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105-496: Sweetwater Country Club is a golf course and country club located in Sugar Land, Texas . The club was built in 1957. In 2003, two teenagers convicted of stealing golf carts were given settlements because SCC did not verify whether they were guests who were allowed to take golf carts. In 2017, the club expanded its facilities by creating a training area and gym area for its members. This golf club or course-related article

210-480: A ghost town by the 1960s due to the steady decline in the global price of nitrates caused by the development of chemically engineered fertilizers. Sewell was a mining town intended as both a residential and industrial hub linked to the nearby El Teniente copper mine. Founded in 1906 by the Braden Copper Company , it came to house over 16,000 inhabitants at its peak despite its remote location on

315-519: A Quaker, preached Christian values, such as respectability, thrift, and sobriety, and sought to unify the Bournville community through rituals such as gift-giving between employer and employee. The firm also established work councils, such as the Women's Works Council, and supported trade unions. Bournville represented the union of industry and nature as the company town boasted the attractiveness of

420-513: A Sugar Land Chinmaya Hindu temple, opened in December 2007. It is the only Hindu temple in the city devoted to Shiva . The Chinmaya Mission Houston started in 1982. Originally classes were held in an apartment. In a ten year period the members raised $ 2.5 million for the permanent temple. Shri Krishna Vrundavana has a Sugar Land postal address, but is physically in the Alief super neighborhood in

525-495: A colony of South Africa. Indigenous workers were coerced into signing yearlong contracts in caged-in factory compounds, which they were not allowed to leave without permission, with movement strictly controlled by Pass laws. In addition they lived in the compound dorms and primarily got food from the compound's cafeteria, both under the control of their employers. As such, alongside the typically bad working conditions, it has been characterized by many as close to slavery. Widzew,

630-729: A conscience", for example, George Cadbury 's Bournville , if viewed cynically, the company town was often an economically viable ploy to attract and retain workers. Additionally, for-profit shops within company towns were usually owned by the company, which was unavoidable to its isolated workers, thus resulting in a monopoly for the owners. Although economically successful, company towns sometimes failed politically due to lacking elected officials and municipally owned services. Accordingly, workers often had no say in local affairs, and therefore felt dictated to. Ultimately, this political climate caused resentment amongst workers and resulted in many residents losing long-term affection for their towns; such

735-428: A developer, by bid in 2003. The developer announced plans to build a new master-planned community called Telfair in this location. In July 2004, Sugar Land annexed all of this land into the city limits to control the quality of development, extending the city limits westward. This was unusual, since Sugar Land had earlier annexed only built-out areas, not lands prior to development. In December 2005, Sugar Land annexed

840-474: A generation ago. Many of its lower-income residents, including African American workers who at one time made up the majority working sugarcane, have been displaced and have had to seek work and housing elsewhere. The company maintains its headquarters in Sugar Land. The Texas Department of Transportation sold 2,018 acres (817 ha) of prison land in the western portion of Sugar Land to Newland Communities,

945-649: A harsh winter. As part of the Kempner-Copenhaver agreement, Copenhaver moved to the site to serve as general manager and build the company-owned town of Sugar Land. The trains running through Sugar Land are on the route of the oldest railroad in Texas. They run adjacent to the sugar refinery, west of the town, and through the center of what used to be known as the Imperial State Prison Farm . It operated with convict lease labor. Between

1050-493: A healthy, beautiful, and well-ventilated environment. The Bolsover Company developed two exemplary mining communities in Derbyshire during the late nineteenth century: Bolsover (1891) and Creswell (1896). The Bolsover Company aimed to provide improved living conditions for the miners and their families in these model industrial villages. The houses at Creswell were built in concentric circles, and within these circles

1155-709: A historic monument. The mining settlements built around the coal pits of the Ruhr region were called Zechenkolonien ("pit colonies"). Wolfsburg was created as a planned city in 1938 to host the Volkswagen plant and its workers. A similar Nazi-era planned town is Salzgitter , built around the Reichswerke Hermann Göring that later became the Salzgitter AG . In 1950s East Germany , Eisenhüttenstadt ("ironworks city", initially Stalinstadt )

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1260-450: A history going back some 150 years; however, in almost all cases, the company that operated the colony has now shut down. The most common industry in these colonies was textiles, and the most important from the standpoint of architecture, urban design, and the complexity of their operation. More than 75 textile colonies were recorded, although there were also mining, metallurgy, cement, and agricultural colonies. These colonies (particularly

