Central Texas

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Central Texas
Hamilton pool.jpg
Hamilton Pool Preserve - one of the many lush areas in Central Texas
Central Texas map.PNG
Central Texas counties in red; counties sometimes included in Central Texas in pink
Country United States
State Texas

Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas roughly bordered on the west by San Saba to the southeast by Bryan and the south by San Marcos to the north by Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a physiographic section designation within the Edwards Plateau, in a geographic context. [1]

Contents

Central Texas includes the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Bryan–College Station, Waco metropolitan areas and Austin–Round Rock (also part of the Capital region). The Austin–Round Rock and Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood areas are among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the state. In the south, the Greater Austin and Greater San Antonio areas are separated from each other by approximately 80 miles (129 km) along Interstate 35. It is anticipated that both regions may form a new metroplex similar to Dallas and Fort Worth. [2] [3] Some of the largest cities in the region are Austin, College Station, Killeen, Round Rock, and Waco. The largest U.S. Army installation in the country, Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood), is located near Killeen.

Composition

The counties (to the right in red) that are almost always included in the Central Texas region are (those bolded are always part of Central Texas): [4]

Counties (to the right in pink) that are sometimes included in the Central Texas region are:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson Sr., a Texas Ranger, politician and soldier in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Johnson County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosque County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Bosque County is a county located in the greater Waco area. The county sits just northwest of Waco in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. The county is named for the Bosque River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The Brazos River makes up the eastern border, along with the Lake Whitney reservoir it feeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killeen, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Killeen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Bell County. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Cavazos Metropolitan Statistical Area. Killeen is 55 miles (89 km) north of Austin, 125 miles (201 km) southwest of Dallas, and 125 miles (201 km) northeast of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census. Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas and is a principal city in the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area, {Fort Hood was redesignated "Fort Cavazos" in 2023} which as of the 2020 Census had a population of 475,367. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin, 34 miles south of Waco and 27 miles east of Killeen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwards Plateau</span> Geographic and ecological region of Texas, United States

The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region forming the crossroads of Central, South and West Texas, United States. It is named in honor of Haden Edwards. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east; the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north; and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area. The plateau, especially its southeast portion, is also known as the Texas Hill Country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 14</span> Interstate Highway in Texas

Interstate 14 (I-14), also known as the 14th Amendment Highway, the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway, and the Central Texas Corridor, is an Interstate Highway that is currently located entirely in Central Texas, following US Highway 190 (US 190). The portion of the route that has been constructed and signed to date, the Central Texas Corridor along US 190 west of I-35 was officially designated as I-14 by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, signed by President Barack Obama on December 14, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBTX-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Bryan, Texas

KBTX-TV is a television station in Bryan, Texas, United States, serving the Brazos Valley as an affiliate of CBS. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on East 29th Street in Bryan; its transmitter is located northwest of Anderson, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Timbers</span> Ecoregion in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas

The term Cross Timbers, also known as Ecoregion 29, Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains, is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas. Made up of a mix of prairie, savanna, and woodland, it forms part of the boundary between the more heavily forested eastern country and the almost treeless Great Plains, and also marks the western habitat limit of many mammals and insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Diocese of Austin is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church comprising 25 counties of Central Texas in the United States. The diocese estimates a population of over 625,000 Catholics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 979</span> Area code in Texas, United States

Area code 979 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of Texas. The numbering plan area comprises the region generally following the Brazos River found between the Austin and Houston metro areas and its surrounding communities, stretching from just south of Waco to the Gulf Coast. It was created on February 13, 2000, in a split from area code 409.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 817 and 682</span> Area codes for Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Area codes 817 and 682 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in the U.S. state of Texas. The service area comprises the city of Fort Worth and most of the western portion of the Metroplex. Area code 817 was created in 1953 mostly from area code 915, one of the original area codes of 1947. Area code 682 was added to the numbering plan area in 2000 to form an overlay plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCEN-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Temple, Texas

KCEN-TV is a television station licensed to Temple, Texas, United States, serving Central Texas as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on North 3rd Street in downtown Temple, with a news bureau and sales office in Killeen; its transmitter is located along I-35 south of Eddy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Texas College</span> Community college in Killeen, Texas, U.S.

Central Texas College (CTC) is a public community college in Killeen, Texas. Founded in 1965, it has branch campuses in Europe and on military installations across the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Austin</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in Texas, United States

The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, or Greater Austin, is a five-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area is situated in Central Texas on the western edge of the American South and on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, and borders Greater San Antonio to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killeen–Temple metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in Texas, United States

Killeen–Temple is a metropolitan statistical area in Central Texas that covers three counties: Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas. As of the 2023 census, the MSA had a population of 501,333.

KAMU-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to College Station, Texas, United States. Owned by Texas A&M University, it is a sister station to NPR member KAMU-FM (90.9). The two stations share studios at the Moore Communications Center on the university's campus; KAMU-TV's transmitter is located at adjacent Hensel Park. KAMU-TV serves as the sole PBS member station for the Waco–Temple–Bryan market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Triangle</span> Region of Texas that contains the states five largest cities

The Texas Triangle is a region of Texas that contains the state's five largest cities and is home to the majority of the state's population. The Texas Triangle is formed by the state's four main urban centers, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, connected by Interstate 45, Interstate 10, and Interstate 35. In 2020, the population of the Texas Triangle reached nearly 21 million following rapid growth across much of Texas. The Texas Triangle is one of eleven megaregions in the United States, clusters of urban areas that share economic and cultural ties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grove, Texas</span> Unincorporated community in Texas, United States

The Grove is an unincorporated community in Coryell County, Texas, United States. The area is known for its abundance of Texas bluebonnet flowers during the spring. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 65 in 2000. It is located within the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area.

References

  1. "Water Resources NSDI Node". USGS . Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  2. "SLOWED, BUT NOT STOPPED: Austin, San Antonio and areas between to become a metroplex". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  3. "America's next Great Metropolis is Taking shape in Texas". www.forbes.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  4. "Counties, cities and towns in Central Texas". County Maps of Texas. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  5. Bastrop County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Vision For Central Texas" (PDF). Envision Central Texas. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Texas In Focus: Central Texas - Demographics". Texas Window on State Government. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  8. Blanco County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  9. Burnet County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  10. Gillespie County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  11. Hays County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  12. TCMA Region 7 Archived April 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Texas State Classification Office Archived January 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Lee County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  15. Travis County from the Handbook of Texas Online
  16. "Burleson County, Texas". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009. Burleson County is the best kept secret in Central Texas!
  17. Caldwell County from the Handbook of Texas Online

Further reading