Census indicators put Fort Bend on top of Houston-area counties. (Fort Bend County, Texas) (Focus: Southwest Houston/Fort Bend County Economic Development Report)

The Fates, in the form of recent census data, are smiling on Fort Bend County.

Every indicator of income level and educational attainment places Fort Bend County at the top of the eight-county Houston region.

Other recent kudos include Fort Bend County on the list of top locations for manufacturing and as one of the fastest-growing counties in the country.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, county crime is 30 percent lower than the national average.

The combined statistics, local officials say, are some of the best marketing tools for selling Fort Bend County for corporate growth.

"Any organization worth its salt is going to make sure the public knows about statistics like this," says Herb Appel, executive director of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council. The organization targets high-technology companies for relocation to Fort Bend County.

"The facts are very positive for Fort Bend County," Appel says. "The No. 2 factor in corporate relocations today is human resources, with the No. 1 factor being low-cost building and land."

THE EARLY DAYS

When Stephen F. Austin staked his fort at the bend of the Brazos River 170 years ago, the land known as Tejas provided what seemed to be a limitless bounty of natural resources. …