1365-506: A private home security service were part of the amenities developed. The success of Sugar Creek, buoyed by the construction of U.S. Highway 59, quickly made Sugar Land's vast farmlands attractive to real-estate developers for residential housing. In 1977, development began on First Colony , a master-planned community encompassing 10,000 acres (4,000 ha). Developed by a Gerald Hines -led consortium that became known as Sugarland Properties Inc., development on First Colony would continue over

1470-514: A school, tennis courts, and bowling greens. Port Sunlight combined the use of formal and informal planning elements, such as straight streets close to the town centre and curved streets in the residential areas. This combination of the formal and informal represented a new feature of British town planning. Bournville (1895), near Birmingham, was established by the Cadbury brothers, George and Richard. George and Richard Cadbury chose to transfer

1575-477: A significant influence on the Garden City movement . The model company town is concerned with creating a productive and prosperous company. Enlightened industrialists believed this could be achieved by providing a healthier residential environment for their employees. Planning a model company town involved the fusion of new notions of house design and layout. The paternalism of the enlightened industrialist

1680-409: A significant part of the town's population. An example is Toyota, Aichi ( 豊田市 ), where the "castle" company is the automobile manufacturer Toyota . In some cases, such towns can be named after the company. For example, Toyota City changed its name from Koromo City and named the area of the town where Toyota's headquarters is situated " Toyota-machi  [ ja ] " ( トヨタ町 , note that katakana

1785-535: A subtle form of social engineering , refers to the control of workers by their employers who seek to force middle-class ideals upon their working-class employees. Many nineteenth-century business people considered paternalism as a moral responsibility, or often a religious obligation, which would advance society while furthering their business interests. Accordingly, the company town offered a unique opportunity to achieve such ends. Although many prominent examples of company towns portray their founders as "capitalists with

1890-642: A suburb of Łódź in Poland, had been a textile company town before the Second World War . Svit in Slovakia was founded in 1934 by business industrialist Jan Antonín Baťa following his policy of establishing well-organized model communities for his workers and other employees. This town (like other Baťa's company towns) was also an example of social engineering . The mining city of Kiruna in Sweden

1995-564: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land (sometimes spelled as Sugarland ) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas , United States, located in the southwestern part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Located about 19 miles (31 km) southwest of downtown Houston , Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around

2100-529: Is a prime example of the decline many company towns have had to deal with when the company itself struggles. The town relied on three paper mills owned by Kymmene Corporation from the 1870s until 2005, when two mills, Voikkaa and Kuusaa, were shut down, leaving only the Kymi mill operating. The two closed mills employed an estimated 5% of the local population, and Kymmene's decision left the town in socioeconomic chaos. Kuusankoski's independent status ended in 2009 when

2205-453: Is a water-deposited layer of halite , a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. The region is earthquake -free. While the neighboring city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically active surface faults with an aggregate length of 149 miles (240 km),

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2310-404: Is almost unheard of and typically does not accumulate. One such rare snowstorm hit Houston on Christmas Eve 2004. A few inches accumulated, but had melted by the next afternoon. The earliest snowfall to occur in any winter fell on December 4, 2009. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 111,026 people, 38,852 households, and 31,328 families residing in the city. At the publication of

2415-408: Is estimated that Sugar Land is subsiding at a rate of between 10 and 25 millimeters per year. The subsidence is exacerbated by Climate Change , increased suburban development, and inadequate replenishment. The subsidence has significant human cost. For example, the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey was worse than it would have otherwise been due to the effect, and houses and buildings in

2520-448: Is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar; the company's main sugar refinery and distribution center were once located in the city. The Imperial Sugar crown logo is featured in the city seal and logo. Sugar Land has roots in the original Mexican land grant made to Anglo-American Stephen F. Austin . One of the first settlers of the land, Samuel M. Williams, called this area "Oakland Plantation". Williams' brother, Nathaniel, purchased

2625-561: Is located in northeast Fort Bend County, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of downtown Houston. It is bordered by Houston to the northeast, and by Stafford , Missouri City , and Meadows Place to the east. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city of Sugar Land has a total area of 42.9 square miles (111.1 km ), of which 40.5 square miles (104.8 km ) are land and 2.4 square miles (6.3 km ), or 5.7%, are covered by water. The elevation of most of

2730-578: Is the national headquarters for the United States Ismaili Community. Jajoo stated that the quality of the jobs, schools, and parks attracts people of Indian origin to Sugar Land. Of the 26,709 households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% were not families. About 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% were someone living alone who

2835-557: Is used here to reflect the company name) in 1959. During the Porfiriato , American-owned mining towns that settled areas mostly uninhabited areas included Cananea , El Boleo , Nacozari , Navojoa , Copala , Concordia , Santa Eulalia , Santa Rosalía de Camargo , Batopilas , and Esperanzas . Americans and Mexicans were segregated, with the 1906 Cananea strike precipitating the Mexican Revolution . Oranjemund

