View source for First Colony

{{Short description|Large Master-Planned Community in Fort Bend County, Texas}}
{{for|the mall in Sugar Land|First Colony Mall}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = First Colony
| settlement_type          = Community in [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar Land]] and [[Missouri City, Texas|Missouri City]]<br/>Former [[Census-designated place]]
| image_skyline            = FirstColonyTX0.jpg
| image_caption            = A First Colony entrance sign
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_type2        = County
| subdivision_type3        = Cities
| subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Fort Bend County]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar Land]] and [[Missouri City, Texas|Missouri City]]
| parts                    = 
| population_total         = 50,000
| population_density_sq_mi = 3300
| area_total_acre          = 9,700
| area_total_km2           = 39
| founder                  = Sugarland Properties
| established_title        = Construction started
| established_date         = 1976
| established_title1       = Development finished
| established_date1        = 1997<ref>{{Cite web|last=Luck|first=Marissa|date=2022-09-16|title=Houston real estate powerhouse Hines plans 2,400-home community in Fort Bend County|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/hines-rosenberg-community-17446204.php|access-date=2022-12-04|website=Houston Chronicle|language=en-US}}</ref>
| postal_code              = 77479
| postal_code_type         = ZIP Code
| image_blank_emblem       = Logo of First Colony, TX.png
}}
'''First Colony''' is a {{convert|9700|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[master-planned community]] in [[Fort Bend County, Texas]]. The community, with approximately 50,000 residents,<ref name="Kaplanfastfood">Kaplan, David. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7004335.html Blending elegance and fast food]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. May 13, 2010. Retrieved on May 14, 2010.</ref> encompasses over 9,500 residential houses in 98 [[neighborhoods]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=CSA |first=First Colony |title=About Us |url=https://www.firstcolony.org/community/about-us/ |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=First Colony CSA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=fccsa_community_neighhborhoods_map.pdf |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dCM3ijSE4PslvcjwFNIToQtigNdPMkkU/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Google Docs}}</ref> located across southern parts of [[Sugar Land]] with a few neighborhoods spanning into [[Missouri City, Texas|Missouri City]].

==History==
[[File:SugarLandTownSquare.JPG|thumb|[[Sugar Land Town Square]] in [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar Land]] was developed out of one of the few remaining parcels of land in First Colony|left]]
First Colony was developed by Sugarland Properties Inc.&mdash;a joint venture of [[Gerald D. Hines]] Interests and Stichting Shell Pension Fund. Hines' Sugarland group began development on First Colony in 1976.<ref>Bivins, Ralph. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1987_508854 Developer sees more demand for homes priced above $110,000]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday December 13, 1987. Business 8. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref>

When First Colony was under development in 1977, very little development was in the area. Bill Schadewald said that he, as a rookie real estate reporter, received speculation from local sources questioning whether "a project so large and such a distance could succeed."<ref name="Thennow2">Schadewald, Bill. "Looking back ‘Then and Now’ at 40 years of Houston business." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Friday December 24, 2010. [http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2010/12/24/looking-back-then-and-now-at-40.html?page=2 2]. Retrieved on September 13, 2011.</ref>

The community was a [[census-designated place]] in the 1990 census, with a population of 18,327 in 5,976 housing units with a reported area of {{convert|9.3|sqmi|km2}}. At the time, this made First Colony CDP the 108th most populous place in Texas.

Sugar Land gradually annexed most of its portion of First Colony within its municipal boundaries during the early to mid 1990s. For instance, the annexation of [[Municipal Utility District]] (MUD) 12 in First Colony occurred on December 17, 1991; this included {{convert|1064|acre|km2}}, including 2,314 homes, 433 condominiums and {{convert|350000|sqft|sqm}} of commercial property along [[TX 6|Texas Highway 6]].<ref>Staff Report. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120709173658/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1991_829474 News briefs/Area]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Thursday December 19, 1991. A37. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref>

The [[Sugar Land Town Square]], a development that began in the 2000s, was developed on one of the few remaining parcels of land in First Colony.<ref name="BivinsDevJump">Bivins, Ralph. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2000_3244946 Sugar Land Town Square developers at jumping-off point in project]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Wednesday September 27, 2000. Business 1. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref> In 2011 Schadewald said "Now: I guess it’s safe to say First Colony has been a success."<ref name="Thennow3">Schadewald, Bill. "Looking back ‘Then and Now’ at 40 years of Houston business." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Friday December 24, 2010. [http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2010/12/24/looking-back-then-and-now-at-40.html?page=3 3]. Retrieved on September 13, 2011.</ref>

==Cityscape==
[[File:MinuteMaidHQSugarLandTX.JPG|thumb|left|Headquarters of [[Minute Maid]] in [[Sugar Land Town Square]]]]
Several restrictions are placed on the development of commercial businesses. Signs of businesses within First Colony cannot be placed on poles. Exterior aesthetics common to retail businesses (from department store exteriors to restaurants) must have a brick-covered exterior and white lettering. As a result, [[fast food restaurant]]s in First Colony differ in appearance from fast food restaurants in other areas. Steve Ewbank, the executive vice president of Planned Community Developers, the developer of First Colony, said that a brick shopping center in First Colony had a price tag higher by 10 to 20 percent than the price of typical shopping center.<ref name="Kaplanfastfood"/>

One community located in First Colony is Sweetwater, described by Ralph Bivins of the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' as "upscale".<ref name=Bivinsupscale>Bivins, Ralph. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1991_795618 Upscale home construction on rise in Houston area]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday July 7, 1991. Business 6. Retrieved on October 13, 2012.</ref> In the year 1990, four very expensive houses were sold, altogether worth 1.8 million dollars ({{inflation|US|1800000|1990|r=2}} in today's money). In the year 1991, until July 7 of that year, 12 houses priced at over $400,000 ({{inflation|US|400000|1991|r=2}} in today's money) were sold, with a total of $7.1 million ({{inflation|US|7100000|1991|r=2}} in today's money), three times that of the 1990 total. The most expensive house that was sold in 1991 (until July 7) was a {{convert|6900|sqft|sqm}}, $1.2 million ({{inflation|US|1200000|1991|r=2}} in today's money) house that was a replica of [[Melrose (Natchez, Mississippi)|Melrose]]. It was in proximity to the Sweetwater Country Club and golf course.<ref name=Bivinsupscale/>

==Government and infrastructure==
[[File:SugarLandTXCityHall.JPG|right|thumb|City of Sugar Land City Hall, [[Sugar Land Town Square]]]]
The [[Sugar Land, Texas|City of Sugar Land]] City Hall is located in [[Sugar Land Town Square]] in First Colony.<ref name="HallHeart">Hall, Christine. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/04/18/focus2.html?q=%20Sugar%20Land%20Town%20Square%20%20%20First%20Colony Sugar Land Town Square gets a 'heart' with addition of City Hall]." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Friday April 15, 2005. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the First Colony Post Office in [[Sugar Land]].<ref>"[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/first-colony-3130-grants-lake-blvd-sugar-land-tx-1363409 Post Office Location - FIRST COLONY] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531012537/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/first-colony-3130-grants-lake-blvd-sugar-land-tx-1363409 |date=2010-05-31 }}." [[United States Postal Service]]. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.</ref>

==Economy==
[[Minute Maid]] opened its headquarters in [[Sugar Land Town Square]] in First Colony on February 16, 2009; previously it was headquartered in [[2000 St. James Place]] in [[Houston]].<ref>Dawson, Jennifer. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/02/16/daily5.html Minute Maid headquarters opens in Sugar Land]". ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Monday February 16, 2009. Retrieved on February 16, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4454032
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522081122/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4454032
|archive-date=2011-05-22
|title=Deal of the Week / Cameron buys Galleria-area building
|publisher=[[Houston Chronicle]]
|access-date=21 December 2008}}</ref><ref>Dawson, Jennifer. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/01/21/daily7.html?surround=lfn&brthrs=1 Minute Maid gets $2.4M incentive for move to Sugar Land]". ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Monday January 21, 2008. Retrieved on February 16, 2009.</ref>

== Education ==
=== Primary and secondary schools ===
[[File:ClementsSugarLandTX..jpg|thumb|left|[[Clements High School]]]]
First Colony is within the [[Fort Bend Independent School District]].<ref name="FirstColonyMap">"[http://gis.ljaengineering.com/fcca/GIS Interactive Mapping]{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." First Colony Association. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.</ref>

Elementary schools within First Colony and within Sugar Land include Austin Parkway, Colony Bend, Colony Meadows, Highlands, Lexington Creek, and Settlers Way. Other elementary schools serving sections of First Colony include Dulles Elementary School in Sugar Land, Lakeview Elementary School in Sugar Land, and Quail Valley Elementary School in [[Missouri City, Texas|Missouri City]].<ref>"[http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/cmf/var/tidbits/Tidbits_parentlinks_20090820_1545_2.pdf High Schools]{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.</ref>

Most of First Colony is served by [[First Colony Middle School]] in First Colony and in [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar Land]]. Other middle schools serving sections of First Colony include Dulles Middle School in Sugar Land, [[Fort Settlement Middle School]] in Sugar Land, Quail Valley Middle School in Missouri City, and Sugar Land Middle School in Sugar Land.<ref>"[http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/cmf/var/tidbits/Tidbits_parentlinks_20090820_1545.pdf Middle School Attendance Zones]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.</ref> Most of First Colony is served by [[Clements High School]] in First Colony and in Sugar Land. Other high schools serving sections of First Colony include [[Dulles High School (Sugar Land, Texas)|Dulles High School]] in Sugar Land, in [[Elkins High School (Texas)|Elkins High School]] in Missouri City, and [[Kempner High School]] in Sugar Land.<ref>"[http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/cmf/var/tidbits/Tidbits_parentlinks_20090820_1545_2.pdf High School Attendance Zones]{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.</ref>

<!--This is only mentioning openings and closings since 1976 -- Dulles HS, Dulles MS, and Quail Valley ES are not mentioned since they were open before 1976-->
Quail Valley Elementary, Dulles Junior High, and Dulles High had already been built as First Colony opened. Dulles Elementary was occupied in August 1976. Quail Valley Junior High School was occupied in September 1978. Colony Bend was occupied in August 1981. Clements was occupied in 1983. Dulles Junior High School reopened and was reoccupied during the same year. Settlers Way was occupied in 1984. First Colony Junior High School opened in September 1985. Highlands opened in the fall of 1986. Austin Parkway was occupied in September 1989. Colony Meadows opened in the northern hemisphere fall of 1991. Elkins opened in the northern hemisphere fall of 1992. Lexington Creek opened on August 17, 1994. Lakeview Elementary was dedicated on August 1, 1995. Quail Valley closed around 1994/1995 and reopened on August 14, 1996.<ref name="FBISDHist">"[http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/about/history.cfm FBISD History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907032420/http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/about/history.cfm |date=September 7, 2008 }}." [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.</ref> First Colony Middle was a 1999–2000 [[National Blue Ribbon School]].<ref>[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982–1983 Through 1999–2002 (PDF)<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326055622/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf |date=March 26, 2009 }}</ref> Elkins was a Blue Ribbon School in 2002.<ref name="tea">[http://www.tea.state.tx.us/press/02bluerib.html Blue Ribbon Award] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503165645/http://www.tea.state.tx.us/press/02bluerib.html |date=2006-05-03 }}</ref> Fort Settlement was a 2007 Blue Ribbon School.<ref>[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2007/2007-schools.pdf Microsoft Word - 2007-schools.doc<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> During that year Elementary #39 began to temporarily house Quail Valley Elementary residents as the school was being rebuilt. The rebuilt Quail Valley Elementary opened in August 2008.<ref name="FBISDHist"/>

===Public libraries===
[[Fort Bend County Libraries]] operates the First Colony Branch Library in Sugar Land. The {{convert|19400|sqft|sqm}} library, designed by Brooks Association for Architecture and Planning and the second of four branches built with 1989 bond funds, opened in June 1993. The library includes "A Planet Clock," a piece of kinetic art by Jaroslav Belik.<ref>"[http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us/branches/fc.html First Colony Branch Library]." [[Fort Bend County Libraries]]. Retrieved on May 14, 2010.</ref>

===Community colleges===
The [[Texas Legislature]] designated [[Wharton County Junior College]] as the college for the city and extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land, while for the City of Missouri City it designates [[Houston Community College]] (HCC).<ref>[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code Sec. 130.182.  HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.211.  WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]</ref>

== Parks and recreation ==
Parks in First Colony operated by the association include Patriot Park. Playgrounds in First Colony operated by the association include Austin Meadows Playground, Colony Meadows 1 Playground, Colony Meadows 2 Playground, Edgwater Playground, The Enclave Playground, Heritage Colony Playground, Riverbend Playground. Pools include Alcorn Oaks Pool, Austin Park Pool, The Lakes Pool, and Woodstream Pool.<ref name="FirstColonyMap"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[Hines Interests Limited Partnership]]
* [[Somerset Green, Houston]]
* [[Las Colinas]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|First Colony, Texas}}
*[http://www.firstcolony.org/ First Colony Community Association]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020115004909/http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapsurfer?act=in Map of First Colony] from the [[1990 U.S. Census]] Tiger Maps
* [[1990 U.S. Census]] block maps:
** [http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st48_Texas/48157_FortBend/90B48157_000.pdf Overall of Fort Bend County]
** [http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st48_Texas/48157_FortBend/90B48157_020.pdf Parcel 20]
** [http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st48_Texas/48157_FortBend/90B48157_029.pdf Parcel 29]
{{Coord|29|34|29|N|95|36|31|W|type:city_region:US-TX_source:GNIS-enwiki|display=title}}
{{Sugar Land, Texas}}
{{Missouri City, Texas}}

[[Category:Geography of Fort Bend County, Texas]]
[[Category:Sugar Land, Texas]]
[[Category:Missouri City, Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1976]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Fort Bend County, Texas]]
[[Category:Former census-designated places in Texas]]