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Texas Counties

Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931

Bell County, Texas

Bell County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Belton
Year Organized: 1850
Square Miles: 1,059

Court House:

P.O. Box 768
County Courthouse
Belton, TX 76513-0768

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. 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.

Settlers began to return to the Bell County area after the peace treaties of 1843-44, and Indian raids into the county became less frequent. By the census of 1850, the population of what would shortly become Bell County was approximately 600 whites and sixty black slaves. Bell County was formed on January 22, 1850, and named for Peter H. Bell.^qv The election held to organize the county took place in April at the "Charter Oak," near the center of the county at the military crossing on the Leon River. Nolan Springs was chosen as the county seat and named Nolanville. On December 16, 1851, the name was changed to Belton. In 1854 Coryell County was marked off from Bell County, and in 1856 the legislature attached a six-mile-wide strip of Falls County to Bell County. In 1860, when a resurvey of the line between Bell and Milam counties was made and recognized by the legislature, Bell County assumed its present boundaries.
More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/hcb6.html (accessed November 4, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,088 square miles (2,818 km²), of which, 1,060 square miles (2,745 km²) of it is land and 28 square miles (73 km²) of it (2.59%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Bartlett	city	Incorporated Area
- Belton (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Harker Heights	city	Incorporated Area
- Holland	town	Incorporated Area
- Killeen	city	Incorporated Area
- Little River-Academy	city	Incorporated Area
- Morgan's Point Resort	city	Incorporated Area
- Nolanville	city	Incorporated Area
- Rogers	town	Incorporated Area
- Salado	village	Incorporated Area
- Temple	city	Incorporated Area
- Troy	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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