2940-611: The Supreme Court of Illinois forced the Pullman Company to divest ownership in the town, which was annexed to Chicago. However, government observers maintained that Pullman's principles accurately provided his employees with a quality of life otherwise unattainable. Still, they recognized that his excessive paternalism was inappropriate for a large-scale corporate economy and thus caused the town's downfall. Accordingly, government observers and social reformers alike saw

3045-626: The Ter and Llobregat and their tributaries. In Berguedà , for example, within 20 km, there are 14 colonies. The total number in Catalonia is around a hundred. These were small towns created around a factory or mine, built in a rural area, and, therefore, separate from any other population. They typically housed between 100 and 500 inhabitants; in some cases, upwards of 1000 people lived in these towns. These industrial colonies were an emblematic aspect of industrialization in Catalonia, specifically,

3150-463: The census of 2010, 78,817 people, 26,709 households, and 21,882 families were residing in the city. The population density was 2,432.6 inhabitants per square mile (939.2/km ). The 27,727 housing units averaged 855.8 per square mile (330.5/km ). In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 52.0% White, 7.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 35.3% Asian, 2.34% other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.6% of

3255-490: The 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) First Colony master-planned community, bringing the city's population to almost 60,000. This was Sugar Land's largest annexation at the time. Sugar Land boasted the highest growth among Texas' largest cities, per the U.S. Census 2000, when it had a population of 63,328. In 2003, Sugar Land became a "principal" city, recognized in the metropolitan area's official title change to Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, with Sugar Land replacing Galveston as

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3360-509: The 1880s. She says they: Thus, the Pullman Strike did not kill the company town concept but rather initiated a new chapter in their existence. Over the next thirty years, the old model of paternalism was abandoned in favour of new professionally designed company towns with architects, landscape architects, and planners translating "new concepts of industrial relations and social welfare into new physical forms". This suited capitalists of

3465-575: The 1910s until 1959, Sugar Land was virtually self-contained. Imperial Sugar Company provided housing for the workers, encouraged construction of schools, built a hospital to treat workers, and provided businesses to meet the workers' needs. Many of the original houses built by the Imperial Sugar Company remain today in The Hill and Mayfield Park areas of Sugar Land, and have been passed down through generations of family members. During

3570-410: The 1950s, Imperial Sugar wanted to expand the town by building more houses. It developed a new subdivision, Venetian Estates, which featured waterfront homesites on Oyster Creek and on man-made lakes. As the company town expanded, so did the interest of establishing a municipal government . Voters chose to make Sugar Land a general-law city in 1959, with T. E. Harman becoming the first mayor . In

3675-490: The 1960s due to their inflexible capital structure and social changes, such as the desire for workers to own appliances, cars, or homes, the declining influence of religion, and the opportunities offered by towns. The colonies gradually emptied of people even before the definitive industrial crisis, which worsened in 1978. In the 1980s and 1990s, almost all the factories in these industrial colonies closed. From that moment on, many colonies became towns that were now independent of

3780-474: The 1980s. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas. The 2020 United States Census reported that the city's population had grown more than 40% in the preceding 10 years following the annexation of the Greatwood and New Territory communities in December 2017. Over the same 10-year period, the number of employed persons living in Sugar Land increased by 61%. Sugar Land

3885-450: The 2014 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $ 115,069, and for a family was $ 132,534. Male full-time workers had a median income of $ 98,892 versus $ 60,053 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 48,653. About 6.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over. Catholics account for over 30% of

3990-592: The 5,300-acre (2,100 ha) Ellis Plantation, one of the few plantations in Fort Bend County to survive the Civil War. The Ellis Plantation had originally been part of the Jesse Cartwright league; Will Ellis had operated it after the Civil War by a system of tenant farming , made up mostly of African-American families who were previously enslaved on the land. In 1908, the partnership acquired

4095-490: The 6,000 company employees and an equal number of dependents. Employees were not required to live in Pullman, although workers tended to get better treatment if they chose to live there. The town operated successfully until the economic panic of 1893 when demand for the company's products declined, and Pullman lowered employee wages and hours to offset the decrease in demand. Despite this, the company refused to lower rents in

4200-513: The Albert and Mamie George Building, and as a result, the multi-institution teaching center was renamed as the University of Houston Sugar Land . In 2003, the Imperial Sugar Company refinery plant and distribution center were closed, but the effect on the local economy was minimal. Sugar Land has become an affluent Houston suburb rather than the blue-collar , agriculture -dependent town it was

4305-518: The Amazon rainforest of Brazil. It was intended to be inhabited by 10,000 people, but it failed, and the city was abandoned in 1934. Arvida, Quebec was developed in 1927 as a company town. The town grew to have a population of about 14,000 inhabitants, four Catholic parishes, and many other denominations, parishes, and schools. It was known as "the City Built in 135 Days". Batawa was set up by

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4410-599: The Bata Shoe Company as a planned community around a shoe factory. The factory opened in 1939 and closed in 2000. Two of Chile's UNESCO World Heritage Sites correspond to former company towns. Humberstone was a settlement dedicated to the extraction of saltpeter during said commodity's boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The town was founded and administered by James Thomas Humberstone 's Peru Nitrate Company, later acquired by Compañía Salitrera de Tarapacá y Antofagasta (COSATAN), before turning into

4515-543: The Cadbury factory to this new site to provide their employees with improved living conditions and a country environment that they could enjoy – a far cry from Birmingham's busy, smoky city centre. The firm provided education as a compulsory academic course, and workers were allowed to complete commercial or technical training. The Cadburys also encouraged their workers to get involved in the social life of Bournville by providing sports facilities, athletic and cultural clubs, and social events such as summer parties. George Cadbury ,

4620-481: The Houston city limits. It occupies the 450-person, 9,000-square-foot (840 m ) former La Festa Hall. It was established in 2011 with about 200 people in its congregation; originally the temple rented its property. In October 2015 the temple organizers bought the current site for $ 1.3 million. In December 2015 its congregation had numbered over 800. The Islamic Society of Greater Houston operates two mosques in

4725-585: The Roosevelt administration's New Deal dealt the final blow to end American company towns by raising minimum wages, encouraging industrial self-governance, and pushing for the owners of company towns to "consider the question of plans for eventual employee ownership of homes". To a lesser extent the New Deal also reduced the need for employee housing by transforming housing finance to a lower-interest, lower-deposit system, making homeownership more accessible to

4830-537: The Soviet Union, there were several cities of nuclear scientists ( atomics ) known as atomgrad ; particularly in Ukraine , those were Pripyat , Varash , Pivdennoukrainsk among others. Typically, a company town is isolated from neighboring towns and centered on a large production factory , such as a lumber or steel mill or an automobile plant. The citizens of the town either work in the factory, work in one of

4935-609: The adjoining 12,500-acre (5,100 ha) Cunningham Plantation, with its raw-sugar mill and cane-sugar refinery. The partnership changed the name to Imperial Sugar Company; Kempner associated the name "Imperial", which was also the name of a small raw-sugar mill on the Ellis Plantation, with the Imperial Hotel in New York City. Around the turn of the 20th century, most of the sugarcane crops were destroyed by

5040-472: The area's land surface are unconsolidated clays , clay shales , and poorly cemented sands , extending to depths of several miles. The region's geology developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains . These sediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, were transformed into oil and natural gas . Beneath these tiers

5145-477: The area, Masjid Maryam (New Territory Islamic Center) and Masjid At-Taqwa (Synott Islamic Center). Company town Some company towns were established to improve living conditions for workers, but many have been regarded as controlling and/or exploitative. Others were not planned, such as Summit Hill, Pennsylvania , United States, one of the oldest, which began as a Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company mining camp and mine site nine miles (14.5 km) from

5250-641: The city are sinking and having their foundations damaged. To manage the rapidly increasing subsidence, the Texas State Legislature created the Fort Bend Subsidence District in 1989. The US Geologic Survey and the US Army Corps of Engineers have performed studies and monitoring of the subsidence. Sugar Land sits atop three aquifers : Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper. The Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers have been

5355-460: The city is between 70 and 90 feet (21 and 27 m) above sea level. The elevation of Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is 82 feet (25 m). Sugar Land has two major waterways running through the city. The southwestern and southern portion of the city were developed along the Brazos River, which runs into Brazoria County . Oyster Creek runs from the northwest to the eastern portion of

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5460-399: The city limits and into Missouri City. Sugar Land developers have built many artificial lakes connecting to Oyster Creek or the Brazos River, as part of new master-planned communities. Sugar Land and other surrounding areas are subsiding and the rate of subsidence is increasing. The area sunk about 1 foot between 1943 and 1964, while it sunk over 6 feet between 1988 and 2016 Currently, it

5565-526: The city population with 11,998 households registered by St. Laurence, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Theresa parishes. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston operates three churches in Sugar Land: The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston , a Swaminarayan sect Hindu temple, is along Brand Lane in unincorporated Fort Bend County , near Stafford and Sugar Land. The Sri Saumyakasi,

