Fort Hood, Texas

Everything is big in Texas and so is Fort Hood. It is one of the largest military installations in the world. Due to its size, and the high profile military units based there, Fort Hood is one of the most important and best funded army installations in terms of soldier support services, MWR facilities, medical and social services, training and technologies. Most buildings on the base are either newly built (within the last 10 years) or are completely renovated.

Fort Hood has an extensive area of range land used for training and other exercises. The range land is on lease, so for more than 50 years, the land owners have retained grazing rights which means that over 3000 cattle (often Texas longhorn cattle) still roam the land. The cows are actually cleared out before live fire exercises are conducted!

Activities on Fort Hood include the Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area (BLORA), golf course, various pools, parks and gaming/playgrounds, marathon runs and the Fourth of July Fireworks show which often stops traffic on the highway with families setting up lawnchairs onside of the road just to view the fabulous show. Many military families spend years at Fort Hood and return to Fort Hood many times over the span of a typical 20-year military career.

Demographics

41,360 active duty military

262,027 family members

19,367 civilians / contractors

389,151 area population

6,700 units of military housing

Source: Military Installations

Article: 8 Top Reasons to Live Off-Post

See: Off-post Average Rent Rates

Base Operator

Phone: 254.287.1110

Marvin Leath Visitors Center: