Sugar Land Skeeters

The Sugar Land Skeeters are an American professional baseball team based in Sugar Land, Texas. They are a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Beginning in the 2012 season, the team plays its home games at Constellation Field. The Skeeters are the first Atlantic League team to play outside of the Northeast; the team is also the first of a planned Western division to include four to six other teams. The Skeeters are also the first independent league baseball team in the Greater Houston metropolitan area since the Houston Buffaloes' final season in 1961.

The team's name "Skeeters" is a Southern slang word for mosquito, and the result of a team-sponsored fan poll. Part of the reason for the naming is that mosquitoes are very common in the summer nights in Southeast Texas.

History

In 2008, Sugar Land residents voted for the allocation of civic revenues toward the construction of a new baseball park. Initially, the former Omaha Royals were interested in moving to the city, but eventually declined because of the construction of Werner Park in suburban Omaha. City of Sugar Land officials contacted Opening Day Partners to build the ballpark in order to have the company's caliber of professional baseball in their region. The city knew that Major League Baseball's Houston Astros would not approve of an affiliated team in the Greater Houston area, so Sugar Land chose the independent circuit. The American Association and the United Baseball League were also considered since both organizations had teams located in Texas. The city decided on the Atlantic League mainly because Opening Day Partners' other teams were already members of that league. Sugar Land's entry in the Atlantic League was officially announced on May 18, 2010.

Sugar Land, Texas

Sugar Land is a city in the state of Texas, in the United States. The city is within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. It is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a 46.24% job growth. As of the 2010 census, its population was 78,817. In 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the city's population was 86,777, with a median family income of $113,261 and a median home price of $369,600.

Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid-20th century and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County.

Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar and the company's main sugar refinery and distribution center was once located in this city. Recognizing this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo.

The city is the national headquarters of CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CVI). CVR Energy, Inc. was listed as the city's only resident 2012 Fortune 500 company and was ranked No. 5 public company according to the Houston Chronicle. Sugar Land also holds the headquarters for Western Airways and a major manufacturing facility for Nalco Chemical Company. In addition, Sugar Land has a large number of international energy, software, engineering, and product firms. Sugar Land has the most master-planned communities in Fort Bend County, which is home to the largest number of master-planned communities in the nation—including Greatwood, First Colony, Sugar Creek, River Park, Riverstone, New Territory, Telfair, and many others.

Sugarland (disambiguation)

Sugarland or Sugar Land may refer to: