Orchard, TX

Orchard is a Fort Bend County city of 313 residents at the 2020 census, set along State Highway 36 and the BNSF Railway between Rosenberg and Wallis. The townsite got its rail line in 1880, then was promoted in 1890 by S.K. Cross, who sold tracts from his ranch to German, Bohemian, and Polish settlers. The name came from early, unsuccessful attempts to grow fruit here, which is a very Texas way for a town name to outlast the original plan.

Orchard's street map still shows the railroad influence. Most of the city lies north of the tracks, with Missouri Street crossing the railway and reaching Brazos Elementary School. Kibler Road marks the town center, while Brazos ISD carries students from elementary school through high school. The old community once had a general store, church, cotton gin, dance hall, and other small businesses; today the best way to read Orchard is to follow the highway, the tracks, and the straight streets between them.