Fulshear, Texas facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Fulshear, Texas
City
Motto(s): "Fort Bend County's Premier Address"
Location of Fulshear, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Fort Bend
Established	July 16, 1824
Incorporated	1977
Area
• Total	12.957 sq mi (33.558 km²)
• Land	12.871 sq mi (33.337 km²)
• Water	0.086 sq mi (0.224 km²)
Elevation	131 ft (40 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	16,856
• Estimate (2023)	42,616
• Rank	US: 950th TX: 84th
• Density	3,310.0/sq mi (1,278.0/km²)
Time zone	UTC–6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	77406, 77423, 77441, 77471, 77494
Area code(s)	713, 281, 832, and 346
FIPS code	48-27876
GNIS feature ID	1336299
Sales tax	8.25%

Fulshear is a city in Texas, located in the northwestern part of Fort Bend County. It's on the western edge of the larger Houston area. In 2020, about 16,856 people lived there. By 2023, the population was estimated to be around 43,317, showing how fast the city is growing!

History of Fulshear

The story of Fulshear is connected to important events that led to Texas Independence and Texas becoming part of the United States. This small farming community began when Churchill Fulshear arrived in 1824. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's first 300 settlers, known as the "Old Three Hundred."

Early Settlement and Plantations

Churchill Fulshear Sr. came to Texas from Tennessee in the summer of 1824 with his family. On July 16, 1824, he received a land grant from the Mexican government and Stephen F. Austin. This allowed him to settle in Austin's colony.

He started a large farm, called a plantation, where he grew crops like cotton, corn, and rice. He also raised animals. Churchill Fulshear Sr. passed away in 1831. His youngest son, Churchill Fulshear Jr., took over the plantation. He added a cotton gin (a machine that separates cotton fibers) and a flour mill. These businesses did very well until the late 1880s.

Fulshear During the Texas Revolution

During the Texas Revolution, Churchill Fulshear Jr. and his two brothers, Graves and Benjamin, served as scouts. They helped the Texan army. This was when the Mexican army, led by Santa Anna, was chasing Sam Houston's army. Many civilians also fled after Santa Anna's victory at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.

The Fulshear area was right in the path of both armies. Churchill and his brothers scouted Santa Anna's army as they crossed the Brazos River on April 14, 1836. This was near their plantation.

One story says that the Texan army camped on the Fulshear plantation. They were trying to stop Santa Anna from crossing the Brazos River. But they had to retreat when they found out that 1,500 Mexican soldiers had already crossed nearby.

Growth After Texas Independence

After Texas became independent, Churchill Fulshear Jr. made his plantation and businesses even bigger. He even had a horse race track called "Churchill Downs" (not the famous one in Kentucky). This track was in Pittsville, a few miles north of Fulshear, and operated from the 1850s to the 1870s. One of his most famous horses was "Get-A-Way."

The Fulshear Cemetery holds the names of many early settlers. Some of these pioneer families include Andrews, Foster, Harris, and Wilson. Several important people for the Fulshear community are buried there. These include Randolph Foster, an "Old 300" settler, and Dr. Robert Locke Harris, a doctor who settled there after the Civil War.

A big change happened in 1888. Churchill Fulshear Jr. allowed the San Antonio and Aransas Pass (SA & AP) Railroad to build tracks through his land. The town of Fulshear grew around this railroad in the 1890s. Other nearby communities, like Pittsville, did not allow the railroad. Because of this, they slowly disappeared.

Churchill Fulshear Jr. died in 1892. That same year, the Southern Pacific Railroad took over the SA & AP Railroad. In the years that followed, Fulshear got a public school district (1893) and a Methodist church (1894). Many businesses also opened, like a barber shop, a doctor's office, a drug store, and a post office.

