Bell County is a county located in the U.S.
state of Texas
.
It is part
of the Killeen
–Temple
–Fort
Hood
Metropolitan
Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 237,974
(however, 2006 estimates place the population at 264,960 according
to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Data Center).
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.
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.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
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.
Cities and towns
Education
Bell County is served by several school districts:
References
- http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt
External links