Belton, Texas
City in the United States in Bell County
About Belton
Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Bell County and is the fifth-largest city in the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the population of Belton was 23,054, and the metro region had a population of 450,051 according to US Census estimates.
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How Belton is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Belton
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
- David K. Leigh per Wikidata
The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- ci.belton.tx.us
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Population over time
From 18,216 in 2010 to 23,054 in 2020 (+26.6%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 23,054 |
| 2010 | 18,216 |
History
Belton and Bell County have been the site of human habitation since at least 6000 BCE. Evidence of early inhabitants, including campsites, kitchen middens, and burial mounds from the late prehistoric era have been discovered in the Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake areas. The earliest identifiable inhabitants were the Tonkawa, who traditionally followed buffalo by foot. Belton was also home to the Lipan Apache, Wacos, Nadaco, Kiowas and Comanche. By the 1840s, most tribes had been pushed out by settlements, but skirmishes with the Comanche continued until the early 1870s.
Belton was first settled 1850 and named Nolanville, taking the name of nearby Nolan Springs, which were named after Texan explorer Philip Nolan. In 1851, it changed its name to Belton after being named the county seat of newly created Bell County, named after Peter Hansborough Bell, the governor of Texas at that time. In 1860, its population was 300, the largest in the county. During the run-up to the civil war, Belton had a large pro-Union minority. A Whig Party antisecession newspaper called The Independent was published there and the city voted overwhelmingly for Sam Houston for governor, who was strongly against Texas secession. Nonetheless, in 1861 Bell County voted for secession, and many residents fought in the Confederate Army. After the civil war, Belton experienced unrest. Several pro-Union sympathizers were lynched in 1866, and federal troops were called in to protect the federal judge serving in the city. After Reconstruction, the city, close to a major feeder of the Chisholm Trail, served as growing business center for the region.
In 1868, Martha McWhirter, a prominent figure in Belton's nonsectarian Union Sunday School, created the Woman's Commonwealth, the only Texas women's commune of the 1800s. The
commune started several business ventures, including a successful hotel. In 1899, the group sold their holdings and relocated to Maryland. The town experienced rapid growth in the 1880s with the building of the courthouse, Baylor Female College buildings, and a "railroad war" in
which, by 1881, Belton was bypassed by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, which built Temple, 8 miles to the east, as the local junction and depot town. In 1904, Belton reported a population of 3,700. The town began to thrive and reached a population of 6,500 in 1928. The town was decimated by the Great Depression, though, and was down to a population of 3,779 only three years later in 1931.
The town began to recover in the run-up to World War II, as Fort Hood was opened nearby in 1942, housing the tank destroyer Tactical and Firing Center.
Encompassing over 200,000 acres and almost 90,000 troops, this brought a large population and economic activity to the area. By 1950, the city's population was back up to 6,246, and by 1990, it had reached 12,476.
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