| Visitor Information |
The City of Bellmead is located in McLennan County north of Waco. With a population of more than 9,200 residents, Bellmead residents enjoy an excellent school district and easy access to amenities.
The local Bellmead Civic Center was recently renovated and serves as a gathering place for local civic organizations. A new City Hall is under construction and expected to open in 2007. The Bellmead Chamber of Commerce recently moved to its new location at 3400 Bellmead Drive. In addtion, LaVega ISD has recently completed building new elementary and primary schools and expanding the high school. Bellmead was founded in 1954. The city is located on land once owned by Stephen F. Austin. |
| History |
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Bellmead was named for Belle Meade Farms, a thoroughbred horse farm in Tennessee. When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad came to the area in the mid-1920s, hundreds of people moved here to work at the locomotive shops. The first school was named "Bellmead," and area schools were later consolidated to form the LaVega Independent School District in 1927. The first post office was established in Bellmead in 1937, and the community was incorporated in 1939. Lack of water, sewage and fire services caused the incorporation to be dissolved soon after. The Bellmead economy got a jumpstart in 1942 when Waco Army Air Field opened northeast of town. The base was later called the James Connally Air Base and is now the site of Texas State Technical College Waco. The base created a population boom. The city had just 25 residents in the early 1940s but more than 800 by 1949. The city was reincorporated in 1954, and by 1960 Bellmead had more than 5,100 residents and 85 businesses. The air based closed in 1965, and Texas A&M University established James Connally Technical Institute. The population of Bellmead was more than 9,200 in 2000. Today, the city boasts a continually growing business scene with retail stores and hotels as well as a recognized school district. |
| Directions |
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Bellmead is located on Interstate 35 just north of Waco. Highways 84 and 77 and Loop 340 intersect this community. |
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Emergency Services
Call 9-1-1 for emergencies Police Department Fire Department HOSPITALS |
| Schools |
LaVega Independent School District |