Rosharon, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Rosharon, Texas
Census-designated place (CDP)
Nickname(s): "Buttermilk Station"
Rosharon, Texas Location in Texas Show map of Texas Rosharon, Texas Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Brazoria (CDP) Fort Bend (areas near the CDP)
Area
• Total	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km²)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km²)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,152
• Density	358/sq mi (138.4/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	77583
Area code(s)	281 & 979
FIPS code	48-63332
GNIS feature ID	1366883

Rosharon (/roʊˈʃɛərən/ roh-SHAIR-ən) is a small community in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. It is a "census-designated place" (CDP), which means it's an area defined by the government for counting people. Rosharon is located where two important roads, Farm to Market Road 521 and Farm to Market Road 1462, meet. In 2010, about 1,152 people lived here. Some areas with a Rosharon postal address are also found in nearby Fort Bend County.

History of Rosharon
Population and Neighborhoods
- Cambodian Community
Economy
Education
- Schools for Younger Students
- Colleges for Older Students
Images for kids
See also

History of Rosharon

The area where Rosharon is now located did not have a name for many years. Before the American Civil War, large farms growing cotton and sugar were common here.

When the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway (also called Columbia Tap) was finished in 1859, the train stop in this area was named Masterson's Station. This name came from a nearby farm owned by Thomas G. Masterson. Train workers often called Rosharon "Buttermilk Station." This was because an early resident would bring a bucket of buttermilk to the station for the train crew to drink.

Around 1900, an engineer named George Wetmore Colles, Jr. bought land in the area. He named his large property the Rose of Sharon Garden Ranch. He chose this name because many Cherokee Roses (Rosa laevigata) grew there. Colles also designed the community's water system.

Antonio G. Arcaro was Rosharon's postmaster from 1912 to 1920. The post office closed in 1920, and mail was sent to Sandy Point. It reopened in 1936 but closed again in 1979. A new post office was opened later and is still working today.

Tom Lochridge helped plan the town's layout. He was also responsible for moving a cotton gin to Rosharon from Houston. This gin not only created jobs but its engine also became Rosharon's first power plant. The community's first telephone exchange was run from Lochridge's home.

Rosharon's first school was held in a private home, then in its own building. Later, the Rosharon school district joined with the Angleton schools. Students started riding buses to Angleton in the late 1900s, and they still do today.

Church meetings first took place in an old school building. Later, people bought a tavern and turned it into a church. Eventually, a brick church was built.

In 1935, the South Texas Water Company came to Rosharon. Its fresh water canals helped about 75 to 80 rice farmers grow rice in the area. By the late 1980s, Rosharon had about 500 people. In 1990, the population was 435. Most people who live in Rosharon travel to nearby towns for work.

Population and Neighborhoods

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2010	1,152	—
2020	1,362	18.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Rosharon has grown over the years. In 2010, the population was 1,152 people, and by 2020, it had grown to 1,362 people.

Many neighborhoods are located around Rosharon. These include Songbird Ranch Airport (which is private), Savannah Plantation, Lindell Estates, Lakes of Savannah, Glendale Lakes, Southern Colony, Caldwell Ranch, Chenango Ranch, Coffee Lake, Seven Oaks Ranch, Sun Creek Estates, Sun Creek Ranch, Cold River Ranch, Sterling Lakes, and Sierra Vista.

Cambodian Community

In 1985, Yani Rose Keo, a Cambodian American, started a farm in an area near Rosharon called "Little Cambodia." Many families of Cambodian origin live there. These farmers grow plants like water spinach. In the 2000s, there was a discussion with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department about water spinach, but eventually, the farming of it was allowed.

"Little Cambodia" was damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017. As of 2015, the ZIP code 77583, which covers Rosharon, has the largest number of Cambodian Americans in the greater Houston area.

Economy

Rosharon's economy is supported by several important places. There are four Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison units located near Rosharon. These include Ramsey, Stringfellow, Terrell, and Darrington Units. The people who work at these prisons and their families help the local economy.

A Schlumberger product center is also located in Rosharon. Schlumberger is a large company that works with energy.

Rosharon is also home to Skydive Spaceland Houston. This is a big skydiving center with its own airstrip and landing area. It is located at the corner of FM 521 and FM 1462.

Education

Schools for Younger Students

Students who live in the Rosharon census-designated place attend schools in the Angleton Independent School District (AISD). The Rosharon school district joined the Angleton district a long time ago. Students have been riding buses to Angleton for school since the late 1900s. Angleton High School serves all students in the district.

Students in some surrounding areas also go to AISD schools. Other students in Fort Bend County (like those in Southern Colony) attend schools in the Fort Bend Independent School District. Almeta Crawford High School of FBISD has a Rosharon postal address, but it is not inside the CDP itself. Crawford High School opened in 2023. Almeta Crawford was an African-American teacher who worked for the Fort Bend School District for 27 years.

Some residents in the Rosharon area attend schools in Manvel, which are part of the Alvin ISD. These include Manvel High School, Manvel Junior High, and E.C Mason Elementary.

For students living west of Chocolate Bayou, along the north side of F.M. 1462, they attend Alvin Primary, Alvin Elementary, Fairview Junior High, and Alvin High School in Alvin. Before Hightower High School opened, Elkins High School served parts of the Rosharon area in Fort Bend County.

Colleges for Older Students

The Texas Legislature decided that parts of Angleton ISD that were not part of Alvin Community College by September 1, 1995, would be in the Brazosport College zone. Since Rosharon is not shown on the maps for Alvin Community College, it is in the Brazosport College zone.