Texas Porch

Plantation History

Fort Bend County was one of Texas's major plantation and slavery counties

By 1860, Fort Bend County had more enslaved people than white residents, making it one of the heaviest slaveholding counties in Texas.

Fort Bend County History & Culture

Plantation farming took hold in Fort Bend County starting in the 1820s. Planters grew cotton and sugarcane using enslaved labor. By 1850, Fort Bend was one of only six Texas counties where Black residents outnumbered white residents. By 1860, more than 4,000 people were enslaved there.

In 1843, the Williams brothers built a raw-sugar mill on Oakland Plantation. That sugar industry later became the Imperial Sugar Company. It ran in Sugar Land for over a century.

This history shapes who lives in Fort Bend County today. The county's African American community has deep roots going back to freedom after the Civil War. The Handbook of Texas covers this history in detail.

Source to confirm: Handbook of Texas – Fort Bend County

More Fort Bend County notes

Property Tax Basics

Two offices handle your property tax in Fort Bend County

The appraisal district sets your home's value; the tax assessor-collector sends the bill and takes payment.

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Homestead Exemption

How to apply for a homestead exemption in Fort Bend County

Homeowners who live in their home as their main residence can apply with FBCAD to lower the taxable value.

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Municipal Utility Districts

Many Fort Bend neighborhoods are inside a MUD

Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) are special taxing districts that built and now run water, sewer, and drainage in many subdivisions.

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Ag Valuation

Agricultural land in Fort Bend can be taxed at a lower rate

Land used for farming or ranching may qualify for a lower tax value based on what it can produce, not what it would sell for.

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