[6] Pearland had its beginnings near a siding switch on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1882.

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.

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".

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.

[9] In the 1990s, home developers began buying large tracts of land, changing the geography of the city.

The historic town center of Pearland is at the intersection of Texas State Highway 35/Main and Broadway.

The city is bordered by Houston and Brookside Village to the north, by Manvel to the south, Almeda Rd/FM 521 to the west and by Friendswood to the east.

[12] Eighty-three percent of Pearland is residential, which is a major contributing factor to the high population.

In 2002, 4,000 families were members,[25] and in 2016 this had increased to 6,000, making it the largest Catholic church in Brazoria County.

Pat Turner of the Houston Chronicle wrote that the initial facility "was barely big enough for one person to stand in while performing worship services (pooja).

Rewake Inc., an independent Christian group, was founded in 2016 and chaired by Pastor Phil Brown.

[38] Pearland's labor force and job base grew substantially with its population growth.

Kelsey-Seybold Clinic's new 170,000-square-foot (16,000 m2) administrative office building in Shadow Creek Ranch was expected to open in the fall of 2013, with 800 employees.

The Merit project, 118,000 square feet (11,000 m2), provides facilities for 220 research and development employees.

According to a 2020 Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in Pearland were:[40] Pearland was one of two Texas cities to average double-digit growth in retail sales from 2004 to 2009, and its retail market was the state's fastest growing over the five-year periods ending 2009, 2010, and 2011.

[41] Prominent mixed-use lifestyle and shopping complexes service residents with national retailers and dining establishments.

[6] Since 2015, "Wobble before you Gobble", Pearland's largest Annual Health Fair is hosted by the local community.

Founded by a local Primary care Physician Dr Vishalakshmi Batchu, this health fair happens around the second or third week of November at Pearland Town Center.

Free health checkups, screenings, vaccinations, procedures, nutrition, lifestyle, are offered at the fair.

Various fine arts clubs from local schools participate in the fair and showcase their talent in forms of singing, dancing, workouts, skits and exercises.

The United States Postal Service operates the Pearland Post Office at 3519 East Walnut Street and the Ofc.

As of September 13, 2008, the library was closed for many months due to Hurricane Ike storm damage.

[74] On December 5, 2011, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County purchased 15.26 acres (6.18 ha) of land near Hwy.

Alan Parker Properties LP represented the seller, Carolyn and Frank Wenglar, in the $3.95 million land sale.

The new facility was scheduled to begin operations in the fall of 2013, but property was given to the city in a cash swap.

The Texas State Highway Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) services the northern part of Pearland.