	2008	Sugar Land and southern Missouri City
	18	Glenn Hegar	Republican	2006	Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy

[edit] Texas House of Representatives

District		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented
	26	Charlie Howard	Republican	1994	Sugar Land
	27	Dora Olivo	Democrat	1996	Rosenberg, most of Missouri City, county’s share of Houston
	28	John Zerwas	Republican	2006	Far northern and western areas

[edit] Communities

[edit] Cities

Arcola Beasley Fulshear Houston (mostly in Harris County) Katy † Meadows Place Missouri City (majority in Fort Bend) Needville

Orchard Richmond Rosenberg Simonton Stafford Sugar Land Weston Lakes

† Katy is incorporated in Harris County, with portions in Fort Bend County and Waller County.

[edit] Towns

• Thompsons

[edit] Villages

• Fairchilds
• Pleak

[edit] Unincorporated areas

[edit] Census-designated areas

• Cinco Ranch
• Cumings
• Fifth Street
• Four Corners
• Fresno
• Greatwood
• Mission Bend
• New Territory
• Pecan Grove
• Sienna Plantation

[edit] Other unincorporated areas

• Booth
• Crabb
• Clodine
• Foster
• Guy
• Juliff
• Long Point
• Pittsville
• Powell Point
• Tavener

[edit] Education

[edit] Public school districts

• Brazos Independent School District
• Fort Bend Independent School District
• Katy Independent School District
• Kendleton Independent School District
• Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
• Needville Independent School District
• Stafford Municipal School District

[edit] Colleges and universities

• Houston Community College System
• University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch
• University of Houston System at Sugar Land
• Wharton County Junior College
• Bay Ridge Christian College

[edit] Libraries

Fort Bend County Libraries operates many libraries in the county.

Houston Public Library operates one branch in the county.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Airports

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

Privately-owned airports for public use include:

• Happy Landings Airport is in an unincorporated area east of Beasley.
• Houston Southwest Airport in Arcola
• Westheimer Air Park is in an unincorporated area between Fulshear and Houston.

Privately-owned airports for private use include:

• Cardiff Brothers Airport is in an unincorporated area near Fulshear and Katy

The following general aviation heliports (all privately owned, for private use) exist in unincorporated areas:

• Dewberry Heliport is in an unincorporated area between Fulshear and Katy

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is Houston's William P. Hobby Airport in Harris County. The closest airport with regularly scheduled international commercial service is George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston in Harris County.

[edit] Mass transit

Fort Bend County officially created a department of Public Transportation in 2005 that provides commuter buses to Greenway Plaza, Houston Galleria, and starting in July 2008, The Texas Medical Center. It also provides Demand and Response Buses to Senior Citizens and the General Public that travel only in Fort Bend County to anywhere in Fort Bend County. www.co.fort-bend.tx.us

[edit] Freeway system

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor goes through Fort Bend County ^[11].

[edit] Corrections

The Fort Bend County Jail is located at 1410 Ransom Road in Richmond.^[12]

Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the following facilities in Fort Bend County:

State jails for men:

• Central Unit (Sugar Land)^[13][14]
• Jester III Unit (Unincorporated area)^[15] (Co-located with the Jester units)
• Vance Unit (Unincorporated area)^[16] (Co-located with the Jester units)

Other facilities:

• Jester I Unit - Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (Unincorporated area)^[17] (Co-located with the Jester units)
• Jester IV Unit - Psychiatric Facility (Unincorporated area)^[18] (Co-located with the Jester units)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Fort Bend County official website
• Historic Images from the Fort Bend Museum hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Fort Bend Museum Web site
• Fort Bend County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Fort Bend County profile from The County Information Project

	Austin County	Waller County
			Harris County
		Fort Bend County, Texas
	Wharton County		Brazoria County

v • d • e Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area Counties Austin • Brazoria • Chambers • Fort Bend • Galveston • Harris • Liberty • Montgomery • San Jacinto • Waller "Principal" cities Houston  •  Sugar Land  •  Baytown  •  Galveston  •  Conroe Other cities Alvin • Angleton • Bellaire • Clute • Deer Park • Dickinson • Freeport • Friendswood • Galena Park • Humble • Jacinto City • Katy • Lake Jackson • La Marque • La Porte • League City • Missouri City • Pasadena • Pearland • Richmond • Rosenberg • South Houston • Stafford • Texas City • West University Place For a complete listing, see list of cities and towns in Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA Unincorporated areas Atascocita • Channelview • Cloverleaf • Crosby • Cypress • Fresno • Hockley • Klein • Port Bolivar • Spring • The Woodlands Bodies of water Buffalo Bayou • Galveston Bay • Gulf Intracoastal Waterway • Houston Ship Channel • San Jacinto River • Trinity River • Lake Houston • Lake Conroe

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Fort Bend County, Texas County seat: Richmond Cities Arcola | Beasley | Fulshear | Houston‡ | Katy‡ | Kendleton | Meadows Place | Missouri City‡ | Needville | Orchard | Pearland‡ | Richmond | Rosenberg | Simonton | Stafford‡ | Sugar Land | Weston Lakes Town Thompsons Villages Fairchilds | Pleak CDPs Cinco Ranch‡ | Cumings | Fifth Street | Four Corners | Fresno | Greatwood | Mission Bend‡ | New Territory | Pecan Grove | Sienna Plantation Unincorporated communities Booth | Crabb | Clodine | Foster | Guy | Juliff | Long Point | Pittsville | Powell Point | Tavener Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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