Bell County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is in

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas roughly bordered on the west by San Saba, to the southeast by Bryan- College Station, the south by San Marcos and to the north by Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part ...

and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Belton. As of the 2020 census, its population was 370,647. Bell County is part of the Killeen–

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was founded in 1850 and is named for

Peter Hansborough Bell Peter Hansborough Bell (May 11, 1810Various sources give multiple dates in May 1810 and May 1812 for Bell's birth. Bell's gravestone uses a May 1812 date.March 8, 1898) was an American military officer and politician who served as the third gove ...

, the third

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

. In 2010, the

center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...

of Texas was located in Bell County, near the town of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

History

In 1834–1835, Little River became part of Robertson's Colony, made up of settlers from

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, led by Sterling C. Robertson; they were the families of Captain Goldsby Childers, Robert Davison, John Fulcher, Moses Griffin, John Needham, Michael Reed and his son William Whitaker Reed, William Taylor, and Judge Orville T. Tyler. This area became known as the Tennessee Valley. Soon after (1836) the settlements were deserted during the Runaway Scrape, reoccupied, deserted again after the Elmwood Creek Blood Scrape, and reoccupied. Texas Ranger George Erath established a fort on Little River. During 1843–44, settlers began returning. The next year, the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

founded Baylor Female College (since developed as

University of Mary Hardin–Baylor The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor (UMHB) is a private Baptist university in Belton, Texas. UMHB was chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as Baylor Female College, the female department of what is now Baylor University. It has since be ...

). In 1850, Bell County was organized and named for Texas Governor

. The population then was 600 whites and 60 black slaves. Belton was designated as the county seat in 1851. The last serious Indian raid in the area occurred in 1859. Bell County assumed its present boundaries with the 1860 resurvey of the line between Bell and Milam Counties. In 1861, the county voted for

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

from the Union. Residents were divided, as many yeomen farmers did not support the war. From 1862 to 1865, Union sympathizers and Confederate deserters holed up in "Camp Safety". Following the war, new social movements developed. In 1867, the Belton Women's Commonwealth, the first women's movement in Central Texas, was formed by Martha McWhirter. The group provided shelter to women in abusive relationships. During the early years of the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

(1865–1877), so much violence occurred in the county that the government stationed federal troops in Belton. Some racist whites attacked blacks and their white supporters. Corruption, lawlessness, and racial divides were severe. As in many areas, a local version of white

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

s developed who were similar to the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

; they worked to suppress black and Republican voting. The coming of railroads in the late 19th century stimulated growth across the state. In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, the first railroad to be built in Bell County, established

as its headquarters. Reflecting growth in the county, in 1884, the Bell County Courthouse was built. It is still used. The ambitious

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

design was by architect Jasper N. Preston and Sons. As another improvement, in 1905, the Belton and Temple Interurban electric railway was completed, providing service between the cities. During the 1920s, the

underwent a revival in Bell County. In many areas, it was concentrated on nativist issues, opposing Catholic and Jewish immigration from eastern and southern Europe. After a scandal involving the leader of the KKK, the group's influence declined markedly by the end of the decade. In 1925, Miriam A. Ferguson, a native of the county, was inaugurated as the first woman governor of the state. She won re-election in 1932 for a nonconsecutive second term. The county and state supported founding Temple Junior College in 1926. The entry of the

United States in World War II The United States participated in World War II in many different ways: *United States home front during World War II *Military history of the United States during World War II See also *United States non-interventionism before entering World War II ...

stimulated war spending across the country. In 1942,

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

was opened as a military training base. It drew recruits from across the country. The postwar period was one of suburbanization in many areas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

'' that racial segregation in public schools, supported by all the taxpayers, was unconstitutional. Two years later, the Killeen school board voted to integrate the local high school. . The state founded

Central Texas College Central Texas College (CTC) is a public community college in Killeen, Texas. Founded in 1965, it has branch campuses in Europe and on military installations across the U.S. History Central Texas College was established by a vote of the citizen ...

in 1965 in Killeen. Since the late 20th century, new retail development has taken the form of large malls. In 1976, Temple Mall opened. By 1980, Killeen became the most populous city in Bell County. The following year, the Killeen Mall opened, adding to retail choices in the area. In another type of development, the Bell County Expo Center opened in 1987. Since the late 20th century, the county has been the site of several Violent Incidents. On October 16, 1991, in the

Luby's shooting The Luby's shooting, also known as the Luby's massacre, was a mass shooting that took place on October 16, 1991, at a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, United States. The perpetrator, George Hennard, drove his pickup truck through the front w ...

, George Hennard murdered 23 people and wounded 27 others before killing himself. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States at the time. On June 21st, 1999, Brandon Bernard and four accomplices kidnapped and murdered youth pastors Todd and Stacie Bagley near

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Bell County. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is ...

. The ringleader, Christopher Vialva, shot the couple before Bernard set their car on fire. Their bodies were found in Belton Lake. Vialva was sentenced to death, and Bernard, also sentenced to death, was executed in 2020. In the

2009 Fort Hood shooting On November 5, 2009, a mass shooting took place at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), near Killeen, Texas, United States. Nidal Hasan, a Major (United States), U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 other ...

, Army major

Nidal Hasan Nidal Malik Hasan (born September 8, 1970) is an American former United States Army major, physician, and mass murderer convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in the Fort Hood mass shooting on November 5, 2009. Hasan, an Army Me ...

murdered 13 people and wounded 30 others before being paralyzed in return fire. In the

2014 Fort Hood shootings On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, a shooting spree was perpetrated at several locations on the Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) military base near Killeen, Texas. Four people, including the gunman, were killed while 14 additional people were injured; 1 ...

