Belton, Texas
| Belton, Texas | |
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| — City — | |
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| Nickname(s): Beltown | |
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| Coordinates: 31°3′32″N 97°27′48″W / 31.05889°N 97.46333°WCoordinates: 31°3′32″N 97°27′48″W / 31.05889°N 97.46333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Bell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13.2 sq mi (34.1 km2) |
| • Land | 12.5 sq mi (32.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 509 ft (155 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 18,216 |
| • Density | 1,171.3/sq mi (452.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76513 |
| Area code(s) | 254 |
| FIPS code | 48-07492[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1351858[2] |
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Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Bell County[3].
Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.
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Geography [edit]
Belton is located at 31°3′32″N 97°27′48″W / 31.05889°N 97.46333°W (31.058904, -97.463382)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34 km2), of which, 12.5 square miles (32 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (5.09%) is water.
Belton is just south of Temple and north of Salado on Interstate 35.
History [edit]
Belton was platted in 1850 with the name of Nolandville. It was given its current name in 1851, named after Texas' Governor, Peter Hansborough Bell. As the county seat of the like named Bell County the town seemed destined for growth. The 1880s marked the town's brightest age, with the building of the courthouse, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor buildings, and a "railroad war" in which, by 1881, Belton was bypassed by the railroad which built Temple, Texas as the local junction and depot town. In 1913 the city experienced a major flood.[5] leading to the naming of Yettie Polk Park, from one of those who died. The town began to thrive following the creation of Fort Hood in 1942.
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 18,216 people and 5,380 households within the city, a 24.6% population growth from the 2000 census. The population density was 926.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 74.50% White, 8.10% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 14.70% from other races, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.10% of the population.
Out of 6,612 households in the city, 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 10.9% households were occupied by someone of 65 years and older. Multi-unit housing made up 30.20% of the households, and the homeownership rate was at 53.60%, which is 11.20% behind the state-wide average. The average household size was 2.73.
In the city, children of under 10 years old made up 14.90% of the population. Persons from 10 to 19 made up 16.70%, 20 to 29 made up 19.60%, 30 to 39 made up 11.60%, 40 to 49 made up 11.2%, 50 to 59 made up 10.80%, 60 to 69 made up 7.50%, and those 70 and older made up 7.75. The median age was 29.9 years.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,814. The per capita income for the city was $20,847. 18.7% of the city's population was below the poverty line.
Education [edit]
The City of Belton is served by the following Belton Independent School District schools:.
- Belton High School, serves 9th through 12th grade
- Belton New Tech High School at Waskow, serves 9th through 12th grade
- Lake Belton Middle School, serves 6th through 8th grade
- South Belton Middle School, serves 6th through 8th grade
- Belton Middle School, serves 6th through 8th grade
- Southwest Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Leon Heights Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Joe M. Pirtle Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Miller Heights Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Tarver Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Lakewood Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Tyler Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
- Sparta Elementary, serves kindergarten through 5th grade
Belton is also home to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a private university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.[6][7] As of 2010, UMHB has an enrollment of 2,956.[8]
Sites of interest [edit]
The Bell County Expo Center is located in Belton and is the home of the CenTex Barracudas Indoor football team.
For recreation, Belton has two major lakes: Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake. There is also a water park, Summer Fun Water Park. Another notable recreation point is BLORA which is part of Ft. Hood and is located on Lake Belton
Belton is also home to a number of historic churches including First United Methodist Church, founded in 1850 and First Baptist Church, founded in 1853.
Notable people [edit]
Football player David Ash is the starting quarterback for The University of Texas' football team.
Musician Danny Barnes is from Belton.
Actor George Eads grew up in Belton. He graduated from Belton High School in 1985.
Historian and rancher J. Evetts Haley was born in Belton and is buried beside his first wife, Nita Stewart Haley, in the Moffat Cemetery. However, he spent most of his life in Midland and Canyon in West Texas.
Musician Chris Marion of classic rock's Little River Band was born in Belton in 1962.
Bass player Pat Seals from the alternative rock band Flyleaf is from Belton.
Physician W. Roy Smythe, M.D., Chairman of Surgery for Scott & White Memorial Hospital, the Scott & White Healthcare system and the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, grew up in Belton, and graduated from Belton High School in 1978.
General Walton Walker, the 8th Army Commander killed in action in the Korean War was born in Belton on December 3, 1889.
Henry T. Waskow, the basis of a famous article by Ernie Pyle, was a Belton native.
Actor Rudy Youngblood of Mel Gibson's film, Apocalypto, graduated from Belton High School.
George Jo Hennard shouted "This is what Bell County did to me!" immediately before commencing the Luby's massacre.[9][10][11]
Culture [edit]
Home of the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame housed in the Bell County Expo Center.
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ a history of Belton
- ^ The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
- ^ Baptist General Convention of Texas - Supported Universities
- ^ University of Mary Hardin-Baylor - Fall Magazine 2006
- ^ Times-News, Oct. 17 1991
- ^ Seattle Times, Oct 17 1991
- ^ Catholic Online, Nov. 6 2009
External links [edit]
- Official website
- The Belton Journal - Texas's oldest continuously published weekly newspaper (since 1866)
- University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
- SeeBelton - General info on Belton, including calendar of upcoming events
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