Belton at a glance
Belton is the county seat of Bell County. It sits on Interstate 35 at the point where Interstate 14 starts west toward Killeen, with Temple to the east. The city describes itself as about 60 miles north of Austin. The courthouse square and downtown sit on Nolan Creek, which runs through the middle of town.
Two federal reservoirs touch the edges of the city. Belton Lake is on the Leon River to the northwest. Stillhouse Hollow Lake is on the Lampasas River to the southwest. Both were built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which still runs the dams and most of the lake parks.
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor campus sits just west of Loop 121, a short way from downtown, and the Nolan Creek trail ties the two together. Belton ISD runs the public schools. Belton has one ZIP code, 76513, which also covers Morgan's Point Resort on Belton Lake.
A short history
Bell County was organized in 1850. The settlement at Nolan Springs was chosen as county seat and named Nolanville, and the first town lots were sold that August. In December 1851 the Texas Legislature incorporated the town and changed the name to Belton. The first courthouse was a small log building put up on the square in 1852.
The Bell County Courthouse that stands today was built in 1884. It is a three-story Renaissance Revival building by J. N. Preston and Son and went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Railroads reached town in the early 1880s. After the Civil War, cattle drives on the nearby Chisholm Trail passed through the area.
Baylor Female College moved to Belton from Independence in 1886. It is now the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. In December 1913 Nolan Creek left its banks and flooded downtown. Yettie Polk Park is named for a mother who died with her children in that flood. Belton Lake was impounded in 1954 and Stillhouse Hollow Lake in 1968.
Homes and housing in Belton
Belton's housing covers about 150 years. The city has five historic districts. In the North Central Belton Historic District the city counts three building waves: the late 1800s after the railroads came, the early 1900s during the cotton years, and the years after Camp Hood opened in 1941. Houses there sit on older town lots near downtown and the university.
Away from the old core, most houses are in subdivisions built from the 2000s forward. New lots are still being platted on the south and west sides. In August 2025 the City Council approved a preliminary plat for River Farms, a large planned neighborhood east of I-35 on Toll Bridge Road, north of the Lampasas River.
Around both lakes you find larger lots and acreage, some inside the city and some in the county. Lake-area land often has no city sewer and may back up to federal land or a flowage easement, so the survey matters more here than on a standard subdivision lot.
Neighborhoods and subdivisions
The five city historic districts are South Main, Lower West Belton, the Downtown Belton Commercial district, Central Belton and North Central Belton. Their buildings date from 1870 to 1959. North Main Street has several houses on the National Register. Exterior changes inside a district need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission.
On the southwest side, West Canyon Trails and Liberty Valley sit near Huey Drive. The city approved a 107-lot extension of West Canyon Trails between West Avenue O and Huey Drive in 2021, and in 2024 it named Freedom Neighborhood Park in Liberty Valley at Huey Drive and Connell Street. Chisholm Trail Park is nearby on Dunns Canyon Road.
Dawson Ranch is off Sparta Road and Loop 121, with houses built from the 2000s on. Three Creeks is off FM 1670 near Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Its first phase was built in 2013 and 2014. Morgan's Point Resort is a separate city on Belton Lake that shares Belton's ZIP code and school district.
Schools
Belton ISD serves the city. The district says its boundary covers Belton, Morgan's Point Resort, part of Temple and unincorporated parts of Bell County. That means a Temple address can be in Belton ISD. Lake Belton High School, opened in fall 2020, has a Temple mailing address on FM 2483.
The district has three high schools, four middle schools, eleven elementary schools and an early childhood school. Attendance zones are set by the district and change as campuses open. James L. Burrell Elementary and Hubbard Branch Elementary both opened in 2024. Check the zone for a specific address with Belton ISD before you write an offer.
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a private Baptist university chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845. It moved to Belton in 1886, became coeducational in 1971 and took its current name in 1978. Crusader Stadium, the football stadium, opened on campus in September 2013.