, Army Specialist Ivan Lopez murdered three people and wounded 16 others. On May 3, 2022, a stabbing at Belton High School by a fellow student left 18-year-old Jose Luis "Joe" Ramirez Jr. critically injured. He later died from complications in a local hospital. The suspect, Caysen Tyler Allison, was arrested and charged. On December 21, 2024, John Darrel Schultz, 53, drove a pickup truck through the outside entrance of the JCPenney store at the Killeen Mall during a police chase, striking five people inside before being fatally shot by officers.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (3.4%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

McLennan County McLennan County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 260,579. Its county seat and largest city is Waco, Texas, Waco. The U.S. c ...

(north) * Falls County (northeast) * Milam County (southeast) * Williamson County (south) * Burnet County (southwest) * Lampasas County (west) * Coryell County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, 310,235 people, 114,035 households, and 80,449 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The 125,470 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 61.4% White, 21.5% Black, 0.8% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, and 5.0% from two or more races. About 21.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race; 14.9% were of Mexican, 3.6% were of Puerto Rican, 0.2% Cuban, and 0.2% were of Dominican descent. Of the 85,507 households, 40.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were not families. About 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14. As of the 2010 census, about 3.6

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

per 1,000 households were in the county. In the county, the population was distributed as 28.90% under the age of 18, 13.40% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 17.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,872, and for a family was $41,455. Males had a median income of $28,031 versus $22,364 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,219. About 9.70% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bell County is served by several school districts: * Academy Independent School District * Bartlett Independent School District (partial) *

Belton Independent School District Belton Independent School District is a public school district based in Belton, Texas ( USA). Finances As of the 2010–2011 school year, the appraised valuation of property in the district was $1,975,956,000. The maintenance tax rate was $0 ...

* Bruceville-Eddy Independent School District (partial) * Copperas Cove Independent School District (partial) * Florence Independent School District (partial) * Gatesville Independent School District (partial) * Holland Independent School District (partial) * Killeen Independent School District (partial) *

Lampasas Independent School District Lampasas Independent School District is a public school district based in Lampasas, Texas, Lampasas, Texas (United States, USA) that serves about 3,350 students. In addition to Lampasas, the district also serves the city of Kempner, Texas, Kem ...

(partial) * Moody Independent School District (partial) * Rogers Independent School District (partial) * Rosebud-Lott Independent School District (partial) * Salado Independent School District * Temple Independent School District * Troy Independent School District Areas in the boundary of

's service area, as defined by the Texas Education Code, include all of Killeen ISD, Fort Cavazos and North Fort Cavazos, and the Bell County portions of Copperas Cove ISD and Lampasas ISD. Areas in the boundary of Temple Junior College's service area include Academy ISD, Bartlett ISD, Belton ISD, Holland ISD, Rogers ISD, Salado ISD, Temple ISD, and Troy ISD. State legislation does not specify the community colleges of the Bruceville-Eddy ISD and Moody ISD areas.

Transportation

Major highways

These major highways run through Bell County: *

Interstate 14 Interstate 14 (I-14), also known as the 14th Amendment Highway, the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway, and the Central Texas Corridor, is an Interstate Highway that is currently located entirely in Central Texas, following US Highway 190 ( ...

/ U.S. Highway 190 *

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

* State Highway 36 * State Highway 53 * State Highway 95 * State Highway 195

Mass transit

The Hill Country Transit District operates a regularly scheduled fixed-route

bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

within the urban areas of Killeen and Temple, as well as a

paratransit Paratransit (also community transport in the United Kingdom, or intermediate public transport) is a type of public transport service that supplements fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. P ...

service throughout the county.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

also has scheduled service to Temple.

Communities

Cities

* Bartlett (partly in Williamson County) * Belton (county seat) * Copperas Cove (mostly in Coryell County and a small part in Lampasas County) * Harker Heights *

* Killeen (largest city) * Little River-Academy * Morgan's Point Resort * Nolanville * Rogers *

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

Village

* Salado

Census-designated place

Fort Cavazos Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

(partly in Coryell County) * Pendleton

Unincorporated communities

* Airville * Belfalls * Cedar Valley *

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

Ding Dong A Ding Dong is a chocolate cake produced and distributed in the United States by Hostess Brands and in Canada from Vachon Inc. under the name King Dons; in some U.S. markets, it was previously known as Big Wheels. With the exception of a brief p ...

* Edgeworth * Heidenheimer * Joe Lee * Leedale * Maxdale * Meeks *

Moffat Moffat is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire. Part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland, it lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. Moffat is arou ...

* New Colony * Oenaville *

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

* Owl Creek * Prairie Dell * Ratibor * Red Ranger * Seaton * Sparks *

Stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Although the term is most often applied to animals, there are cases of humans stamped ...

* Summers Mill * Union Grove * Vilas * White Hall * Youngsport * Zabcikville

Ghost towns

* Bland * Brookhaven * Donahoe * Ocker * Old Troy * Stringtown * Sparta * Tennessee Valley * Old Aiken

Government and Politics

Politically, Bell County tends to support Republican Party candidates for office. It has voted for the Republican presidential nominee every cycle beginning with

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in 1980. The county has been trending Democratic, similar to the patterns of the state as a whole. The county is a bellwether for Texas, voting for the statewide winner of every presidential election in Texas, except in 1952 and 1956. In 1952 and 1956, Republican

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

(who was born in Texas) won the state while losing Bell County. Democratic strength in the county is concentrated in the city of Killeen, which gave Joe Biden 63.4% of the vote in the 2020 election. The remainder of the county, particularly the cities of Belton and Temple, is much more strongly Republican.