5670-570: The city. Approval of this amendment authorized the mayor to be a voting member of council, in addition to performing duties as presiding officer of the council. Sugar Land annexed Sugar Creek in 1986, after the latter community was nearly built-out. That same year, the city organized the largest celebration in its history, the Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration, celebrating 150 years of Texan independence from Mexican rule (DGA). An amendment on May 5, 1990, changed

5775-484: The city. This resulted in a favorable 40/60 ratio of residential to commercial tax base within the city. In 1981, a special city election was held for the purpose of establishing a home-rule municipal government . Voters approved the adoption of a home-rule charter, which established a mayor-council form of government, with all powers of the city vested in a council composed of a mayor and five councilmen, elected from single-member districts . A special city election

5880-472: The clay below the surface in Sugar Land precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults move only very gradually in what is termed "fault creep". Sugar Land's climate is classified as being humid subtropical , featuring two seasons, a wet season from April to October, and a dry season from November to March. The city is located in the Gulf coastal plains biome , and

5985-601: The company owner, who could shape the lifestyle and activities of his employees to serve his interests and those of the company. Model villages for agricultural workers were founded in the early 19th century in the United Kingdom. The creation of model company towns was particularly evident in Britain during the latter half of the nineteenth century with the creation of Saltaire (1851), Bournville , Port Sunlight , Creswell and New Earswick (1901) and coincided with

6090-487: The company, others were abandoned and remain without inhabitants. Other factories were leased to smaller industries or now lie empty. Some of the more interesting colonies include: Colònia Güell , in Santa Coloma de Cervelló , which contains several modernist buildings, such as the crypt church built by Antoni Gaudí ; L'Ametlla de Merola , Puig-reig , where centenary traditional cultural activities are held, such as

6195-714: The composition of the city council, adding a mayor and two council members, each to be elected at-large , to the five-member council. The at-large positions require election by a majority of voters, which reduces representation of any minority interests. Throughout much of the 1990s, Sugar Land grew rapidly. The majority of residents are white-collar and college-educated, working in Houston 's energy industry. An abundance of commercial development, with numerous low-rise office buildings, banks, and high-class restaurants, has taken place along both Interstate 69 / U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6 . Sugar Land added to its tax base with

6300-589: The countryside and low-density development with well-built and visually appealing dwellings. Unlike Port Sunlight, Bournville catered for a mixed community, where residences were not restricted to the workforce only. Bournville illustrated how, towards the end of the nineteenth century, low-density development was being punctuated along with the provision of open air, space, and sunlight. Bournville's gardens, parks, tree-lined streets, sense of spaciousness, and country setting enhanced its aesthetic appeal and demonstrated George Cadbury's endeavour to provide workers with

6405-505: The day who were keen to avoid the experiences of Pullman. The first real example occurred at Indian Hill-North Village, Massachusetts , in 1915. By the 1920s, the need for company towns had declined significantly due to increased national affluence. Despite income inequalities and a relatively low standard of living conditions amongst factory laborers, the prosperity of the 1920s saw workers' material well-being improve significantly. A strong post-war American economy meant installment buying

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6510-502: The early 1960s, a new subdivision development called Covington Woods was constructed. Later that year, the Imperial Cattle Ranch sold about 1,200 acres (490 ha) to a developer to create what became Sugar Creek in 1968. As a master-planned community, Sugar Creek introduced the concept of country club living to Sugar Land. Custom houses were built to surround two golf courses , and country clubs, swimming pools, and

6615-468: The early years of these model industrial villages, the Bolsover Company organized various events intended to enhance community life, such as flower shows, lectures, sporting events, concerts, teas, and dances. Catalonia , located in north-eastern Spain, has an especially high density of company towns, known locally as industrial colonies. They are especially concentrated in river basins along

6720-413: The end of the Civil War and 1912, more than 3,500 prisoners died in Texas as a result of the racist convict leasing program. Archaeologists have uncovered unmarked graves of African Americans from this period in the region around Sugar Land's prison and sugar factory. Since the early 21st century, this area has been largely redeveloped as the suburban planned community of Telfair . As a company town from

6825-480: The former refinery property of Imperial Sugar Company. This development includes Constellation Field , home of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys , originally an independent baseball team but later a member of affiliated Minor League Baseball . Retail needs are to be served in the planned Imperial Market development. In 2017, the 6,400-seat Smart Financial Centre concert hall opened. Sugar Land

6930-460: The housing-reform movement, which emphasized the improvement of housing for the working class. These model towns contrasted with the overcrowded conditions in British working-class districts, which were often characterized by congested housing, unsanitary conditions, and poor provision of open space and facilities. Model company towns promoted the idea of orderly, planned town development as well as

