Welcome to Killeen/Fort Hood Texas. Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. Killeen is directly adjacent to the main cantonment of Fort Hood, and as such its economy heavily depends on the post and the soldiers (and their families) stationed there. Until the 1940s Killeen remained a relatively small and isolated farm trade center, but this changed drastically after 1942, when Camp Hood (re-commissioned as Fort Hood in 1950) was created as a military training post to meet the demands of the Second World War. Laborers, construction workers, contractors, soldiers, and their families moved into the area by the thousands, and Killeen became a military boomtown. The opening of Camp Hood also radically altered the nature of the local economy, since the sprawling new military post covered almost half of Killeen's farming trade area. Killeen is served by a small regional airfield known as Skylark Field (ILE), the larger Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport (GRK), and the HOP public bus transit system. The HOP buses are easily identified by their teal and purple color exteriors. The HOP recently purchased new buses with the new color green. Central Texas College was established in 1965 to serve Bell, Burnet, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Mills and San Saba counties in addition to Ft Hood. CTC offers more than 40 associate degrees and certificates of completion. Texas A&M University-Central Texas opened on September 1, 1999 as a branch campus of nearby Tarleton State University. After the campus enrolled 1,000 full-time equivalent students, Tarleton State University-Central Texas became a separate institution within the Texas A&M University System. The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees. Killeen is also home to Vive Les Arts Theatre, a full-time arts organization which produces several Main Stage and Children's Theatre shows each year. This community theatre relies on local talent and contributions to produce its high-quality productions. Recent shows include the long-running Broadway hit Cats, Ain't Misbehavin' (a tribute to the songs of Fats Waller) and All Shook Up (a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Elvis Presley).
