Fort Bend

Formed May 15, 1838 (29^th county)

Fort Bend County (585,375), Richmond (11,679), Sugarland (78,817)

The dark dome with four clocks and white pillars make the courthouse stand out in the city.  The 1908 Beaux Arts building was designed by C. H. Page and Brother who also designed its twin courthouse in Hays County.  This stately building is located on Jackson Street (United States Highway 90) at 4^th Street.  The building was enlarged in 1935 and 1957 and renovated in 2013.  An Administration Building was built in 1989 and a Justice Center was added in 2011.  Organized on May 15, 1838, Fort Bend County has had four courthouses, all in Richmond (the previous one was built in 1857.)  The county was formed from Austin County as the 29^th county.  Fort Bend County is named for a fort on a river bend where early colonists settled.  Richmond’s namesake is Richmond, Virginia where many early settlers came. 

Fort Bend County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  Seven District Court Judges and Seven County Court Judges serve Fort Bend County.  The county is situated in southeast Texas just to the southwest of Houston, Texas.  The Brazos River crosses the center of the county and the San Bernard forms the west border.  The county center is 1.2 miles East-Southeast of Richmond.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Harris, Brazoria, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, and Waller counties. 

The area of the county is 886 square miles.  It is 181 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 10 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 660.69 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 254 in the state.  Fort Bend County has 44.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 crosses the north tip from Harris County to Waller County, east to west.  United States Highway 59 enters from the northeast, Harris County, and exits to the southwest, Wharton County.  United States Alternate Highway 90 also comes in from Harris County on the east and goes into Wharton County on the west.  The basic shape of the county is diamond and, like most in the area, is a 45-degree skewed rectangle.  Richmond is slightly north of the county center.  Sugarland is located on the eastern border of the county.  Richmond is the county seat and Sugarland is the largest city.  Richmond is 2.0% of the county population while Sugarland is 13.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area.