Pearland

History

Pearland had its beginnings near a siding switch on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1882. When a post office was established in 1893, the community was named "Mark Belt". On September 24, 1894, the plat of "Pear-Land" was filed with the Brazoria County courthouse by Witold von Zychlinski, a man of Polish nobility. At the time, Pearland had many fruits harvested by residents. Zychlinski saw the pear trees and decided that "Pearland" would make a good name for the community. In 1960, amidst a frenzy of cities incorporating or protecting large swathes of land in Brazoria County, Pearland annexed a 100 foot wide strip that encircled 60 square miles and extended westward to the Fort Bend County line to protect the area from annexation by Houston. From the 1970s, the town has grown to its present-day population. By 1990, the city limits had extended into Harris County. In the 1990s, home developers began buying large tracts of land, changing the geography of the city. Former rice fields were filled with houses. The historic town center of Pearland is at the intersection of Texas State Highway 35/Main and Broadway. West Pearland has a lot of suburban development, while East Pearland has older houses, and according to Maggie Galehouse of the Houston Chronicle, Pearland's "rural roots still show" in the east side. Pearland's main east–west corridor is Farm to Market Road 518/Broadway.

Geography

Pearland is within northern Brazoria County at (29.554349, −95.295959), south of the city of Houston. Portions of the city extend north into Harris County, and a smaller portion extends west into Fort Bend County. The city is bordered by Houston and Brookside Village to the north, Manvel to the south, Almeda Rd/FM 521 to the west, and Friendswood to the east. Downtown Houston is about to the north of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, Pearland has a total area of , of which , or 0.94%, is covered by water. In 2009, the city reported that the combined area of the city limits and of nearby unincorporated areas, including Country Place and Silverlake, was . About 83% of Pearland is residential, which is a major contributing factor to the high population. The city is home to many master-planned communities; Sunrise Lakes, Southern Trails, Southdown, Lakes of Highland Glen, and Shadow Creek Ranch are among the most popular master-planned communities in Brazoria County. Country Place and Silverlake are in unincorporated areas near Pearland.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• PEARLAND H S
  High · PEARLAND · 3,261 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• MANVEL H S
  High · MANVEL · 2,607 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• SHADOW CREEK H S
  High · PEARLAND · 2,584 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• GLENDA DAWSON H S
  High · PEARLAND · 2,557 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• ROBERT TURNER COLLEGE AND CAREER H S
  High · PEARLAND · 1,114 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• DR RONALD E MCNAIR J H
  Middle · PEARLAND · 1,012 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• MERIDIANA EL
  Elementary · IOWA COLONY · 998 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• MANVEL J H
  Middle · MANVEL · 934 students · 16.4:1 ratio