- Belton High School
- Grades 9 to 12, Belton ISD
- Lake Belton High School
- Grades 9 to 12, Belton ISD, opened 2020, 9809 FM 2483
- Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow
- Grades 9 to 12, Belton ISD
- Belton Middle School
- Grades 6 to 8, Belton ISD
- Lake Belton Middle School
- Grades 6 to 8, Belton ISD
- North Belton Middle School
- Grades 6 to 8, Belton ISD
- South Belton Middle School
- Grades 6 to 8, Belton ISD
- James L. Burrell Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD, opened 2024
- Charter Oak Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Chisholm Trail Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- High Point Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Hubbard Branch Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD, opened 2024
- Lakewood Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Leon Heights Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Joe M. Pirtle Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Southwest Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Sparta Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Alice J. Tarver Elementary
- Elementary, Belton ISD
- Belton Early Childhood School
- Pre-kindergarten, Belton ISD
- University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
- Private Baptist university, in Belton since 1886
Parks, lakes and the outdoors
Belton Lake is a Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Leon River. The Corps runs boat ramps at parks such as Temple's Lake, Westcliff, Live Oak Ridge, Cedar Ridge and Arrowhead Point. The Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area, known as BLORA, is run by the Fort Hood recreation office. Stillhouse Hollow Lake has Corps ramps at Stillhouse, Dana Peak, Union Grove, River's Bend and Cedar Gap parks.
Inside the city, the Nolan Creek Hike and Bike Trail runs a little over a mile from Liberty Park through Yettie Polk Park and Harris Community Park to the university campus. Heritage Park is the largest city park at 155 acres. Miller Springs Nature Center is a 260-acre natural area just east of the Belton Lake dam with more than 10 miles of trails.
- Belton Lake
- Corps of Engineers lake on the Leon River, impounded 1954. Lake office at 3110 FM 2271.
- Stillhouse Hollow Lake
- Corps of Engineers lake on the Lampasas River, impounded 1968. Lake office at 3740 FM 1670.
- Miller Springs Nature Center
- 260 acres below the Belton Lake dam, managed by Temple with Belton and the Corps. Free, open daily 8 a.m. to dusk.
- Heritage Park
- 155 acres at 1502 Park Avenue. Athletic fields, two pavilions, fishing dock, community garden, accessible playground.
- Nolan Creek Hike and Bike Trail
- Links Liberty Park, Yettie Polk Park, Harris Community Park and the UMHB campus.
- Yettie Polk Park
- 101 S. Davis Street on Nolan Creek. Playgrounds, basketball courts, festival site.
- Harris Community Park
- 312 N. Alexander Street. Playground and splash pad next to the trail.
- Chisholm Trail Park
- 3115 Dunns Canyon Road. Baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, walking trail.
- Liberty Park
- 700 Veterans Way. Two pavilions, two playgrounds and the east end of the Nolan Creek trail.
- South Wall Tiger Park
- 1895 S. Wall Street. Splash pad, playground, half-court basketball.
Things to do, shopping and dining
Downtown Belton is a National Register commercial district built around the courthouse square. The Bell County Museum at 201 North Main Street is in the 1904 Carnegie library building, which served as the public library until 1975. Downtown shops and restaurants line Central Avenue, Main Street and East Street.
The Gin at Nolan Creek serves mesquite-grilled food in a 1927 cotton gin building on the creek at 219 South East Street. Schoepf's BBQ has been on East Central Avenue since 1993. Summer Fun Water Park on Waco Road opens for the summer season. The county arena on Loop 121 hosts concerts, rodeos and livestock shows year round.
Annual events
Belton's Fourth of July celebration is the big one. The first recorded Independence Day celebration here was in 1852, and it has been held every year since 1919. The parade runs along Main Street past the courthouse. A rodeo was added in 1924 and is now a three-night PRCA rodeo put on by the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce.
The rodeo, the Central Texas State Fair and the Bell County Youth Fair are held at the county expo on Loop 121. The building opened in 1987 as the Bell County Expo Center, became Cadence Bank Center in 2023 and was renamed Huntington Bank Expo in June 2026. Many locals still just call it the Expo.
- Fourth of July Celebration and PRCA Rodeo
- Early July. Annual since 1919, rodeo added 1924. Downtown parade and three nights of rodeo at the Expo.
