Pearland

Pearland is a city within Brazoria County, with portions extending into Fort Bend and Harris counties. 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.  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 & Richey Land Company as an “agricultural Eden”. The first subdivision was called “Suburban Gardens”.