7035-442: The idea of 'laissez-faire' individualism, which promoted entrepreneurial virtues of hard work being rewarded rather than direct charity, began to shape new-age paternalism. Modernization and the increase in material well-being had also lessened the perceived need for paternalism and moral reform. Consequently, the economic downturn of the early 1930s saw some businesses do away with employee welfare schemes to reduce costs. However,

7140-661: The junction of Texas State Highway 6 and Interstate 69 / U.S. Route 59 . Beginning in the 19th century, the present-day Sugar Land area was home to a large sugar plantation situated in the fertile floodplain of the Brazos River . Following the consolidation of local plantations into Imperial Sugar Company in 1908, Sugar Land grew steadily as a company town and incorporated as a city in 1959. Since then, Sugar Land has grown rapidly alongside other edge cities around Houston, with large-scale development of master-planned communities contributing to population swells since

7245-639: The land from Austin in 1838. They developed the plantation by growing cotton , corn , and sugarcane . During these early years, the plantation was the center of social life along the Brazos River. In 1853, Benjamin Terry and William J. Kyle purchased the Oakland Plantation from the Williams family. Terry is known for organizing a division of Texas Rangers during the Civil War and for naming

7350-517: The low to mid 70°Fs, creates a heat index around 100 °F each day. Summer thunderstorms are common with 30 to 50% of the days having thunder. The highest temperature recorded in the area was 109 °F in August 2023. Winters in the area are cool and mild. The average winter high/low is 62/45 °F (16/7 °C). The coldest period is usually in January, when north winds bring winter rains. Snow

7455-528: The mass communication of radio saw the isolation of company towns lessen, and the social basis of the company town became less necessary. Furthermore, the accessibility of private transport to the working class was a step toward equality, as private transport had previously only been accessible to the wealthy. As access to surrounding municipalities increased, residents of company towns gained access to an increasing amount of government-funded public resources such as schools, libraries, and parks. Accordingly, there

7560-439: The nearest outside road. Traditional settings for company towns were where extractive industries – coal , metal mines, lumber – had established a monopoly franchise. Dam sites and war-industry camps founded other company towns. Since company stores often had a monopoly in company towns, it was frequently possible to pay in scrip through a truck system . However, not all company towns engaged in this particular practice. In

7665-431: The need for a balance between control and well-designed towns, concluding that a model company town would only succeed if independent professionals, acting as a buffer between employers and employees, took a role in conception, planning, and management of these towns. Historian Linda Carlson argues that the managers of corporate towns in the early 20th century believed they could avoid the mistakes made by George Pullman in

7770-514: The next 30 years. The master-planned community offered homebuyers formal landscaping, neighborhoods segmented by price range, extensive green belts , a golf course and country club, lakes and boulevards, neighborhood amenities, and shopping. Around the same time as First Colony, another master-planned community development called Sugar Mill was started in the northern portion of Sugar Land, offering traditional, lakefront, and estate lots. The master-planned communities of Greatwood and New Territory, at

7875-591: The notion of preparing for the needs of the community to provide healthier living conditions. Model company towns around the mid-nineteenth century, such as Copley (1849), near Halifax , and Saltaire (1853), close to Bradford , had improved dwellings for workers, which contrasted with working-class housing in other industrial villages and cities. These model company towns prompted the creation of others, such as Port Sunlight, Bournville, and Creswell, within an environment of reform. Port Sunlight (1888) in Cheshire

7980-411: The opening of First Colony Mall in 1996. The more than one-million-square-foot (100,000 m ) mall , the first in Fort Bend County, is located at the busiest intersection of the city: Interstate 69/U.S. 59 and State Highway 6. The mall was named after the 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) master-planned community of First Colony. In November 1997, Sugar Land annexed the remaining municipal utility districts of

8085-562: The population. Sugar Land has the highest concentration of Asian Americans in Texas. Altogether in 2010, 10.7% were Indian, 11.5% Chinese , 4.5% Vietnamese , and 2.0% Filipino . There is also a sizable Pakistani community in Sugar Land. As of 2013, about one-third of the Asian population was Indian American , according to Harish Jajoo, a former city council member of Indian origin. The Sugar Land area has Indian grocery stores, temples, several mosques and many Ismaili Jamatkhanas. Sugar Land

8190-399: The primary company experiences hardship or fails outright, or the industry fades in importance—such as when anthracite mining declined due to dependence on steam locomotives to spur demand—the economic effect on the company town can be devastating. Without a source of employment, the communities lose property value and population as people leave to find work elsewhere. Paternalism ,

8295-401: The primary source of municipal water for Sugar Land, Houston, Galveston and other surrounding areas. The Jasper Aquifer is the only one of the three that is not used to extract drinking water. Due to the rapid building of suburbs in the city and surrounding region, aquifer replenishment has significantly decreased. The city government has enacted a program to manage the aquifers. Underpinning

8400-555: The recently built-out, master-planned community of Avalon and four sections of Brazos Landing subdivision, adding about 3,200 residents. The city eventually annexed the communities of River Park, Greatwood , and New Territory , with the latter two being annexed on December 12, 2017, bringing the city proper's population to 117,869. In the 2010s, development began on the Imperial master-planned community, located in undeveloped territory east of Sugar Land Regional Airport and incorporating

8505-693: The representation of Els Pastorets ; the three colonies of Castellbell i el Vilar : La Bauma , El Borràs , El Burés , with buildings of architectural interest; Cal Rosal , between Berga , Avià and Olvan , which, in 1858, was the first colony in the era of building large colonies in the Llobregat; Cal Vidal , Puig-reig, which houses the Museum of the Vidal Colony, or the Museum of the Sedó Colony, ideal visits for anyone wishing to learn what life

8610-469: The second industrialization, which resulted in certain areas that were once purely rural becoming industrial. They were first created in the second half of the nineteenth century, especially in the 1870s after the American Civil War ended and raw cotton again became readily available. The last colonies were created in the early years of the twentieth century. Thus, company towns in Catalonia have

8715-681: The second-most important city in the metropolitan area after Houston. The metro area is now officially referred to as the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area. With its population increase, the city needed to attract higher education facilities. In 2002, the University of Houston System at Fort Bend moved to a new 250-acre (100 ha) campus located off the University Boulevard and Interstate 69/U.S. 59 intersection. The city helped fund

8820-747: The slopes of the Andes . The problematic geography on which the town was erected led to its distinctive appearance, with steep staircases and no streets for vehicular access. Although the El Teniente mine remains active, the town itself began to be dismantled and abandoned by the late 1960s as the maintenance of a remote on-site town was no longer financially viable. Some industrial activities still occur on Sewell's grounds, but workers have primarily been relocated to nearby urban centres. Kuusankoski in Finland, formerly also known as "the paper capital of Finland",

8925-705: The smaller businesses, or are family members of someone who does. The company may also operate parks , host cultural events such as concerts, donate a church building to a local congregation, etc. A town that existed before establishing a primary business may not officially be a company town. Still, if a single company employs most citizens, similar conditions may exist (especially regarding the town's economy). Similar dependencies may exist in specific neighborhoods or areas within larger cities . Company towns often become regular (public) cities and towns as they grow and attract other settlements, business enterprises, and public transportation and services infrastructure. However, if

9030-517: The textile-related ones) were mostly constructed close to a river. This was because they used hydraulic power (waterwheels) to run the factory. One reason for this was that Catalonia was poor in coal, and importing it was expensive. In addition, the Catalan rivers (with little volume but a very steep sloping run) provided free and almost inexhaustible energy, which was lacking only in times of drought. The industrial colonies' system began to collapse in

9135-467: The time situated west of the city in what was then its extraterritorial jurisdiction, also began to be developed by the end of the 1980s. In addition to the development of master-planned communities targeted at commuters from Houston, Sugar Land began attracting the attention of major corporations throughout the 1980s. Many chose to base their operations in the city. Fluor Daniel , Schlumberger , Unocal , and others began to locate offices and facilities in

9240-614: The town or the price of goods at its shops, thus resulting in the Pullman Strike of 1894. A national commission formed to investigate the causes of the strikes found that Pullman's paternalism was partly to blame and labeled it "Un-American". The report condemned Pullman for refusing to negotiate and for the economic hardships he created for workers in the town of Pullman. "The aesthetic features are admired by visitors, but have little money value to employees, especially when they lack bread." The State of Illinois filed suit, and in 1898,

9345-472: The town was consolidated into Kouvola's regional capital. The French city of Le Creusot is a company town. Leverkusen was founded in 1861 around Carl Leverkus ' dye factory that later became the headquarters of Bayer . The city of Ludwigshafen has been dominated by BASF 's plants since the chemical company moved here in 1865. The neighboring municipality Limburgerhof also emerged from housing estates for BASF workers. Neuölsburg , built since 1875 for

9450-509: The town. Upon the deaths of Terry and Kyle, Colonel E. H. Cunningham bought the 12,500-acre (5,100 ha) plantation soon after the Civil War. He had a sugar-refining plant built here, and developed the town around it in 1879, platting the land and attracting settlers during the post-Reconstruction era. In 1906, the Kempner family of Galveston , under the leadership of Isaac H. Kempner , and in partnership with Logan J. Copenhaver, purchased

