City Characteristics

City Characteristics - Sugar Land Overview - Population History - Census 2000

Founded as a sugar plantation in the mid 1800s and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is located in Fort Bend County, 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston. Sugar Land is a full-service municipality providing police and fire protection, water/wastewater utilities, solid waste collection, curbside recycling, a regional airport, parks and recreation, public works, planning/zoning and other services.

Census 2000 figures ranked Sugar Land #1 in growth in the Houston metro area and #1 among the state's 45 largest cities. The City's population jumped from 24,529 in 1990 to 63,328 in 2000 - a 158 percent increase. By race, the City's breakdown is 60.84 percent, White; 23.75 percent, Asian; 7.98 percent, Hispanic or Latino; and 5.12 percent, Black or African American.

Estimated January 2008 Population: 77,982

Form of Government: Council/Manager

Property Tax Base: $7.58 Billion

City Employees: 616

Professional Firefighters: 99

Sworn Police Officers: 132

2007-2008 Fiscal Year Annual Budget: $150.18 million

2007-2008 Property Tax Rate: 30 cents

Total Households: 22,755 (As of Feb. 16, 2007)

Average Residential Value: $241,393

Developed Land-Use Mix: 72% Residential/16.5% Commercial/11.5% Industrial

Bond Ratings: Moody's, Aa; S&P, AA; Fitch, AA