Tell us what you think of the No. 1 city on this year's Best Places to Live list.

What makes this city a great American town?

If you don't live in this city now, would you consider moving there? The best replies will be published here.

Sugar Land, TX has always been a memorable place to grow up in and now that the cotton farms and sugar refinery are gone, I have returned to make it my home again. The developers and local government have done a superior job of making it an attractive place to live in. The abundance of new roads, affordable housing, schools, medical care, and stores in this area make it a very pleasant environment. Growing up in Sugar Land during the 1950's as a seventh child to a poor but hard-working share cropper, I have seen Sugar Land change from a small farming community to a sophisticated and culturally diversified metropolis. Mansions have been constructed where cotton farms once existed. I wouldn't want to live any where else. The charming subdivision, Orchard Lakes, where my husband and I reside now, is an example of a jewel in which one of the developers found and built the homes around a 60 acre natural made lake and wildlife reserve. Sugar Land is a great place to live in but most of the jobs are in Houston which is only a few miles away. Houston should get the credit for the employment which makes it possible to live down the road!

My husband and I lived in Sugar Land for six years before moving back to California. We had a beautiful home and there were plenty of great shops and restaurants within easy driving distance. We felt very safe in Sugar Land. We'd often see the local police cruising the neighborhood and they always had a friendly wave and nod as they passed by. I am sad to think that the sugar mill is gone. It was a local icon in the older section of Sugar Land and the reason for the city's unique name. It was delightful to hear the whistle blow at the end of each work shift. The only negative was the humid weather. Now that we are back in California, struggling to buy an overpriced home, dealing with high crime and horrible traffic, I often think about the time we spent in Sugar Land. What were we thinking when we moved back to California!

what makes Sugar Land a good American town?
It is not only a well-planned and well-governed community, it is also a great town where you can spend the least for what you can enjoy the most. a small suburb city that hasthe convenience of a large city. It's a good place to raise a family and to retire too. It has no earthquake nor snow storm to worry, only the nice and affordable neighborhood to live.

Great little city, absolutely awful weather. I've lived here for years, but I just can't get used to the heat and humidity. If you plan a visit don't be surprised by the generic ambience you perceive. There are no pedestrians, very little outdoor activity, everyone is indoors, your AC must run 24 hours a day. Aside from that it has all the great conveniences , great restaurants, beautiful landscaping throughout, schools, housing.

Sugarland is nice but Katy is much better. I think we have been overlooked somehow. Okay, I sugar land has better restaurants, and shopping, nicer older home districts, etc. Katy has better freeway access and better schools.

Congrats Sugarland. Watch out for Katy!

I grew up in Sugar Land. The schools are well funded with good AP/SAT preparation and a focus on sending and preparing students for college. There are plenty of shopping options and it's a very self-sufficient suburb. Homes are affordable and the neighborhoods are safe with low crime rates.

However, it is very generic and I found it to be a bore growing up. I guess that's what makes it an ideal family community.

There is a traffic issue especially if you need to commute. Driving downtown takes at least 45 minutes. Housing is affordable, but that's relative to how far away you want to live from the mall and freeways. Houston in general is an example of urban sprawl and the affordable homes in the low and mid 100s are probably at least 1 hr from downtown, though on the plus side they're probably new homes and fairly spacious.

Living here is definitely low stress, there isn't much to worry about other than your own family. There are lots of family events like state fairs and the like.

It is very hot year round though November through March is fairly pleasant. Though it does rain a lot in Houston and floods, southwest Houston (where Sugar Land is) avoids those problems. Utilities and roads are good quality.

