HISTORY 

"Sugar became a part of life in the area when S. M. Swinson, captain of a small freight boat, made a meandering journey along the United States coast from New York to Velasco. Along the journey, commodities were picked up at various points and dispensed of as the journey proceeded. One of the stops was Cuba, and as it happened, it was during the height of sugar cane season. A small load of sugar cane stalks was taken on board and later delivered to Samuel M. Williams. The next time Swinson came to the area, he saw sugar cane growing "as high as a man on a horse" and immediately returned to Cuba to purchase more stalks. Soon after, a mill was built to squeeze the juice from the stalks."(City of Sugar Land, 2008).

In 1907, Sugar Land began growing at a rapid rate when the sugar refining process was expanded. The process of incorporation of the town began in the fall of 1959. The first mayor was elected on December 15, 1959 and the first City Council meeting was held on January 19, 1960.  

The Mexican government granted Sugar Land to Samuel M. Williams through Stephen F. Austin. Williams originally called this land “Oakland Plantation” because of the wide variety of oak trees on the land. Samuel M. Williams planted sugar cane stalks that he got from S.M. Swinson. This crop flourished such that a mill was built to squeeze the juice from the stalks.
In 1853, the “Oakland Plantation” was purchased from the S.M. Williams family by Benjamin Franklin Terry and William Jefferson Kyle, who had made quite a fortune prospecting gold in California. Kyle and Terry built the railroad from Stafford to Richmond and were instrumental in getting it to run through Sugar Land. 

City Hall

Beautiful Town Center