ort Bend County leads the entire Gulf Coast region, much of Texas and the nation in most statistical measurements of economic and demographic excellence. The county is typified by master-planned communities and well-managed cities adjacent to Houston, which afford its residents the highest standards for family living, safety and educational opportunities. Its master-planned communities have proven attractive to families with impressive demographic profiles.

This results in a local employment base that provides relocating companies with a diverse mix of professional, technical, skilled and unskilled labor with the highest educational attainment levels in the region.

Lower crime rates, outstanding master-planned communities and

public schools make Fort Bend County a great place to raise a family.

History

Born out of adventure, Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas, selected Fort Bend for the first colony from a Spanish Land Grant, in what later became the State of Texas. The first settlers arrived by boat on the Brazos River landing at a bend, hence the name Fort Bend. (Visit the Fort Bend County Museum for exciting details.)

Location

Fort Bend is the closest county to the center of the city of Houston. Drive-time studies conducted from other suburban regions substantiate that Fort Bend is the quickest commute. Its regional mobility enables easy access into Houston’s extensive transportation grid. The current monumental widening and upgrading of highway and roadway systems across the county will provide greater access to downtown.

Geography,Geology & Climate

There are virtually no geological, geographical or climactic impediments to growth in Fort Bend County.

Fort Bend County lies within the Texas Coastal Plain Region. This geographic zone is characterized by grassy prairies and broad rivers meandering through woodlands of oak and pecan onto marshlands near the Texas Gulf Coast. Fort Bend County has 876 square miles comprising 560,640 acres.

The Brazos River bisects Fort Bend County and has scoured and filled a broad alluvial valley up to 10 miles wide in some areas. The Brazos has played a dominant role in shaping the agricultural economy of Fort Bend County. Organic-rich clays deposited in the bottomlands have formed the fertile soils that support crops of rice and cotton.

Lifestyle

Fort Bend County ranks eighth in the nation for percentage of traditional families. Lower crime rates, a countywide safety program, outstanding master-planned communities and excellent public schools have attracted those families.

Communities offer a wide variety of cultural and recreational activities that are oriented toward the whole family. The moderate,
subtropical climate allows outdoor activities year-round.

Cultural and sports attractions of the greater Houston metropolitan area are minutes away. Houston offers world renowned professional companies in all four major performing arts: ballet, symphony, opera and theater. Major league sports are represented in Houston: basketball (world-champion Houston Rockets); baseball (Houston Astros); and Houston’s NFL team, the Texans. Houston is also home to The American Hockey League’s, the Houston Aeros and pro soccer team, Houston Dynamo.

Fort Bend County’s 23 golf facilities, providing 486 holes of golf, make it one of the highest per capita golf areas in the nation.

Fort Bend County ranks eighth in the nation

for percentage of traditional families.

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Fort Bend Publishing Group 2009

An Official Publication of the
2010 Fort Bend Housing Guide

Fort Bend County
Highlights

• Education - Fort Bend County citizens over age 25 have the highest levels of educational attainment in the Houston region. Its residents also have the highest percentage of citizens with graduate degrees, highest percentage of citizens with bachelor degrees, highest percentage of citizens with some college education, and the lowest percentage of high school dropouts.

• Household Composition - Fort Bend County has the highest percentage
of traditional families (married with
children) in the Houston region and the eighth highest percentage of traditional families in the United States. Sixty-eight percent of the families are married with children compared to the national average of 26 percent.

• Household Income - Fort Bend leads the Houston region in household income. Every ethnic group in Fort Bend County leads its counterpart throughout the Houston region in average household income. The average household income in Fort Bend County is $112,101.

Transportation

Fort Bend County contains excellent access by road systems from every direction. The Southwest Freeway (U.S. 59), Katy Freeway (I-10) and U.S. 90A bisect the county from east to west. State Highway 6, the Sam Houston Tollway, State Highway 36, FM 723 and the Grand Parkway provide excellent north-south access from U.S. 59 to I-10.

The recently completed Fort Bend Parkway tollroad gives residents in southeast Fort Bend County easy access to the Sam Houston Tollway and Loop 610 areas.

All of these road systems offer the business and residential community congestion-free access to all areas of the county. The Texas Department of Transportation provides responsive programs to meet all requirements of this growing community. New projects completed or under construction for Fort Bend County include Highway 6 Bypass, Highway 36 Bypass, and the widening of U.S. 59 and U.S. 90A.

Workforce

Fort Bend County’s labor force is comprised of highly educated and skilled workers from all occupational backgrounds. With a work force of 229,671 people, employers find Fort Bend’s available work force to be a positive factor in site selection. In addition, the region has more than 2.1 million people in its work force.

Texas is a right-to-work state by statute, and has a unionization rate of approximately 6.6 percent, one of the lowest rates in the nation. The unionization rate in Fort Bend County is 3.06 percent. As a result, employers have greater

flexibility and productivity in their manufacturing operations.

Health Facilities

Fort Bend County alone offers more than 35 health care facilities and agencies as well as hundreds of doctors, dentists and specialist physicians who serve as resources for Fort Bend County residents. Fort Bend County enjoys an excellent reputation for its quality primary physicians. Facilities include general and specific purpose hospitals, 24-hour emergency rooms, outpatient surgery centers, convalescent and assisted-living centers, mental health facilities and a variety of social service programs. In addition, most area hospitals have service agreements with the outstanding facilities in the Texas Medical Center for highly specialized health care.

All health care facilities and physicians accept a large number of managed health care plans.

Health care providers in Fort Bend County have the flexibility to provide customized occupational health care programs to companies and industries locating in the area.

Religious Facilities

The religious community in Fort Bend has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past few years. Several churches in the area have either expanded their facilities or built new buildings.

There are more than 20 denominations and more than 58 religious facilities scattered throughout Fort Bend neighborhoods. ●