A Texas Historical Marker in downtown Fulshear tells about its early history:

On July 16, 1824, land grant of Mexico to Churchill Fulshear, one of the "Old 300" settlers of Stephen F. Austin, father of Texas. Churchill Fulshear, Jr., veteran of Texas War for Independence, built 4-story brick mansion in the 1850s, bred and raced horses at Churchill Downs (at Pittsville, 2 mi. N). His pupil, John Huggins, won world fame by training first American horse to win the English Derby. Town platted here 1890 by San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad, soon was trade center, with many facilities. The Rev. J. H. Holt was first (1894) pastor of the still existent Methodist church.

Slavery and Sharecropping in Fulshear

During the American Civil War, some local landowners and business people from Fulshear joined the Confederate Army.

Before the Civil War, plantation owners like Churchill Fulshear often had separate cemeteries for different races. Churchill Fulshear's enslaved people helped make bricks for his plantation house, called Lake Hill. Since the mid-1800s, many minority families were buried in the Fulshear Black Cemetery or the Fulshear Spanish Cemetery. These cemeteries were originally part of the Fulshear family's land.

After slavery ended in the United States, many formerly enslaved people became sharecroppers. This meant they rented land to farm it. They often grew cotton and potatoes. They also raised chickens, eggs, and pigs to help support themselves. Many of these sharecroppers are buried in the Fulshear Black Cemetery.

A Texas Historical Marker at the Black Cemetery shares its history:

Oral tradition says that this cemetery begin as a slave cemetery on the plantation of Tennessee native Churchill Fulshear. Many early burials are unmarked, and the oldest headstone is that of Rebecca Scott in 1915. In addition, midwives, a chef, a horse trainer and cowboy, the first colored school house founders, business men and women, two local entrepreneurs, religious leaders, and veterans from WWI to the Vietnam War are buried here. The rural landscape of the rolling hills and trees surrounding a variety of headstones made of fieldstone, granite, marble, steel, homemade concrete, wood and resin. The cemetery is evidence of the rich heritage of the people in this area. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2010

In 1995, Fulshear Mayor Viola Randle won a lawsuit. This lawsuit officially said that the Fulshear Black Cemetery belonged to the Fulshear Black Cemetery Association. This stopped a local property owner from limiting burials there.

The Spanish Cemetery, also called the "Catholic Cemetery," is south of the Fulshear Cemetery. It has about 300 grave sites.

Schools and Segregation

Like many places in Texas and the American South, schools were separated by race. The first "white-only" school was built in 1893. It became a two-story building in 1912. A separate school for Mexican students was nearby. Two "black-only" schools were built in rural areas outside of town. In 1948, these Fulshear schools joined the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District.

Boom, Bust, and Modern Growth

By 1898, Fulshear had 250 residents. It had eleven stores, three saloons, a school, and a hotel. A fire in 1910 destroyed some businesses, but the town quickly rebuilt. Downtown Fulshear soon had many general stores, a drug store, a doctor's office, and more. On Saturdays, when workers were paid, Fulshear was so busy that people said the sidewalks were too crowded.

The town had 300 residents and ten stores in 1929. But the population dropped to 100 in 1933. This was around the time the old Fulshear plantation house was torn down. The Great Depression and changes in lifestyle caused people to leave Fulshear.

Fulshear helped with the war effort during World War II. People from Fulshear joined the armed forces and worked in war industries. An airplane lookout station was also set up on the roof of a brick building.

Fulshear stayed a small farming town with 300 to 700 people until the 1970s.

Fulshear as an Incorporated City

Fulshear officially became a city in 1977. It served as a place where local farmers could sell their rice, cotton, corn, and other products. They also sold poultry, horses, and cattle.

Fulshear began to grow very quickly in the 2000s. This was because it is close to Houston. Around 2008, about 700 people lived there. By October 2013, the population had grown to over 5,000. Traffic became common, which was new for the town. In May 2017, MSN.com named Fulshear the richest small town in Texas.

Geography

General Location Map of Fulshear

Fulshear is in northwestern Fort Bend County. It is about 60 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. The city is located where FM 359 and FM 1093 meet. Downtown Houston is about 33 miles to the east. Interstate 10 near Brookshire is about 7 miles to the north.

