Bartlett, Texas

Located in both Williamson and Bell counties, Bartlett is located in the central part of the state and is part of the Temple-Killeen-Fort Hood metropolitan areas. The town itself is fairly typical in terms of its age and general population of roughly 2,600. However, because the town has preserved much of its late 19^th and early 20^th century architecture, there have been numerous movies and televisions shows filmed in the area.

Bartlett has grown considerably since the turn of the 21^st century as more people move to this area which offers the surroundings of a typical small-town while being close to larger cities where many people commute during the day.

The History of Bartlett, Texas

The history of Bartlett goes back to pre-Civil War days when the area was first settled around 1851. The small community itself enjoyed little growth for the first thirty years until the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company surveyed the area in 1881 to place a station for the railroad. The town was subsequently founded and named after John T. Bartlett who had donated a considerable part of his land to help create the town.

Over the next few decades, Bartlett grew considerably as a post office was established and more people began moving into the town. A second railway made the community the perfect place to ship wool and cotton which attracted even more people. By the start of World War One, Bartlett had reached a population of 2,200.

The decline of the cotton industry along with the Great Depression hit Bartlett hard and its population began to shrink considerably. By 1990, Bartlett had been reduced to 1,439 people who were struggling as the town was trying to find a new identity after the decline in the cotton industry. However, the economy in the town started to grow little by little over the 1990s and by the turn of the 21^st century the population was back up to 1,675. The location of Bartlett near Temple and Killeen helped to increase interest from those who wanted a nice, safe small town to live in as they commuted to work in the larger cities.

The film industry also helped when it came to pulling in interest thanks to the numerous movies and shows such as NBC’s “Revolution” which was shot in and around the town.

The City Government

As typical of most small Texas towns, Bartlett has a mayor and city council along with a very small police force. The council meets on a regular basis to discuss new laws, rules and regulations along with responding to the citizens while the mayor ensures that the laws are enforced. This basic system of government has remained relatively unchanged over the past several decades.

The Environment & the Attractions

Bartlett enjoys a climate typical of most central Texas towns in that it is warm most of the year with occasional cold spells during the winter months. The sub-tropical climate does produce hot, humid summers that can last for two to three months.

The main attraction of Bartlett is really the town itself which has preserved much of its late 19^th and early 29^th century architecture from the days when wool and cotton was king. The buildings and homes that were built from this time hearken back to the bygone days and for those who love that period of history Bartlett is the perfect place to visit.

However, despite what the town owes to its past, it has also modernized quite well thanks to its location near Temple and Killeen. Having at least two larger communities has benefitted Bartlett immensely which is why it is one of the best places to live in the area.