Bell County, Texas

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Bell County, Texas
The Bell County Courthouse in Belton.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1850
Seat	Belton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,088 sq mi (2,818 km²) 1,060 sq mi (2,745 km²) 28 sq mi (73 km²), 2.59%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	370,647 292.7/sq mi (113/km²)
Website	www.bellcountytx.com

Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached 370,647. Its county seat is Belton. The center of population of Texas is located in Bell County, in the town of Holland. Bell is named for Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas.

History Timeline

• 1834-1835 Little River becomes site for settlers from Nashville: families of Captain Goldsby Childers, Robert Davison, John Fulcher, Moses Griffin, John Needham, Michael Reed, William Taylor, and Judge Orville T.Tyler.
• 1836 The settlements are deserted during the Runaway Scrape, reoccupied, deserted again after the Elmwood Creek Blood Scrape, re-occupied again. Texas Ranger George Erath establishes a fort on Little River.
• 1843-44 Settlers return.
• 1845 University of Mary Hardin–Baylor founded by the Republic of Texas as “Baylor Female College”.
• 1850 Bell County is formed and named for Texas Governor Peter Hansborough Bell. Population 600 whites – 60 black slaves.
• 1851 County seat is Belton.
• 1859 Last serious Indian raid of the area.
• 1860 Re-survey of the line between Bell and Milam County. Bell County assumes its present boundaries.

Confederate statue at Bell County Courthouse

• 1861 County votes for secession from the Union.
• 1862-1865 Union sympathizers and Confederate deserters hole up in"Camp Safety."
• 1867 Belton Women’s Commonwealth, the first women’s movement in Central Texas, is formed by Martha McWhirter. The group provides shelter to women in abusive relationships.
• 1865-1877 Reconstruction in the county is so troubled that Federal troops are quartered in Belton. Corruption, lawlessness and racial divides are rampant. Bell County has a local version of the KKK.
• 1875 Miriam A. Ferguson, first woman Governor of Texas, is born in Bell County.
• 1881 Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, the first railroad to be built in Bell County, establishes Temple as its headquarters
• 1884 Current Bell County Courthouse is built. Renaissance Revival design is by architect Jasper N. Preston and Sons.
• 1905 The Belton and Temple Interurban electric railway is constructed,
• 1920’s Ku Klux Klan revived in Bell County.
• 1925 Miriam A. Ferguson is inaugurated as Governor.
• 1926 Temple College opens.
• 1933 Miriam A. Ferguson is inaugurated for her second, but non-consecutive, term as Governor.
• 1942 Fort Hood opens as a military training base.
• 1956 Killeen school board votes to integrate local high school.
• 1965 Central Texas College founded in Killeen.
• 1980 Killeen is the largest city in Bell County.
• 1991, October 16 - Luby's massacre - George Jo Hennard Jr. kills 23 people, wounds 20 others, kills himself. It's the largest mass murder by firearm in the United States up to that time. Hennard shouted "This is what Bell County did to me! This is payback day!" during the event.
• 1995 As a result of the Luby’s massacre, Governor George W. Bush signs new law requiring a permit for concealed weapons.
• 2009, November 5 - Fort Hood shooting – Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan kills 13 people, wounds 30.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,088 square miles (2,817.9 km²), of which 1,060 square miles (2,745.4 km²) is land and 28 square miles (72.5 km²) (2.59%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 35
• U.S. Highway 190
• State Highway 36
• State Highway 53
• State Highway 95
• State Highway 195

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 237,974 people, 85,507 households, and 61,992 families residing in the county. The population density was 225 people per square mile (87/km²). There were 92,782 housing units at an average density of 88 per square mile (34/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 63.41% White, 20.43% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 8.54% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. 16.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.3% were of German, 9.7% American, 6.7% Irish and 5.9% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 85,507 households out of which 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 non-families. 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.

In the county, the population was spread out with 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 the median income for a family was $41,455. Males had a median income of $28,031 versus $22,364 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,219. About 9.70% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Bell County, Texas

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	67,893	53.17%	57,014	44.65%	2,783	2.18%
2016	51,998	54.33%	37,801	39.50%	5,902	6.17%
2012	49,574	57.36%	35,512	41.09%	1,339	1.55%
2008	49,242	54.36%	40,413	44.61%	935	1.03%
2004	52,135	65.39%	27,165	34.07%	424	0.53%
2000	41,208	65.11%	21,011	33.20%	1,072	1.69%
1996	30,348	53.20%	22,638	39.68%	4,063	7.12%
1992	24,936	45.27%	18,684	33.92%	11,457	20.80%
1988	29,382	61.79%	17,751	37.33%	418	0.88%
1984	31,117	69.52%	13,322	29.76%	323	0.72%
1980	20,729	54.72%	15,823	41.77%	1,333	3.52%
1976	15,126	45.96%	17,499	53.17%	287	0.87%
1972	17,525	71.79%	6,848	28.05%	38	0.16%
1968	5,705	26.98%	11,893	56.24%	3,547	16.77%
1964	2,938	16.78%	14,557	83.13%	17	0.10%
1960	4,606	30.13%	10,651	69.67%	31	0.20%
1956	4,285	30.76%	9,603	68.93%	44	0.32%
1952	4,862	33.86%	9,484	66.05%	12	0.08%
1948	1,069	11.73%	7,548	82.83%	496	5.44%
1944	763	8.52%	6,960	77.72%	1,232	13.76%
1940	1,050	12.40%	7,418	87.60%	0	0.00%
1936	475	7.17%	6,119	92.42%	27	0.41%
1932	724	8.67%	7,607	91.06%	23	0.28%
1928	3,366	52.17%	3,079	47.72%	7	0.11%
1924	1,632	17.26%	7,273	76.91%	552	5.84%
1920	483	7.94%	3,595	59.12%	2,003	32.94%
1916	356	8.54%	3,615	86.75%	196	4.70%
1912	128	4.01%	3,024	94.68%	42	1.31%

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 in 1980.

Cities and towns

The Bell County Expo Center, located off Interstate Highway 35 south of Belton

Bartlett Belton (County Seat) Copperas Cove Ding Dong (unincorporated) Fort Hood Harker Heights Heidenheimer (unincorporated) Holland Killeen (largest city)

Little River-Academy Morgan's Point Resort Nolanville Pendleton (unincorporated) Prairie Dell (unincorporated) Rogers Salado Temple (second largest city) Troy

Education

Bell County is served by several school districts:

• Academy Independent School District
• Bartlett Independent School District (partial)
• Belton Independent School District
• 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 (partial)
• Moody Independent School District (partial)
• Rogers Independent School District (partial)
• Rosebud-Lott Independent School District (partial)
• Temple Independent School District
• Troy Independent School District
• Salado Independent School District

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bell County, Texas

External links

• Bell County Home Page
• Bell County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas.
• Bell County Ex Confederate Association Ledger, From 1888 To 1920.
• Historic Bell County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.