The United States Census Bureau says Fulshear has a total area of about 12.957 square miles. Most of this is land (12.871 square miles), and a small part is water (0.086 square miles).

Fulshear has a large "extraterritorial jurisdiction" (ETJ) of about 37.11 square miles. An ETJ is an area outside the city limits where the city has some control over future development. Fulshear has one of the largest ETJs for a city of its type in Texas.

The Brazos River has left rich soil in the area over time. This soil helps many native trees grow, such as oak, cottonwood, ash, and pecan trees. The growing season for plants is very long, lasting 296 days. This is because the county is close to the Gulf Coast, which keeps temperatures mild all year. April, October, and November are the most pleasant months in Fulshear. July and August are the hottest.

Population and Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	300	—
1940	100	−66.7%
1950	250	150.0%
1960	200	−20.0%
1970	349	74.5%
1980	594	70.2%
1990	557	−6.2%
2000	716	28.5%
2010	1,134	58.4%
2020	16,856	1,386.4%
2023 (est.)	42,616	3,658.0%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2000 2020 Census

Fulshear's Diverse Community (2020 Census)

**Fulshear, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	373	700	9,407	59.92%	61.5%	55.81%
Black or African American alone (NH)	169	179	1,061	24.02%	15.8%	6.29%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	21	24	0.00%	2.0%	0.14%
Asian alone (NH)	5	23	2,288	0.70%	2.0%	13.57%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	1	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	0	71	0.00%	0.00%	0.42%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	8	14	684	1.54%	1.3%	4.06%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	161	197	3,321	22.49%	17.4%	19.7%
Total	716	1,134	16,856	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

The 2020 census counted 16,856 people living in Fulshear. There were 4,990 households and 4,482 families. The population density was about 1400.8 people per square mile.

The racial makeup of the city was:

59.5% White
6.4% African American
0.2% Native American
13.6% Asian
4.8% from other races
15.5% from two or more races

People who identify as Hispanic or Latino (of any race) made up 19.7% of the population. About 32.6% of residents were under 18 years old. Also, 4.1% were under 5 years old, and 8.9% were 65 or older.

Education in Fulshear

Fulshear is served by two different school districts: the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD) and the Katy Independent School District (KISD).

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD) Schools

The LCISD schools in Fulshear include:

Huggins Elementary School: This school is named after John Huggins. He was famous for training the first American horse to win the English Derby.
Leaman Junior High School: This junior high is named after Dean Leaman, who owned a concrete company.
Fulshear High School: The high school is named after Churchill Fulshear Jr., who helped found the city.

The LCISD area was previously zoned to John and Randolph Foster High School.

Katy Independent School District (KISD) Schools

The KISD schools that serve parts of Fulshear include:

James Randolph Elementary (in Fulshear)
Campbell Elementary
Adams Junior High School
Jordan High School

Private Schools

As of 2019^[update], the British International School of Houston offers a school bus service to Fulshear.

Colleges and Universities

Students in the LCISD part of Fulshear can attend Wharton County Junior College. Students in the Katy ISD part can attend Houston Community College.

Transportation

Several small airports are near Fulshear in Fort Bend County. These include Westheimer Air Park, Cardiff Brothers Airport, and Dewberry Heliport.

For commercial flights, residents use George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. Both of these larger airports are in Houston.

Arts and Culture

In 2011, the Fulshear Art Council (FAC) was created. This group helps support art and art education in Fulshear and nearby areas. They started showing local artists' work at events in downtown Fulshear. These events, called Arts and Drafts, now happen on the first Tuesday of every month.

In 2012, FAC changed its name to Arts Fulshear. The group began offering art and theater classes for young people. In 2013, Arts Fulshear added art classes for adults and started hosting the yearly Fulshear Art Walk.

In 2020, the Fulshear Historical Association (FHA) was formed. This group works to save and share the history of Fulshear, Texas. They encourage the community to help document and learn about local history.