Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, positioned in the heart of Central Texas between Austin to the south and Waco to the north. According to the 2020 census it had about 153,000 residents, making it the largest of Bell County's three principal cities — Killeen, Temple, and Belton — and the anchor of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Cavazos metropolitan area. Its defining characteristic is its relationship to Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, the large Army installation on its western and southern flanks. Fort Cavazos was established in 1942 as the United States mobilized for World War II, and it has shaped Killeen ever since. As the Army's largest active-duty armored post and home to the III Corps, the installation employs tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and contractors, and it drives the city's housing, retail, health care, and service sectors. A significant share of Killeen's population is made up of active-duty service members, military families, veterans, and the educators, medical workers, and business owners who support them. The result is a transient but tight-knit community with a pronounced culture of military service and a steady demand for both rental and owner-occupied housing. Education is another pillar of the local economy and identity. Killeen Independent School District serves more than 40,000 students across Killeen, Harker Heights, Nolanville, and the installation itself. Higher education is represented by Texas A&M University–Central Texas, an upper-division public university, and Central Texas College, a two-year institution that has long served military-connected students. The presence of these campuses gives Killeen an educational infrastructure that extends well beyond its size. Geographically, the city lies near the junction of U.S. Highway 190 and Interstate 14, placing it within about an hour of the Austin metropolitan area while retaining a more affordable, small-city scale of life. Recreation centers on the region's two Corps of Engineers reservoirs — Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake — which offer fishing, boating, swimming, and shoreline parks. For homebuyers, Killeen offers a blend of established subdivisions, newer master-planned communities, and rural acreage on its western edge, all within commuting reach of a major military employer.