Tastefully combining a rich history with the future, Jordan Ranch — a new, 1,350-acre master-planned community by Johnson Development Corporation — brings modern amenities to the great outdoors. The development creates a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, with easy access to work, shopping and entertainment.

Opening the door to buyers at all levels, Jordan Ranch is located in Fulshear, Texas, and features single-family homes priced from the $200,000s to $500,000s by eight award-winning builders: Chesmar, David Weekley, Highland, J. Patrick, Lennar, Perry, Plantation and Weston.

“As buyers grow and change in their lives, they have the ability to move up and around within the community,” says Steve Sams, general manager of Jordan Ranch at Johnson Development Corporation. “We create environments that let people celebrate life. It’s not just a home; it’s a community where they can live, work and play.” Sams estimates Jordan Ranch will have 3,000 homes at full build-out.

Honoring its farming roots

Artfully woven throughout the development are various hints to the story behind the property. “When we looked to design the amenities, look and feel of the community, we wanted to pay respect to what the land was in the past,” Sams says.

For example, the project’s name is a nod to the Jordan family, rice farmers who owned the property for nearly eight decades. Its central amenity, The Shed — a complex featuring a fitness center, event lawn, playground, tennis courts, lazy river and resort-style pool with cabanas and cook stations for grilling — is designed in the New Agrarian style of architecture, often associated with farming. The lush greenery, surrounding miles of walking trails, vibrant lakes and waterways, speaks to the tagline: “New homes. Classic fun.”

Fulfilling must-have lists

Homes range in size from 1,600 square feet to 4,000 square feet and deliver what today’s buyers’ want: Open-concept floor plans, on-trend finishes and fixtures and outdoor living spaces. “It’s much different than throwing patio furniture out back and having friends over,” Sams says. “It’s dedicated outdoor entertaining spaces. Our location and our lifestyle is part of that. You’re part of the great outdoors.”

Upgrades to outdoor living spaces by David Weekley Homes — fireplaces and outdoor kitchens — promote that mission by making the area an extension of the home, according to Frank Falkstein, division president with David Weekley Homes in Houston: “Our buyers are excited about the process of building a new home and being able to make it their own by adding flex options that work for them.”

David Weekley has two different product lines at Jordan Ranch: homes situated on 45-foot homesites priced from $240,000, and homes situated on 70-foot homesites, priced from $380,000. These provide plenty of options to suit professionals, married couples starting families and right-sizing empty-nesters. The builder prides itself on constructing energy-efficient homes that keep in heating and cooling and keep out noise.

Convenient location

A suburb of Fort Bend County, Fulshear was recently named a “2019 Best Place to Raise a Family in Houston” by Niche.com. Located one mile south of Interstate-10, Jordan Ranch is a quick drive away from the major employment hub of Energy Corridor, shopping at CityCentre and healthcare service providers in Memorial City. “The community is ideally located to provide the best of both worlds: a peaceful retreat with access, via I-10, to all the city has to offer,” Falkstein says. Also nearby are some of Fort Bend County’s hottest attractions: Typhoon Texas Waterpark, Brazos Bend State Park and George Observatory.

Zoned into the desirable Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, younger Jordan Ranch residents attend Lindsey Elementary in Katy, Leaman junior high in Fulshear and Fulshear High School at the end of their K-12 careers. All of the schools opened within the past five years, Sams says. More importantly, the district will build an elementary school in Jordan Ranch within the next three to five years.

Amenities play a starring role

Residents of all ages can have fun and get to know their neighbors at more than 75 activities planned throughout the year by Jordan Ranch’s full-time event staffer. “The lifestyle director tries to do everything to make our communities a place where you don’t just get home from work, drive into your garage, shut the door and call it a night,” Sams says. “You are engaged in your community, as are all of your neighbors.”

To make sure residents don’t miss out on the fun, the Jordan Ranch lifestyle app provides reminders about events and information about clubs and activities for all ages at The Shed, such as concerts, holiday parties and themed gatherings, like Bite Nite Fridays, which bring a half dozen food trucks to the community, giving residents a weekly opportunity to picnic with neighbors.

Coming soon are a community garden where visitors will be encouraged to pick fresh herbs and vegetables and a sports field, ideal for soccer and baseball.

There’s no place like home

Campbell with her dog, Calee Jean, who’s dressed up as a “cowgirl/ranch dog” for a pet costume contest at Jordan Ranch.

Walking the walk comes in handy when Brenda Campbell is selling homes at Jordan Ranch. “As a realtor you want to meet or exceed your buyers’ expectations,” says Campbell, an agent with RE/MAX Fine Properties. Campbell lives with her husband Everett and rescue dog Calee Jean in a single-story Highland Home overlooking the water in the Sage Landing section of Jordan Ranch, where all the streets are named after flowers. “I feel like the stars really do shine brighter here.”

After more than 14 years of showings, Campbell has learned to always ask clients this very telling question: “Look around. Does it feel like home?” Recently, she assisted a couple relocating from Midland, Texas, who looked at six or seven communities throughout the Katy, Houston and Cypress areas before visiting Jordan Ranch. They were looking for a two-story home with an open floor plan, study and a media rooms, and additional bedrooms upstairs, Campbell says. After they walked into a David Weekley home and she asked them the all-important question, they smiled and immediately replied, “Yes, this is home.”

In 2018, six of Johnson Development Corporation’s master-planned communities ranked among Robert Charles Lesser & Co. LLC, Real Estate Advisors’ Top 50 Master Planned Communities in the U.S. If the past is any indicator of the future, Jordan Ranch could be next on the list.

Tour 12 model homes by eight award-winning builders at Jordan Ranch’s model home park, Jordan Ranch Boulevard, Fulshear, Texas. For directions and daily business hours, visit jordanranchtexas.com.