Copperas Cove, Texas
Copperas Cove lies in Coryell County, in the hilly terrain along the edge of the Central Texas Hill Country about 11 miles west of Killeen. The city sits directly against the western boundary of the sprawling Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) military reservation, and its modern growth is closely tied to the Army post. The name derives from a small cove and a spring in the area whose water carried a copper-colored mineral tint.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 40,118
- Change from 2020 base
- +9.4%
- Land area
- 18 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Bell County, Coryell County, and Lampasas County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Copperas Cove crosses county lines, so the appraisal district and tax office depend on the parcel address. School, city-limit, MUD, PID, and other special-district lines can be different too. Start with the full county list below instead of treating one county as the answer.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
Local character
Start with Copperas Cove itself
A few landmarks, stories, and everyday places that help give Copperas Cove its shape.
Municipal recreation
Copperas Cove's City Course Follows the Hills
Hills of Cove is a city-owned course built into northeast Copperas Cove's rolling ground, not just another flat rectangle of municipal open space.
Stage stop
Ogletree Gap Is Where Copperas Cove Started Moving
The stone stagestop at Ogletree Gap ties Copperas Cove to the stagecoach road, an early post office, and the railroad shift that pulled the town center downhill.
Building permits
Building in Copperas Cove Means a Stop at 914 S. Main
Inside Copperas Cove, city building permits go through the office at 914 S. Main Street.
Then zoom out to the surrounding counties
History / Military
Fort Hood and Bell County's military history
Fort Hood, established in 1942 near Killeen, transformed Bell County from a farming region into one of the most military-connected communities in the United States.
Property tax
How the homestead exemption cuts your property tax in Bell County
Texas law gives homeowners who live in their own home a significant exemption from school district property taxes, and Bell County residents must file with Bell CAD to claim it.
Military History
Fort Gates Came Before Gatesville
The U.S. Army built Fort Gates in 1849 on the Texas frontier, and its presence led directly to the founding of the county seat.
Nearby
Places near Copperas Cove
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Copperas Cove
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