- Central Texas State Fair
- Labor Day weekend at the Expo. Concerts, bull riding, carnival, livestock shows.
- Christmas on the Chisholm Trail
- First weekend of December downtown. Tree lighting, vendors and an evening Christmas parade.
- Bell County Youth Fair
- February at the Expo. Youth livestock show and auction.
- Belton Market Days
- Seasonal Saturday street markets downtown, run by Discover Downtown Belton.
Employers and the local economy
As the county seat, Belton is home to Bell County's courts and offices. Belton ISD and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor are the other large public-facing employers in town. The Belton Economic Development Corporation calls manufacturing one of the city's largest sectors and develops the Belton Business Park for industrial users.
Many residents work outside the city limits. Fort Hood, the Army post west of Killeen, is reached on I-14. Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Temple is a full-service hospital with a Level I trauma center, and Temple's other medical employers are a short drive east. The Killeen-Temple area works as one job market, with Belton in the middle.
Getting around
I-35 runs north and south through Belton. I-14, which shares the road with US 190, begins at I-35 in Belton and runs west to Killeen, Fort Hood and Copperas Cove. SH 317 starts at that interchange and heads north through Temple toward McGregor. Loop 121 is a partial loop from FM 439 near Belton Lake around to FM 436.
The city puts Belton about 60 miles north of Austin. The Belton EDC lists Temple's Draughon-Miller airport about 13 miles east, Killeen Regional Airport about 15 miles west on I-14 and Waco Regional Airport about 52 miles north on I-35. Killeen Regional has American Eagle flights to Dallas/Fort Worth.
Public transit is run by the Hill Country Transit District, called The HOP, which is headquartered in Belton. It offers on-demand microtransit inside a Belton zone and a commuter bus route linking Belton with Temple, Harker Heights, Killeen and Copperas Cove. Amtrak serves the area from Temple.
Utilities and practical details
The City of Belton provides water and sewer inside the city. The water comes from Belton Lake and is treated by Bell County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1. Utility Billing is at 100 South Davis Street, phone 254-933-5800. The city contracts with Waste Management for weekly trash, recycling every other week and monthly bulk pickup.
Electricity in the city is delivered by Oncor, in the deregulated part of Texas, so you choose your own retail electric provider. Atmos Energy is the natural gas utility. Outside the city limits, water may come from a rural supplier and sewer is often septic, so confirm each provider by address.
City Hall is at 333 Water Street. The Lena Armstrong Public Library is at 301 East 1st Avenue. The Bell County Courthouse is on the square downtown. The Belton post office is at 111 North Wall Street. The nearest full-service hospital is Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Temple.
Buying and selling in Belton
Bruce Burgess is a Temple native who has held a Texas real estate license since 1991 and has owned Champion Realty, in Belton, since 2007. These are the things he would have you check in Belton.
Before you buy
- School attendance does not follow city limits here: Belton ISD covers Belton, Morgan's Point Resort, part of Temple and unincorporated Bell County, so confirm the district and campus zone by address.
- Nolan Creek flooded downtown in 1913 and again during Tropical Storm Hermine in 2010, so check the FEMA flood map for any lot near Nolan Creek, the Leon River or the Lampasas River.
- Near Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake, the Corps of Engineers holds flowage easements on private land where no structure for human habitation is allowed, generally up to the 642-foot contour at Belton Lake and the 671-foot contour at Stillhouse.
- In the five city historic districts, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before work starts.
- Outside the city limits, ask whether the property is on city sewer or septic and who supplies the water, because city service stops at lines that are not obvious from the road.
Before you sell
- If your home is in a city historic district, have your Certificates of Appropriateness and permit records ready, because buyers will ask what work was approved.
- For lake-area property, a current survey that shows the government boundary line and any Corps flowage easement answers the first question most buyers and lenders raise.
- State the school district and current campus zone for your address in the listing, since Belton ISD lines cross into Temple and zones have changed as new campuses opened in 2020 and 2024.
- If the lot is near Nolan Creek, the Leon River or the Lampasas River, have the flood zone determination or an elevation certificate ready before you list.
