Just fifty years ago, Sugar Land, Texas was a tiny hamlet that had grown up as a company owned town. Developed as a residential community to support the Imperial Sugar Company, it was not until 1959 that Sugar Land became a city under law. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the city grew - but not in the haphazard way that many cities expanded during those years of growth. Instead, the city's government worked closely with developers to create master planned communities that offered amenities like golf courses, public parks and greenbelts, clubhouses and fitness centers. By the 1990s, this area had garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the best places to live in Fort Bend County.

That's when things really started happening for Sugar Land. In the last half of the 1990s, Sugar Land's population grew by 158%, making it the fastest growing county in Texas. As before, much of the growth was in master planned communities, offering lakefront home sites, Houston luxury homes and beautiful landscaping along with community amenities that created a quality of life that was hard to match in any other community.

Swimming pools and tennis clubs, golf courses, hiking trails and community gardens contributed to the outdoor recreational lifestyle made possible by the wonderful climate. By the year 2000, the rest of the country began to take notice of tiny Sugar Land, and year after year the affluent Houston suburb has been ranked among the best places to live in the US. Among the honors that have been heaped on this area are:

Outstanding Achievement in the City Livability Awards, 2007

Fittest City in Texas (22,000-99,000 population) Texas Round-up Governor's Challenge 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Award of Merit American Society of Landscapers and Architects (for achievement in Planning and Analysis) 2007

Gold Certificate Award to the City of Sugar Land and Fort Bend Independent School District 2007

#1 in 100 Best Communities for Young People from America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth 2006

Business Week Top 25 Best and Most Affordable Suburbs in the US 2006

CNN Money and Money Magazine's Third Best Place to Live in America 2006

Best of the Best in Standard of Living, Education, Health and Safety and Lifestyle by Best Places to Raise Your Family: The Top 100 Affordable Communities (Wylie 2006)

The list goes on and on, but the message is unmistakable. This is the kind of city, to quote Business Week, "...that most families dream about but can rarely find - within their budget".

Sugar Land offers a lifestyle and way of living that is almost impossible to find in a community of its size. The crime rate is among the lowest in the nation; the job growth rate among the highest. The cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. The community continues to grow as industries take heed of awards from publications like Business Week naming it as one of the top cities in America for business relocation.

While many of the oldest homes here are still standing and occupied, handed down from generation to generation, new construction is keeping pace with the population growth. Most Houston luxury homes are located in the master planned communities, including some of the oldest and most established subdivisions. New homes range in price from $230k to over $1 million, and your housing dollar stretches much further here than it does in many other parts of the country.

New home construction in Sugar Land is an even mix of upscale townhomes and single family homes on beautifully landscaped home building sites. Buyers can choose from "production homes" created from established plans by the best new home builders in Fort Bend County, or work with builders to create Houston luxury homes that are specifically designed with their own family in mind.

This area offers Houston luxury homes in a close-knit community, where diversity is valued and young people are vital, where the amenities that most would love but can't afford are a part of everyday life and where family and community are an important part of life. Those who choose to build new homes in Sugar Land enjoy all the benefits of living in a small town community that values culture, arts, recreation and education along with all the advantages of being within twenty miles of a major metropolitan city. World class dining, entertainment and shopping are just a stone's throw from the serenity and beauty of a city that was planned for nature and man to live in harmony.