I live in Sugar Land, having moved here from the Dallas area 6 years ago. I have actually gotten somewhat used to the humidity. I was in Dallas last week where it was 105 degrees and much of the vegetatation (especially grass) was brown due to no rain. I looked forward to returning to the lush green area of Sugar Land, 12-15 degrees cooler. Sugar Land has grown and changed greatly even in the 6 years I have been here. The planners have done a great job of ensuring that the growth has been done tastefully and beautifully. We now have a town square anchored by City Hall where people can congregate and activities can take place. For example, we periodically have city celebrations, such as Memorial Day services, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, free outdoor movies where families can bring their blankets and picnics to spread out and enjoy the summer evening, concerts, you get the idea. This all takes place in the square in front of the brand new, beautiful city hall, and adjacent is new, town style shopping. Naturally there is a Starbucks nearby where people can visit and enjoy a beverage. In addition, the entire city is landscaped beautifully. Everywhere you look colorful flowers and various tropical trees and bushes are growing, and there are many ponds and lakes around. There is an abundance of beautiful and spacious homes available at reasonable prices. The city feels safe. I would say that the main con is not so much the humidity, but the traffic. But they're working on it!

I just moved to Sugar Land from Northern California about a month ago. I like the city, its clean, green, and nicely set up. The Town Center is pretty cool, except you get bored of it after 10 minutes of walking around. There are a lot of good restaurants around, and the neighborhoods are pretty simple and neat. The only reason I am here is to gain residency before I attend the University of Texas - Austin. Otherwise, This would probably be the last place I would want to live due to the weather and blandness. I have no idea how this city was rated the 3rd best in the nation, there is absolutely nothing spectacular about it. All there is here are movie theaters, malls, and houses. Also, I never ever see anybody doing anything outside besides going out to eat or just driving around. Back home, you always saw people riding bikes or going for walks or walking the dog or whatever. But here, all they do is hide in their houses in the nice cool air conditioning. Ahh I cant wait to get home.

I disagree with the posted comment stating that Katy,TX is a better place to live than Sugarland. I've lived in Sugarland for the past 8 years. It's a great place to raise your family. The community is beautiful. The schools are well-funded and boasts one of the highest standardized test scores in the state. The diversity amongst the students in Sugarland attribute to the overall academic performance of the students. Katy is pale in comparison to the diverse community in Sugarland. As to the freeway access, Katy has one of the worst freeways accesses in the city because of Interstate Hwy 10. The traffic is absolutely horrendous, no matter what time of the day. For these particular reasons, this is likely why Katy,TX was not chosen as one of the best places to live in the U.S. Sugarland's nomination on the Best Places to Live list is well-deserved.

Sugarland, Tx.? Are you nuts?
I have to take a sedative just to drive in the traffic. During the week, it's terrible. I don't even go near it during the week end.

I grew up in Sugar Land in the 60s. It was very rural then - lots of farming, cotton and rice fields, barns, horses, cattle, country roads, open space and places for teenagers to dance and hear all sorts of music (country, rock,MoTown). My family still lives there and when I go back every year I get lost!
I still find parts of the old neighborhoods very beautiful with a southern/tropical feel. I still love the area. But after living in Boulder CO for the last 25 years I am still astounded how few pedestrian and bike paths there are. You don't see folks outdoors much. I think it is changing in this regard. And I hope that the planners forward-looking forward and design more outdoor features to draw people out of their A/C homes. I still have lots of good memories of trains and train whistles at night. The like the humidity, the southern feel and tropical vegetation. Oyster Creek and Venice-type waterways are beautiful.

I just posted a comment and forgot to add my name - can you do that for me?

