First Colony is a

master-planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

Fort Bend County, Texas Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. Th ...

. The community, with approximately 50,000 residents,Kaplan, David.
Blending elegance and fast food
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. May 13, 2010. Retrieved on May 14, 2010. encompasses over 9,500 residential houses in 98

neighborhoods A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

located across southern parts of

Sugar Land Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around ...

with a few neighborhoods spanning into

Missouri City Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County, Texas, Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the c ...

History

First Colony was developed by Sugarland Properties Inc.—a joint venture of Gerald D. Hines Interests and Stichting Shell Pension Fund. Hines' Sugarland group began development on First Colony in 1976. When First Colony was under development in 1977, very little development was in the area. Bill Schadewald said that he, as a rookie real estate reporter, received speculation from local sources questioning whether "a project so large and such a distance could succeed."Schadewald, Bill. "Looking back ‘Then and Now’ at 40 years of Houston business." ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor New ...

''. Friday December 24, 2010
2
Retrieved on September 13, 2011. The community was a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

in the 1990 census, with a population of 18,327 in 5,976 housing units with a reported area of . At the time, this made First Colony CDP the 108th most populous place in Texas. Sugar Land gradually annexed most of its portion of First Colony within its municipal boundaries during the early to mid 1990s. For instance, the annexation of

Municipal Utility District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(MUD) 12 in First Colony occurred on December 17, 1991; this included , including 2,314 homes, 433 condominiums and of commercial property along Texas Highway 6. The Sugar Land Town Square, a development that began in the 2000s, was developed on one of the few remaining parcels of land in First Colony.Bivins, Ralph.
Sugar Land Town Square developers at jumping-off point in project
" ''

''. Wednesday September 27, 2000. Business 1. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. In 2011 Schadewald said "Now: I guess it’s safe to say First Colony has been a success."Schadewald, Bill. "Looking back ‘Then and Now’ at 40 years of Houston business." ''

''. Friday December 24, 2010
3
Retrieved on September 13, 2011.

Cityscape

Several restrictions are placed on the development of commercial businesses. Signs of businesses within First Colony cannot be placed on poles. Exterior aesthetics common to retail businesses (from department store exteriors to restaurants) must have a brick-covered exterior and white lettering. As a result,

fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typically ...

s in First Colony differ in appearance from fast food restaurants in other areas. Steve Ewbank, the executive vice president of Planned Community Developers, the developer of First Colony, said that a brick shopping center in First Colony had a price tag higher by 10 to 20 percent than the price of typical shopping center. One community located in First Colony is Sweetwater, described by Ralph Bivins of the ''

'' as "upscale".Bivins, Ralph.
Upscale home construction on rise in Houston area
" ''

''. Sunday July 7, 1991. Business 6. Retrieved on October 13, 2012. In the year 1990, four very expensive houses were sold, altogether worth 1.8 million dollars ( in today's money). In the year 1991, until July 7 of that year, 12 houses priced at over $400,000 ( in today's money) were sold, with a total of $7.1 million ( in today's money), three times that of the 1990 total. The most expensive house that was sold in 1991 (until July 7) was a , $1.2 million ( in today's money) house that was a replica of Melrose. It was in proximity to the Sweetwater Country Club and golf course.

Government and infrastructure

The City of Sugar Land City Hall is located in Sugar Land Town Square in First Colony.Hall, Christine.
Sugar Land Town Square gets a 'heart' with addition of City Hall
" ''

''. Friday April 15, 2005. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the First Colony Post Office in

Economy

Minute Maid Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but which now extends to soft drinks of different kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid is sold under the Cappy brand in Central Europe and under the bra ...

opened its headquarters in Sugar Land Town Square in First Colony on February 16, 2009; previously it was headquartered in

2000 St. James Place 2000 St. James Place is a 12-story,Dawson, Jennifer." ''Houston Business Journal''. Tuesday August 18, 2009. Modified on Wednesday August 19, 2009. Retrieved on May 14, 2010. 335,000 square foot (31,100 m2) office building in Houston, Texas. It for ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

