The story
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 the 1800s, Pearland consisted of prairie. Residents harvested fruit and vegetables such as cantaloupes, corn, figs, pears, and watermelons. Pearland was promoted by developers Allison and Richey Land Company as an "agricultural Eden". The first subdivision was called "Suburban Gardens".
The Galveston hurricanes of 1900 and 1915 destroyed most of the city's fruit trees, slowed growth for a considerable period of time, and caused a period of desertification in the area. In 1914, with agriculture rebounding and the end of desertification, Pearland had a population of 400, but a devastating freeze in 1918 was another setback to the local farming enterprises. Oil was discovered nearby in 1934, which led to the development of the Hastings Oilfield, though it did not spur much growth, as the population fluctuated between 150 and 350. In the 1930s and 1940s, Pearland had many dance halls and beer joints that entertained people from the Hastings and Manvel oil fields.
Pearland incorporated in November 1959, with an area encompassing two square miles and a population of 1,910. 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.
2020 census
The median age was 36.8 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over.
There were 43,225 households in Pearland, of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.9% were married-couple households, 12.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 45,403 housing units, of which 4.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.1%.
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99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.
2019 estimates
Residents of Pearland had an owner-occupied housing rate of 75.9%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $244,800 and the median gross rent was $1,413. From 2015 to 2019, the median household income was $104,504 and the per capita income was $42,211. Roughly 3.5% of the local population lived at or below the poverty line.
In 2019, 39.0% of Pearland was non-Hispanic White, 14.7% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 15.0% Asian, 0.9% multiracial, and 29.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2010 census
At the 2010 United States census, the city's population was 91,252, a 142% increase over the 2000 population of 37,640, and the population density was 1,940.9 people per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city as of the 2010 census was 62.0% White, 16.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 12.4% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.0% from some other race, and 2.7% two or more races. The Hispanic or Latino population, including persons of any race, was 20.5% of the total population, and non-Hispanic Whites made up 48.8%.
By 2010, the city became ethnically and racially majority minority. At least 62 languages are spoken in Pearland public schools.
2000 census
At the census of 2000, 37,640 people, 13,192 households, and 10,659 families resided in the city. The population density was 957.0 inhabitants per square mile (369.5/km2). The 13,922 housing units had an average density of 354.0 units per square mile (136.7 units/km2). The median income for a household in the city as of 2000 was $64,156, and for a family was $70,748 (these figures had risen to $83,706 and $92,096, respectively, as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $49,359 versus $34,570 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,306. About 3.4% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under 18 and 3.5% of those 65 or over.
The racial makeup of the city in 2000 was 82.6% White, 5.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.1% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 16.2% of the population.
From Wikipedia’s article on Pearland, Texas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4