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is a town located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, the city today has nearly 30,000 residents. The town's economy is closely linked to nearby Fort Hood, making it part of the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. Residents often refer to the city simply as "Cove."
The first evidence of human habitation in the Five Hills area dates back to at least 4,000 B.C. Artifacts such as skeletal remains, arrowheads, and other stone tools have been found along local creek beds and valley floors. These first residents were nomadic hunters, traveling in small groups following migrating buffalo herds. When the Spanish came to Texas, a small Plains tribe known as the Tonkawa inhabited the area. The powerful and aggressive Comanche controlled a vast stretch of land to the north and west, making Coryell County a hostile battleground as settlers moved into the area.
In 1825, Spain provided Moses Austin with a land grant encompassing a large area including present-day Copperas Cove. Starting in the 1830's, the first white settlers came to the Five Hills region. However, the region lacked stability until after the Civil War, and substantial settlement did not arrive until the development of the cattle industry during the 1870's, when a feeder route of the Chisholm Trail was cut through the area. Settlement centered around a local general store about two miles southwest of present-day downtown. In 1878 residents applied for a post office under the name "Cove", so chosen for the site's sheltered location. However "Cove" was already taken by a nearby community (now called Evant). Inspired by the mineral taste of nearby spring water, residents amended their name to "Coperas Cove" (the second "p" being added in 1901). The post office was established in March of 1879 with Marsden Ogletree as the town's first postmaster. The original building remains today and is the site of the Ogletree Gap Heritage Festival.
Copperas Cove's fortunes were greatly improved when in 1888 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway expanded into the region. Local resident Jesse M. Clements lobbied hard to obtain train service and provided the railroad company with the necessary right-of-way about two miles northeast of town. Residents soon moved to a new set of streets laid out by the company's engineer E.F. Batte. The train depot at Copperas Cove served as the shipping point for area farmers and ranchers from Cowhouse Creek to the Lampasas River. Businesses opened to provide services for these area residents, including a steam gristmill-cotton gin, three hotels, a barber shop, and an opera house. Many of the town's early buildings remain to this day, focusing around the block of Avenue D between Main Street and 1st Street. By 1900, the population reached 475, and residents voted to form their own school district. A private bank opened in 1906 and residents elected Jouett Allin their first mayor in 1913. The town continued to prosper over the coming years, depending largely on local agriculture, of which cotton played a dominant role. Copperas Cove reached a peak population of 600 in 1929, but entered a state of decline with the onset of the Great Depression. During the 1930's the local bank failed, several businesses closed, and many people left to look for work in other areas. By 1940 only 356 people remained.
In 1942 Copperas Cove received new life when the US government located Camp Hood next to the struggling community. By the time the cantonment was upgraded to Fort Hood in 1950, the town had grown to 1,052 residents. The population continued to increase, reaching 4,567 in 1960 and doubling each of the next two decades, eventually coming to the present population of 29,592. The city limits greatly expanded during this time, encompassing many new sub-divisions built in rapid succession. The establishment of the fort drastically altered the character of the city. Soldiers from across the country have brought their families and settled in Copperas Cove, often remaining even after their military service has ended. In addition to diversifying the ethnic and religious composition of the city, Fort Hood has altered the local economy. Since much of the area farmland was acquired by the federal government, Copperas Cove shifted to a service based economy, providing for the soldiers stationed at the Fort.