Harker Heights

History

Harker Heights is located near Fort Hood, a major United States Army post that was designated a permanent military facility in 1950. As the post expanded, the surrounding civilian population increased. Water Control and Improvement District No. 4 was established on land near the Killeen city limits and the military post in 1955, and included the land owned by Pinckney R. Cox and Harley Kern, two hog farmers. These two men subdivided their land in 1957 and began selling lots. By 1960, between 600 and 700 of the lots had been developed and new residents supplied with water and other utility services. Following a petition for an incorporation election, the city was established on September 24, 1960, and Cox was elected mayor. Kern had died before the incorporation, and the Harker in Harker Heights was a concatenation of Harley Kern's name as a tribute to one of the original landowners. The town's boundaries expanded to include Forest Hills, Highland Oaks, and Comanche Hills. Cox, Sam Garth Jr., and Barney Sissom created GIASISCO Corporation, which was meant to help expand the town from .

Geography

Harker Heights is bordered by the city of Killeen to the west and Nolanville to the east. The city limits extend south to hills overlooking Stillhouse Hollow Lake on the Lampasas River. Interstate 14/U.S. Highway 190 is a four-lane freeway that passes through the city, connecting Killeen to the west with Interstate 35 in Belton to the east, at a point about halfway between Waco and Austin. According to the United States Census Bureau, Harker Heights has a total area of , of which , or 0.32%, is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity