Richmond is a suburb of Houston and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Fort Bend County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The city is located within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 11,627.

History

In 1822, a group of Austin's colonists went up the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

, stopping near present-day Richmond where they built a fort called "Fort Bend". Named after Richmond, England, the town was among the 19 cities first incorporated by the short-lived

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

, in 1837. Early residents of the city include many prominent figures in Texas lore such as Jane Long, Deaf Smith, and Mirabeau Lamar, who are all buried in Richmond, as is Walter Moses Burton, the nation's first Black elected sheriff. On August 16, 1889, the town was the site of the "Battle of Richmond", an armed fight culminating the Jaybird–Woodpecker War, a violent feud over

post-Reconstruction The nadir of American race relations was the period in African-American history and the history of the United States from the end of Reconstruction era, Reconstruction in 1877 through the early 20th century, when racism in the United States, r ...

political control of Fort Bend County. The mayor from 1949 until his death in 2012 was Hilmar Moore. Historically Richmond had government agencies and nonprofit organizations, while most of the area private businesses were located in Rosenberg.Kever, Jeannie.
Neighborhoods / Memories of home / Quiet pleasures are at hear of Richmond neighborhood
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...

''. Wednesday August 27, 2003. Houston 1. Retrieved on May 27, 2012.

Geography

Richmond is located near the center of Fort Bend County. Most of the city is situated on the southwest side of the

, with a small portion (Richmond Landing) on the northeast side, connected by US Highway 90A. Richmond is bordered to the southwest by the city of Rosenberg. US 90A leads east to

Sugar Land Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) 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 po ...

and west through Rosenberg to East Bernard. Downtown

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

is to the northeast. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city of Richmond has a total area of , of which are land and , or 8.22%, is covered by water. In 2003, Jeannie Kever of the ''

'' said, "Some of the old buildings have been reincarnated as shops or law offices. But in other ways, life in Richmond isn't so different from that in the big city, with its

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

and fast-food joints, check-cashing businesses and strip-center sprawl." several

strip mall A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...

s are along U.S. Route 59 south of town. During the same year, the community included tack stores, two-lane blacktop roads, and horse ranches. John P. Lopez of the ''Houston Chronicle'' said, "Richmond is a city of contradiction and transition. It's as if the place is not sure if it wants to be a part of Houston's bustle or remain a slow-paced farm and ranch town. It tries to be both," and, "It is part Acres Homes, part Fort Bend County Fair."Lopez, John P.
Meet a pair of true Friday night lights
" ''

''. Tuesday October 10, 2006. Sports 1. Retrieved on May 27, 2012.

Communities

The wealthiest neighborhood, as of 2003, in Richmond is Hillcrest. Winston Terrace, another neighborhood, had its first houses built in 1940. Construction increased around the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Most of the houses were built between 1940 and 1965. Jeannie Kever of the ''Houston Chronicle'' said that Winston Terrace is "a swath of mid-20th-century America, with sweeping oak trees and colorful brick or wood bungalows, named for the descendants of one of the region's most illustrious pioneers." "Mud Alley" as of 1985 had older bars and strip clubs. Mud Alley is located in an area which, in 1985, housed most of the

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

in Richmond. As of 1993 many police raids for drugs occurred in "Mud Alley". "Mud Alley" was known by several other nicknames, including "Little Boomtown". Historically, the area had a lot of recreational drugs.

Unincorporated areas of Richmond

The proximity to affordable and cheap land located off of the Grand Parkway (SH 99) and the Westpark tollway has allowed for multiple master planned communities to be built and take shape. These communities in the 77406 and 77407 zip codes have Richmond addresses, but are not provided any city services since they are unincorporated and in the Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of the city of Houston. The respective MUD districts of the neighborhoods provide water, sewer and fire services. Fort Bend County Sheriffs department and local constables provide police support. These communities include: Pecan Grove, Texas, The lakes of Bella Terra, Long Meadow Farms, Lakemont, Aliana, Grand Mission, Grand Mission Estates, Twin Oaks Village, Fieldstone, Mission Trace, Mission Sierra, Waterside Estates, Candela, Deer Run Meadows, McCrary Meadows, Mandola Farms, and Harvest Green, among others. Multiple mass merchandisers and restaurants have opened locations along the grand parkway and this area continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Estimates are there could be well over 25,000 homes and 10,000 apartment units with a population above 85,000 plus people. This area of unincorporated Richmond, in Fort Bend County, is split among precinct 3 and precinct 4 for voting purposes, and also split among US house districts 7 (Lizzie Fletcher, D) and district 22 (Troy Nehls, R)

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,627 people, 4,231 households, and 2,668 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,413 households, and 2,628 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.20%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.55%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.63% Native American, 3.53% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 31.00% from other races, and 3.01% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 58.71% of the population. There were 3,413 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.60. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,888, and the median income for a family was $35,801. Males had a median income of $27,457 versus $22,723 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,195. About 17.0% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

operates the Jester State Prison Farm units, including the Jester I Unit, the Carol Vance Unit (formerly the Jester II Unit), the Jester III Unit, and the Wayne Scott Unit (formerly the Jester IV Unit), in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

east of Richmond.Vance Unit
."

. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.

Arts and culture

Public libraries

Fort Bend County Libraries operates the George Memorial Library, the central library and the site of the administrative offices of the library system, located along Farm to Market Road 762.George Memorial Library
" Fort Bend County Libraries. Retrieved on May 14, 2010. Richmond also has the Fort Bend County Law Library.Fort Bend County Law Library
" Fort Bend County Libraries. Retrieved on May 14, 2010. The Main Library moved from Rosenberg to its current location in Richmond in 1986. The George Foundation funded the library facility, designed by Ronald Wedemeyer Associates and built on of land. When the library opened, it had unfinished areas to facilitate future expansion. In December 1989 the Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, in accordance with Texas Local Government code §323.021(a), ordered the construction of a law library. The main library expansion and the 1991 installation of an automation system used funds from the 1989 bond election, and expansion occurred on 1995 and 2002. The 2002 expansion included the addition of two conference rooms.

Government

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

Richmond Post Office is located at 5560 Farm to Market Road 1640. The city is governed by a mayor and four commissioners elected at large for two-year terms. The commission sets policy and the day-to-day management is done by a city manager hired by the commission.Elected Officials
, City of Richmond web site, retrieved 2008-12-29 Hilmar G. Moore served as mayor from 1949 until his death on December 4, 2012 and was believed to be the longest-serving mayor in the United States.Hilmar G. Moore
, City of Richmond web site, retrieved 2008-12-29Stewart, Richard

, Dec. 29, 2008, 3:39AM, retrieved 2008-12-29 Rebecca "Becky" Haas is currently the mayor.

Education

Children living within the corporate city limits of Richmond are served by

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, also Lamar Consolidated ISD, Lamar CISD or LCISD, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Metropolitan Area. Lamar CISD includes al ...

. Elementary schools within the Richmond city limits include Jane Long, Pink, and Smith. Wessendorff Middle School, Lamar Junior High School, and Lamar Consolidated High School serve students living within the Richmond city limits. The three schools are in Rosenberg. Various schools operated by LCISD and neighboring Fort Bend Independent School District bear Richmond addresses, but do not serve the city limits of Richmond. George Ranch High School, Foster High School, Reading Junior High School, and Briscoe Junior High in LCISD and Travis High School and Bush High School in the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) bear "Richmond, Texas" addresses. The designated community college for LCISD is

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 offers a range of postsecondary educational prog ...

.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref>

Infrastructure

Transportation

Fort Bend County Public Transportation provides local bus service in Richmond.Point Deviation Route Service
/ref>

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Fort Bend County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Greater Houston