Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County, Texas
Bell County, in east central Texas, is located along the Balcones Escarpment approximately forty-five miles north of the Capitol in Austin and is bordered by Coryell, McLennan, and Falls counties on the north, on the east by Falls and Milam counties, on the south by Milam and Williamson counties, and on the west by Lampasas and Burnet counties. Belton, the third largest town in the county, serves as the county seat and is sixty-five miles north of Austin. The county's center lies at approximately 31°02' north latitude and 97°30' east longitude. Interstate Highway 35 and State highways 195, 95, and 317 are the major north-south roads in the county; U.S. Highway 190 and State Highway 36 cross the county east and west. Bell County is also served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific railroads.
Bell County comprises some 1,055 square miles and is divided into regions by the Balcones Escarpment, which runs through the approximate center of the county from southeast to northwest. The eastern part of the county, on the Blackland Prairie, consists of comparatively level prairieland, mainly undulating to gently rolling. The western half of the county belongs to the Grand Prairie region of Texas, and includes undulating to rolling uplands, deeply cut with stream valleys that, in places, have stony slopes and steep bluffs. Bell County ranges in elevation from about 450 feet above sea level in the southeast to about 1,200 feet above sea level on the western boundary. The county is drained chiefly by the Little River and its tributaries, especially the Leon, Lampasas, and Salado rivers, which come together at historic Three Forks to form the Little River. Soils in the eastern part of the county are mostly dark, loamy to clayey "blackland" soils; the rich Houston black clay is the most common type and the most suitable for farming. The soils west of the Balcones fault are light to dark and loamy and clayey, with limy subsoils; shallow, stony soils in places have encouraged ranching and hardwood and pine production. Vegetation west of the fault is characterized by tall grasses and oak, juniper, pine, and mesquite trees, while the eastern part of the county, which has been extensively utilized for farming, is still wooded along its streams with a variety of hardwood trees. Between 41 and 50 percent of the land in Bell County is considered prime farmland. Mineral resources include limestone, oil, gas, sand and gravel, and dolomite.
Seymour V. Connor, Mark Odintz | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Bell County is classified as a County
Altitude Range
390 ft – 1227 ft
Size
Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does
- Land Area: 1,051.0 mi²
- Total Area: 1,087.8 mi²
Temperature
January mean minimum:
35.6°F
July mean maximum:
94.6°F
Rainfall, 2019
36.1 inches
Population Count, 2019
362,924
Civilian Labor Count, 2019
140,185
Unemployment, 2019
8.1%
Property Values, 2019
$21,576,524,268 USD
Per-Capita Income, 2019
$42,773 USD
Retail Sales, 2019
$4,953,557,399 USD
Wages, 2019
$1,579,869,287 USD
County Map of Texas
Bell County
- Bell County
Places of Bell County
Place | Type | Population (Year/Source) | Currently Exists |
---|---|---|---|
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 65 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 25 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,643 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 30 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 23,845 (2021) | Yes | |
Lake | – | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 14 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 25 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 47 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 301 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 215 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 15 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 24,781 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 33,560 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 224 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,086 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 8 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 156,261 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 24 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,989 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 25 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 22 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 6 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,406 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 4,713 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 12 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 6,249 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 108 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 58 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 130 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 791 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 34 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 22 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 30 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,104 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 2,391 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 60 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 774 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 80 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 40 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 6 (2009) | Yes | |
Lake | – | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 85,416 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 390 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 2,468 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 12 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 262 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 49 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 76 (2009) | Yes |
Photos Nearby:
Belton, Texas
View of downtown Belton, the seat of Bell County, Texas. Photograph by NativeTexan55.
Highway 36 crosses over Belton Lake
Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC by SA 4
A man fishing on Stillhouse Hollow Lake
Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public Domain
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