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Bell County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Belton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 census, its population was 370,647.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bell County is part of the Killeen–Temple, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was founded in 1850 and is named for Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas. In 2010, the center of population of Texas was located in Bell County, near the town of Holland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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In 1834–1835, Little River became part of Robertson's Colony, made up of settlers from Nashville, Tennessee, 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.<ref name="Bell County, Texas">Template:Cite web</ref> This area became known as the Tennessee Valley. Soon after (1836) the settlements were deserted during the Runaway Scrape,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> reoccupied, deserted again after the Elmwood Creek Blood Scrape, and reoccupied. Texas Ranger George Erath established a fort on Little River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During 1843–44, settlers began returning.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> The next year, the Republic of Texas founded Baylor Female College (since developed as University of Mary Hardin–Baylor).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1850, Bell County was organized and named for Texas Governor Peter Hansborough Bell. The population then was 600 whites and 60 black slaves.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> Belton<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was designated as the county seat in 1851.

The last serious Indian raid in the area occurred in 1859.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> Bell County assumed its present boundaries<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> with the 1860 resurvey of the line between Bell and Milam Counties.

File:Confederate statue in Belton, TX IMG 2405.JPG
Confederate statue at Bell County Courthouse

In 1861, the county voted for secession from the Union.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> 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".<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> 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.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" />

During the early years of the Reconstruction era (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 insurgents developed who were similar to the Ku Klux Klan; they worked to suppress black and Republican voting.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" />

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 Temple as its headquarters.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" /> Reflecting growth in the county, in 1884, the Bell County Courthouse was built. It is still used. The ambitious Renaissance Revival design was by architect Jasper N. Preston and Sons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As another improvement, in 1905, the Belton and Temple Interurban electric railway was completed, providing service between the cities.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" />

During the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan 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.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" />

In 1925, Miriam A. Ferguson, a native of the county, was inaugurated as the first woman governor of the state.<ref name="Miriam Ferguson">Template:Cite web</ref> She won re-election in 1932 for a nonconsecutive second term.<ref name="Miriam Ferguson" />

The county and state supported founding Temple Junior College in 1926. The entry of the United States in World War II stimulated war spending across the country. In 1942, Fort Hood was opened as a military training base. It drew recruits from across the country.<ref name="Bell County, Texas" />

The postwar period was one of suburbanization in many areas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education 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. .<ref name="Killeen, Texas">Template:Cite web</ref>

The state founded Central Texas College in 1965 in Killeen.<ref name="Killeen, Texas" />

Since the late 20th century, new retail development has taken the form of large malls. In 1976, Temple Mall opened.<ref name="Temple Mall">Template:Cite web</ref> By 1980, Killeen became the most populous city in Bell County.<ref name="Killeen, Texas" /> The following year, the Killeen Mall opened, adding to retail choices in the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On June 21st, 1999, Brandon Bernard and four accomplices kidnapped and murdered youth pastors Todd and Stacie Bagley near Killeen, Texas. 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, Army major Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people and wounded 30 others before being paralyzed in return fire.<ref name="CNN20130806">Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2014 Fort Hood shootings, Army Specialist Ivan Lopez murdered three people and wounded 16 others.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert (3.4%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

Bell County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Partial<ref name="2020CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> % 2000 % 2010 Template:Partial
White alone (NH) 136,241 157,289 156,780 57.25% 50.70% 42.30%
Black or African American alone (NH) 47,344 63,380 80,759 19.89% 20.43% 21.79%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,297 1,484 1,448 0.55% 0.48% 0.39%
Asian alone (NH) 5,935 8,350 10,884 2.49% 2.69% 2.94%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 1,005 2,245 3,454 0.42% 0.72% 0.93%
Other race alone (NH) 479 500 2,063 0.20% 0.16% 0.56%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 5,972 9,977 21,792 2.51% 3.22% 5.88%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 39,701 67,010 93,467 16.68% 21.60% 25.22%
Total 237,974 310,235 370,647 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, 310,235 people, 114,035 households, and 80,449 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 125,470 housing units averaged Template:Convert. 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 per 1,000 households were in the county.<ref name="newyorktimes">Template:Citation</ref>

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 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.

Education

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Bell County is served by several school districts:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Areas in the boundary of Central Texas College'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.<ref>Texas Education Code, Section 130.171, "Central Texas College District Service Area".</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

State legislation does not specify the community colleges of the Bruceville-Eddy ISD and Moody ISD areas.

Transportation

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Major highways

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These major highways run through Bell County:

Mass transit

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The Hill Country Transit District operates a regularly scheduled fixed-route bus service within the urban areas of Killeen and Temple, as well as a paratransit service throughout the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Amtrak also has scheduled service to Temple.

Communities

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File:Bell county expo center 2014.jpg
The Bell County Expo Center, located off Interstate Highway 35 north of Belton

Cities

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Village

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Government and Politics

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Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot 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. 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 (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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

County government

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Bell County elected officials

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Position Name Party
  County Judge David Blackburn Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 1 Russell Schneider Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 2 Bobby Whitson Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 3 Greg Reynolds Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 4 Louie Minor Democratic
  District Attorney Stephanie Newell Republican
  District Clerk Joanna Staton Republican
  County Attorney James E. Nichols Republican
  County Clerk Shelley Coston Republican
  Sheriff Bill Cooke Republican
  Tax Assessor-Collector Shay Luedeke Republican
  Treasurer Gaylon Evans Republican
  County Court-at-Law #1 Paul Motz Republican
  County Court-at-Law #2 John Mischtian Republican
  County Court-at-Law #3 Rebecca DePew Republican
  27th Judicial District Court Debbie Garrett Republican
  146th Judicial District Court Mike Russell Republican
  169th Judicial District Court Cari L. Starritt-Burnett Republican
  264th Judicial District Court Paul L. LePak Republican
  426th Judicial District Court Steve Duskie Republican
  478th Judicial District Court Wade Faulkner Republican
  Peace Justice, Pct. 1 Theodore R. Duffield Republican
  Peace Justice, Pct. 2 Cliff Coleman Republican
  Peace Justice, Pct. 3 Pl. 1 Rosanne Fisher Republican
  Peace Justice, Pct. 3 Pl. 2 Larry Wilkey Republican
  Peace Justice, Pct. 4 Pl. 1 Gregory Johnson Democratic
  Peace Justice, Pct. 4 Pl. 2 Nicola James Democratic
  Constable, Precinct 1 Patricia "Pat" Duffield Republican
  Constable, Precinct 2 Christopher "Chris" Bazar Republican
  Constable, Precinct 3 Devin Rosenthal Republican
  Constable, Precinct 4 Martha Dominguez Democratic

See also

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References

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