Among the newest of U.S. towns · #618 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Harker Heights was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1930 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harker Heights is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harker Heights’ overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Harker Heights’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1957.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Harker Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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…
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Harker Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1930Killeen sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Harker Heights.
People over time
Harker Heights, census by census
Grew from 4,216 people in 1970 to 33,097 in 2020, 7 times over.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Harker Heights’ Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1957, according to Wikidata. the census of 1970 counted 4,216 people here.
How does Harker Heights rank for history?
Harker Heights is among the newest of U.S. towns, #618 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Harker Heights?
0.0% of Harker Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2001.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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