First Colony is within the Fort Bend Independent School District.Interactive Mapping
" First Colony Association. Retrieved on April 4, 2010. Elementary schools within First Colony and within Sugar Land include Austin Parkway, Colony Bend, Colony Meadows, Highlands, Lexington Creek, and Settlers Way. Other elementary schools serving sections of First Colony include Dulles Elementary School in Sugar Land, Lakeview Elementary School in Sugar Land, and Quail Valley Elementary School in

. Most of First Colony is served by First Colony Middle School in First Colony and in

. Other middle schools serving sections of First Colony include Dulles Middle School in Sugar Land, Fort Settlement Middle School in Sugar Land, Quail Valley Middle School in Missouri City, and Sugar Land Middle School in Sugar Land. Most of First Colony is served by

Clements High School William P. Clements High School, more commonly known as Clements High School, is a public high school in First Colony and in Sugar Land within the U.S. state of Texas that is named after former Texas governor Bill Clements, and is a part of the ...

in First Colony and in Sugar Land. Other high schools serving sections of First Colony include Dulles High School in Sugar Land, in Elkins High School in Missouri City, and

Kempner High School I.H. Kempner High School, better known simply as Kempner High School, is a public high school in Sugar Land, Texas and a part of the Fort Bend Independent School District. It was named after Isaac Herbert Kempner (1873–1967), the founder of ...

in Sugar Land. Quail Valley Elementary, Dulles Junior High, and Dulles High had already been built as First Colony opened. Dulles Elementary was occupied in August 1976. Quail Valley Junior High School was occupied in September 1978. Colony Bend was occupied in August 1981. Clements was occupied in 1983. Dulles Junior High School reopened and was reoccupied during the same year. Settlers Way was occupied in 1984. First Colony Junior High School opened in September 1985. Highlands opened in the fall of 1986. Austin Parkway was occupied in September 1989. Colony Meadows opened in the northern hemisphere fall of 1991. Elkins opened in the northern hemisphere fall of 1992. Lexington Creek opened on August 17, 1994. Lakeview Elementary was dedicated on August 1, 1995. Quail Valley closed around 1994/1995 and reopened on August 14, 1996.FBISD History
." Fort Bend Independent School District. Retrieved on April 4, 2010. First Colony Middle was a 1999–2000

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

. Elkins was a Blue Ribbon School in 2002.Blue Ribbon Award
Fort Settlement was a 2007 Blue Ribbon School. During that year Elementary #39 began to temporarily house Quail Valley Elementary residents as the school was being rebuilt. The rebuilt Quail Valley Elementary opened in August 2008.

Public libraries

Fort Bend County Libraries operates the First Colony Branch Library in Sugar Land. The library, designed by Brooks Association for Architecture and Planning and the second of four branches built with 1989 bond funds, opened in June 1993. The library includes "A Planet Clock," a piece of kinetic art by Jaroslav Belik.

Community colleges

The

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...

designated

Wharton County Junior College Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colle ...

as the college for the city and extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land, while for the City of Missouri City it designates

Houston Community College Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for active ...

(HCC).Texas Education Code Sec. 130.182. HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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Parks and recreation

Parks in First Colony operated by the association include Patriot Park. Playgrounds in First Colony operated by the association include Austin Meadows Playground, Colony Meadows 1 Playground, Colony Meadows 2 Playground, Edgwater Playground, The Enclave Playground, Heritage Colony Playground, Riverbend Playground. Pools include Alcorn Oaks Pool, Austin Park Pool, The Lakes Pool, and Woodstream Pool.

References

External links

First Colony Community AssociationMap of First Colony
from the 1990 U.S. Census Tiger Maps * 1990 U.S. Census block maps: *
Overall of Fort Bend County
*
Parcel 20
*
Parcel 29
{{Missouri City, Texas Geography of Fort Bend County, Texas Sugar Land, Texas Missouri City, Texas Populated places established in 1976 1976 establishments in Texas