9555-488: The vegetation is classified as a temperate grassland . The average yearly precipitation is 48 inches. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico . In the summer, daily high temperatures are in the 95 °F (35 °C) range throughout much of July and August. The air tends to feel still and the abundant humidity, with dewpoints typically in

9660-534: The workers of Ilseder Hütte , was a separate municipality until 1964. Many other companies, especially in the mining and steel industry, built housing estates for their workers near existing cities rather than separate company towns. A notable example is Siedlung Eisenheim in Oberhausen from the mid-19th century, once home to 1200 steel smelters of the Gutehoffnungshütte , which is now protected as

9765-566: The working class. During the late nineteenth century, model company towns materialized as enlightened industrialists recognized that many poor workers were living in appalling conditions. These industrialists wished to combat the unsanitary and congested conditions common to working-class districts to create better living conditions for workers. Model company towns such as Port Sunlight (1888) and Bournville (1895) were influential in regards to their building and planning innovation. The ideas generated from these model towns are regarded as having

9870-471: The world's first purpose-built company towns. It was abandoned in 1954 after the mine was closed. It currently houses a museum of contemporary art and temporary exhibitions. Grand-Hornu is one of the four industrial sites in Wallonia that were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2012. Fordlândia was established by American industrialist Henry Ford in 1928 as a prefabricated industrial town in

9975-411: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90, and the average family size was 3.25. In the city, the age distribution was 24.6% under 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. According to

10080-497: Was a large open parkland and a bandstand. Not only did the Bolsover Company aim to provide better housing, but they also wished to improve workers' moral fibre, believing that the provision of facilities and the promotion of workers' welfare would discourage drunkenness, gambling, and bad language. The Bolsover Company provided facilities deemed beneficial for employees at both villages, including clubhouses, bowling greens, cooperative society stores, cricket pitches, and schools. During

10185-436: Was accessible to low-wage earners who could now purchase previously unattainable goods like automobiles and radios. Moreover, workers were no longer dependent on employers for healthcare and education. By the 1920s, widespread ownership of automobiles meant workers no longer needed to live near their workplaces and now had access to more employment opportunities. A combination of the freedom that came with private transport and

10290-515: Was built from scratch, housing the workers of the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost ironworks. In Japan , an equivalent to company towns are " Kigyō Jōkamachi " ( 企業城下町 , Company castle town ). However, these differ from company towns because the companies do not own or develop them. Instead, the term refers to towns where a specific company has a major influence on the town's economy due to that company or its subcontractors employing

10395-487: Was established by William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) of Lever Brothers – a soap and tallow manufacturer. The earlier layout of this model company town was planned to suit the site's undulating topography. Port Sunlight catered for the Lever Brothers employees with improved housing (cottages of varying designs and materials) and gardens, as well as social and community facilities, including an auditorium,

10500-406: Was exhibited in his desire to provide an environment for his employees that was aesthetically appealing and which included well-designed residences, parks, schools, libraries, and meeting halls. The industrialist also wished to contribute to his workers' well-being by providing social programs such as sporting events and functions. This, however, highlights the power and immense control possessed by

10605-409: Was held August 9, 1986, to submit the proposed changes to the electorate for consideration. By a majority of the voters, amendments to the charter were approved that provided for a change in the city's form of government from that of "mayor-council" (strong mayor) to that of a " council-manager " form of government, which provides for a professional city manager to be the chief administrative officer of

10710-400: Was like in one of these industrial experiments. Having bought the mining concession of Grand-Hornu in 1810, French industrialist Henri De Gorge soon realized the need to accommodate the growing workforce of his expanding business. He commissioned architect François Obin and, after his death, Bruno Renard , to build a functional complex in a neoclassical style. Grand-Hornu became one of

10815-428: Was no longer a need for the amenities of company towns which, before welfare capitalism , had previously been unattainable to the working class. This new-found freedom saw a change in the mindset of workers, who began to look at welfare capitalism as demeaning rather than an incentive. Accordingly, many employees started to request additional pay instead of welfare programs. This was well received by some employers as

10920-456: Was privately owned by De Beers until 2017 and thus governed by the diamond mining company's administration. In 2011, the political administration was handed over to the government , which proclaimed it a town. It is now governed by a seven-seat town council. During South African Apartheid , a form of company towns existed under the contract labor system in Namibia, then South West Africa ,

11025-590: Was the case at Pullman. Although many small company towns existed in mining areas of Pennsylvania before the American Civil War , one of the most significant and most substantial early company towns in the United States was Pullman , developed in the 1880s just outside the Chicago city limits. The entirely company-owned town provided housing, markets, a library, churches, and entertainment for

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