Coryell

Formed February 4, 1854 (97^th county)

Coryell County (83,091), Gatesville (16,130), Copperas Cove (36,663)

The beautiful central dome and red corner domes sets the 1897 Beaux Arts courthouse apart from most.  It is located in the town square at Main and 6^th Streets.  United States Highway 84 and Texas State Highway 36 meet at the square.  Wesley C. Dodson designed this limestone and sandstone building.  The building was restored in 1988.  Three courthouses have been in the county since its February 4, 1854 founding, all in Gatesville.  The county was formed from Bell County as the 97^th county.  Coryell County was named for James Coryell, a member of the Bowie Expedition and later Texas Ranger.  Gatesville was named for Fort Gates, which was located south of the city near present day United States Army’s Fort Hood.  Coryell County is the birthplace of 1 Texas Governor, Pat M. Neff. 

The area of the county is 1052 square miles.  It is 63 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 79.0 persons per square mile making it 54 out of 254 in the state.  Coryell County has 63.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 84 enters from McLennan County on the east and exits into Hamilton County on the west.  United States Highway 190 crosses east to west on the extreme southern tip of the county going from Bell County into Lampasas County.  United States Highway 281 does the same from north to south on the extreme western tip going from Hamilton County into Lampasas County. 

Coryell County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge and Two County Court Judges serve Coryell County.  Another of the diamond shaped, 45-degree counties of central Texas, Coryell appears to be relatively square.  The county center is 12.7 miles West-Northwest of Gatesville nearer Arnett.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bosque, McLennan, Bell, Lampasas, and Hamilton counties.  A very large part of the southern county is Fort Hood military reservation.  Gatesville is near to the center.  Copperas Cove is located on the southern border of the county and extends into Bell and Lampasas counties.  Gatesville is the county seat and Copperas Cove is the largest city.  Gatesville is 19.4% of the county population while Copperas Cove is 44.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KORE-YELL.  The largest city is pronounced KOP-PUR-AS KOEV.  This county is in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.