Sugar Land is absolutely an up-and-coming town. I have lived here for twelve years and have seen it grow from a ranching community to an urban hot-spot. "Town Center" is growing rapidly with its popular shops (Z-Gallery, Swoozies, and clothing boutiques) lining the pedestrian-friendly brick roads. There are plenty of restaurants, pubs, sushi spots, and spas to stop and rest those tired feet. Every weekend there are out-door movies, bands, and other entertainment to be enjoyed. It is definitely family-friendly, as well as a popular singles and teen hangout. The housing is within five minutes for the older affordable homes, or you can choose brand new loft apartments and condos at the Town Center location. If you prefer a larger home and a little more space, there is a Master Planned Community within 25 minutes that includes horse stables,a golf club, tennis, several large pools, health facilities, and more (Sienna Plantation). Within walking distance of Town Center is an upscale work-out club, or you can drive a few minutes and join Life Time Fitness, a premier health facility. The commute to Houston takes a little getting used to, so be prepared if you work in the big city, but the return home is worth it. There are other companies to work for in the Sugar Land area itself, like Fluor Daniel. There are a number of hospitals, as Sugar Land is located in one of the largest counties in the U.S. Recently added to Sugarland is a new Cancer Center and Medical Diagnostic center. Within 25 minutes are Houston Baptist university (a private university), Houston Community college, Wharton Community College, and a growing campus of the University of Houston. There are several ball clubs,gymnastics, ice skating (Tara Lapinsky hailed from Sugar Land),Swimming, Dancing, Horseback riding, and numerous Golf clubs in the SugarLand area. We once counted nine Golf courses, but I have not updated that number lately. The public schools are so-so, some better than others, and of course, they are always changing. There are plenty of private schools in the area, and some even send buses from the Houston area to Sugarland to pick up children, so even the private schools in Houston make themselves available to the SugarLand area. This county also has the largest number of Homeschoolers with a huge support group that involves itself with the Houston Museums, and has co-ops providing teachers that hail from impressive backgrounds of careers and education. There is certainly much more to say about SugarLand as it is ever growing and developing into a much more delightful place to be a chic single or raise a family.

Sugar Land is a wonderful place to live! With a new baby around I really appreciate the high quality schools, it's nice to know that down the street one block is one of the best elementary schools in the state. We were considering prive education, but the public education is better in many ways. We get a quarterly neighborhood newsletter which keeps everyone up to date on neighborhood issues including revenue, events, HOA violations (yard not mowed), and recent crimes (which are not that many and often listed as 'criminal mischief').
We feel lucky to be living in place that is so safe, yet convenient to everything in Houston.
We're proud of Sugar Land, but also as Texans we'd like to say congrats to the rest of the Texas cities on the list. Go Texas!

The Woodlands is the #1 master planned community in the state of Texas. It is a great place to live and raise a family. It is a lot of nature here, sometimes you see deer. There are a lot of people exercising, riding bikes and walking as a family. There are a lot of parks and the school district is superb.

I've lived in Sugar Land apx 15 years, after living in Houston for 25 years. This area of the country experienced the "Great Depression" in the 80's and early 90's and economically Sugar Land didn't have a mall, a movie theatre and nobody really knew where the police station or city hall were located. Today, things have changed thanks to great developers and partnership with our council form of city government. The next 10 years will prove just as exciting and the standard of living will continue to increase as we progress and more citizens become invested in their community. Lookout, Ft. Collins, here we come!

Sugarland, Tx #3? Are you kidding me...flat and cookie cutter come to mind. Try looking at what people really want... trees, outdoor activity and a real school district. Obviously, the Woodlands was ruled out because of home cost skyrocketing. Enough said...#1 in Texas is the Woodlands..house appreciation says in all.

I live in NYC, NY and had the opportunity to visit Sugarland, TX
6 yrs ago. Our friends had purchased a 4 1/2 bedroom 2 story brand new home on a pond with an in-ground swimming pool home in 1999 in a brand new sub-division in the $200,000.00 range. They have recently sold the place and moved to a more swanky gated community with a golf course. You get more for your money in Texas than in NYC, but then again did not see anyone walking around, had to drive everywhere to get to the store. The are transplanted NewYorkers, but have adapted to the country club lifestyle in Tx. Plus the traffic to Houston was incredible..

Sugar Land? No Way!! The Woodlands,TX? Yes!! The Woodlands is an awesome community that's full of biking and walking trails, public schools that boast exemplary status, and just lots of family fun! The community is very diverse and there are homes for every budget. My family and I relocated to The Woodlands, TX. from Louisiana right after devasting hurricane Katrina, and we have not looked back since. It's a wonderful place to raise a family as well as enjoy the outdoors, great food, and great shopping. With all of the trees and beautiful scenery, there's no staying inside for The Woodlands community. We are proud to call The Woodlands, TX. home!

