Harker Heights, Texas
Harker Heights is a city in Bell County in Central Texas, immediately adjacent to Killeen. The surrounding terrain marks the transition from the Blackland Prairie into the eastern edge of the Hill Country, with Stillhouse Hollow Lake lying nearby to the south. As a fast-growing suburban community, it is closely tied to the wider Killeen-Temple area.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 35,195
- Change from 2020 base
- +6.4%
- Land area
- 15.6 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Bell 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
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Bell County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
Local character
Start with Harker Heights itself
A few landmarks, stories, and everyday places that help give Harker Heights its shape.
Then zoom out to Bell County
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.
History / Courthouse
Bell County Courthouse: Belton's 1884 landmark
The Bell County Courthouse in Belton, completed in 1884 from local limestone, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and anchors the county seat's historic downtown.
Nearby
Places near Harker Heights
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Harker Heights
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