Sugar Land, Texas is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, and a large part of this growth is due to the number of Sugar Land subdivisions or planned communities that have sprung up in Fort Bend County. In fact, the number of Sugar Land subdivisions qualifying as planned communities tops the entire U.S.

The name comes from its connection with sugar. In fact, the headquarters for Imperial Sugar is located in this city and the logo from Imperial is on the City seal. It became incorporated as a city in 1959 and the first planned subdivision in the area were constructed. The Sugar Land subdivisions of Sugar Creek, First Colony, and Sugar Mill were the original communities that were built out and then annexed by the city. Other developments included Telfair and Brazos Landing that have been or will be annexed to Sugar Land in the near future.

Talks are underway with other Sugar Land subdivisions and communities to annex into property that will bring the current population of around 63,000 to more than 120,000. The economy here is strong and diversified, although the dependence upon the sugar industry has remained as a mainstay in the local economy. The city is also the headquarters for a number of software, international energy and product forms such as the Nalco/Exxon and the Western Airways headquarters. The per capita income is higher than the national average. The minority population of the city is increasingly affluent. An example is the large Asian American population of the City.

Because many of the housing units in many Sugar Land subdivisions are relatively new and the community is growing, schools are scrambling to keep up with the influx. The school districts are well-represented amongst all Texas schools in student-teacher ratios, in test scores for mathematics and English, and in other factors used by independent ranking organizations. Three of the high schools appear on the nation's top 1,000 high schools with Clements High School that serves the area ranking number 13 in the nation, according to Newsweek Magazine's 2005 listings.

The many greenways, bike paths, parks, and public areas found in the Sugar Land subdivisions are just some of the factors that make this city one of the nation's best places to live year after year. CNN/Money and Money Magazine ranked this area third in the list of the 100 best cities to live in the U.S. in its 2006 ranking.