Geographic areas of Sugar Land, Texas facts for kids

Sugar Land, Texas is a city known for its many planned neighborhoods. These neighborhoods often have cool features like golf courses, country clubs, and pretty lakes.

How Sugar Land Grows: Planned Communities

Sugar Land is special because it has more planned communities than any other city in Fort Bend County. In fact, Fort Bend County has the most planned communities in the whole country!

The very first planned neighborhood in Sugar Land was called Sugar Creek. It was built on about 1,200 acres and mostly had fancy homes. Today, Sugar Land has a total of thirteen planned communities. Some are inside the city, and others are in an area nearby that the city helps manage, called its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Exploring Sugar Land's Neighborhoods

Northern Sugar Land: The Original Area

The northern part of Sugar Land is sometimes called "north Sugar Land." This area includes neighborhoods like Mayfield Park and Ragus Lake Estates. It also has Venetian Estates, Sugar Mill, and Belknap/Brookside, which are just south of U.S. Highway 90A.

When Sugar Land first became a city in 1959, most of this northern area was its original size. Many people who don't live here often only know about this part of the city.

The old Imperial Sugar Company factory, which closed in 2003, is in this northern area. However, the main office for Imperial Sugar is still in the city, right across the street. This part of Sugar Land has two planned communities: Sugar Mill and the newer Woodbridge. There's also a mid-sized neighborhood called Glen Laurel.

On the east side of north Sugar Land is the Sugar Land Business Park. This is where many of the city's electronics and energy companies are located. It's the biggest business and industrial area in Sugar Land. Most high school students in this area go to Kempner High School. The Fort Bend Christian Academy is also located here.

Southern and Southeastern Sugar Land: Busy and Fun Areas

Most of the people living in Sugar Land live in the southern and southeastern parts of the city. This area is full of planned communities. The biggest one is First Colony, which covers about 10,000 acres. Some parts of First Colony are actually in nearby Missouri City.

Other planned communities in this area include Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, Commonwealth, Avalon, Brazos Landing, and Riverstone.

Many of Sugar Land's main shopping and fun activities are found here. This is where you'll find First Colony Mall, Sugar Land Town Square (which has the new Sugar Land City Hall), and other big shopping areas.

This part of the city also has lots of ways to have fun outdoors. There are three golf courses and country clubs. Two of them, Riverbend Country Club and Sugar Creek Country Club, are near the Sugar Creek neighborhood. The third, Sweetwater Country Club, is in the Sweetwater area of First Colony. It used to host professional golf tournaments for women!

Another cool place is the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center. This is where the Houston Aeros hockey team used to practice.

Further southeast, near the Brazos River, is the new Riverstone planned community. It's about 2,800 acres, with about 2,300 acres inside Sugar Land's area. This community is next to Commonwealth and First Colony. There are plans for a golf course and country club here, along with many parks and man-made lakes.

High school students in these areas go to different schools:

• Clements High School: For students in parts of First Colony south of Highway 6, plus Avalon and Brazos Landing.
• Dulles High School: For students in parts of First Colony north of Highway 6, and Sugar Creek.
• Elkins High School: For students from the far southeastern edges of First Colony and Riverstone.
• Kempner High School: For students from the Sugar Lakes community.

Southwestern Sugar Land: Across the River

The southwestern areas of Sugar Land are actually in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, meaning the city helps manage them but they aren't fully part of the city yet. Locals sometimes call this the "other side of the river" because the Brazos River separates it from the rest of Sugar Land. This area has a different feel because of the river. All students here go to schools in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, usually Lamar Consolidated High School.

This area has two main planned communities: Greatwood and River Park. Greatwood is a large community of about 2,050 acres with a public golf course around it. River Park is about 790 acres and has State Highway 99 running through it. Both are almost completely built.

Other neighborhoods here include Canyon Gate on the Brazos, which is still being developed, and Tara Colony. Tara Colony is an older, large neighborhood that has a Richmond address but is managed by Sugar Land and might become part of the city in the future.

Western Sugar Land: New Developments and the Airport

The western part of Sugar Land is partly inside the city and partly in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. This area is west of State Highway 6 and north of the Brazos River. It's home to the 2,200-acre planned community of New Territory, which was finished in 2003. A newer planned community called Telfair, about 2,018 acres, started building homes in 2006.

The land where Telfair is now used to be a prison farm owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Sugar Land bought it in 2003 and made it part of the city in 2004. A major highway, State Highway 99, opened in 1994 and runs through this area. North of U.S. Highway 90A, you'll find the Sugar Land Regional Airport and a state prison called the Central Unit.