I noticed the Air Quality Index for Sugar Land, TX was listed N/A. Surely this information is available. It is very important to the quality of life.

Does anyone know why it wasn't included, and what it is in Sugar Land?

Mike -

They don't actually breathe AIR down in Sugar Land; they breathe SUCCESS - hence no air quality rating...

I live in the Medical Center but get to visit Sugarland twice a week for my dance pratice. I have no idea how Sugarland made it to no. 3. The commute to get there is insane! There are so many constructions whether I take highway 90 or 59 South. The neigborhoods are clean and well kept but extremely boring. Everything is cookie cutter! It's too suburbia!

Yes, Sugarland TX is a very nice place to live. I live within a 20 minute ride from there in the Houston Westchase suburban area. It's also home to a number of famous sports celebrities from what I've been told by the media. It has a lot of shopping centers, major business and beautiful sceneries. It's still on the upswing and expanding. As for the Woodlands TX area, which I visit ocassionally, It too has incredible beauty and it's a great place to live. Probably Sugarland and the Woodlands are running at a close tie if I had to choose between the two.

They didn't name it Sugarland TX for nothing. The place live up to it's name. A great place to live and it doesn't get any sweeter than that. As for the traffic, this problem is being worked on with ongoing new freeway and road expansion. As for the hot warm weather, come on people four months out of year an't all bad (june thru september). The rest of the year the weather is mild, pleasant and nice.

We lived in Sugar Land (actually, in Missouri City, on the boundary line of Sugar Land, just off Dulles Ave.) for 6 years. We now live in the Pacific Northwest and will be moving back soon. Sugar Land is a great community to live and raise kids in. Great schools, very manicured and neat (though not creatively landscaped). Fairly low crime. No signs above a certain height allowed on Highway 6 makes it look a far cry better than Meridian Street in Puyallup, WA where we now live but as far as I'm concerned the traffic in Sugar Land is just like everywhere else--bad. Just drive on Meridian! The only thing that depresses me about moving back is the weather, the lack of seasons and the scenically challenged flatness of the area. I will miss spring bulbs, fall colors and the view of Mt. Rainier out my window. And all the tall, tall trees. And my kids playing outside in the summer. Living in Sugar Land in the summer is like living in a glass ball. You go from your car to the store to your house and just try to escape the heat and humidity. At Christmas time we cranked up the fireplace so we could put the fire on while we decorated the tree in shorts. You get the picture. Well, when we move back we'll have a GIANT house (and a pool this time) for very little money compared to the west coast, that's for sure, but it will be a bittersweet move.

I have lived in Sugar Land for most of 31 years. I was born here, left for college, and came back. I currently reside down the street from where I grew up. I have been around to see the many changes that have occurred in Sugar Land. I was here when Hwy 90 was one lane in either direction, and Eldridge Rd. had a HUGE ditch next to it. I was here before the mall, and most of the grocery stores. I remember how green it was, and I also remember when the population was in the low thousands.
I love living here. I don't necessarily like all of the changes that have been made, only because of all of the traffic that came with it. That having been said, Sugar Land is still a very beautiful city, and the residents and City Council make sure it stays that way. Some may call it cookie cutter, but I think that the "uniformity" is what adds to the beauty of the city. One place does not "clash" with another because all additions are designed to compliment each other.
Some days I do wish that I could lay in my back yard and watch the hot air balloons fly over. Every day I cuss the traffic of the city. But, regardless, I will not trade this for anything!

We need some serious advice here. We currently live in Michigan, the economy here is horrid! We are really looking to move to Sugar Land, Texas, but we know nothing really about it, except what we have been reading online, so far the housing looks reasonable, but what about employment? My husband is the the Heating and Cooling field and I am a Medical Adminitstrative Assistant. We like warm weather year round. I am kinda scared and would appreciate any advice. Thanks

Sugar Land has been our home since 1981. It is a wonderful city to live in and raise a family. Our children want to live here when they finish college and that's a great feeling! Our City officials want only the best for Sugar Land, as we continue to grow.