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Head for the Hills!
The citizens of Copperas Cove are proud of their heritage. From the early
beginnings as a western settlement, the city has grown into a vibrant
family-oriented community maintaining an atmosphere of friendliness and
cooperation. Known as the
“Gateway to the Texas Hill Country”, Copperas Cove’s countryside is dotted
with beautiful native flowers and abundant wildlife.
The Copperas Cove Chamber of
Commerce and Visitors Bureau has been a part of Copperas Cove’s heritage since
the early 1960s. The Chamber is
constantly working to create and preserve a healthy business climate in the
city, and is an active liaison between business and local government. The
Chamber office serves as a visitor and Texas travel information center, and is
open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. until 2
p.m. on Saturdays. The Chamber can be reached at (254)547-7571 or by email at <chamber@copperascove.com>.
The
chamber has recently kicked off its BikeCentral, Texas campaign, which is designed
to acquaint Texas bicyclists with the hundreds of miles of scenic country roads
that criss-cross the Copperas Cove area. Free
bicycle tour maps are available daily at participating local businesses.
Annual Events
Rabbit Fest
The
Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau hosts several festivals
each year. Held annually during the third weekend in May, Rabbit Fest leads in the summer months celebrating Copperas Cove with live
entertainment, a golf tournament (at the city’s beautiful 18-hole Hills of
Cove golf course), a parade and a multitude of crafts and food vendors. The
army’s 1st Cavalry horse detachment is there, too, performing its
rousing, traditional mounted charge.
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Ogletree Gap Folklife Festival
The third weekend in October comes to life with the Folklife Festival. Centered
on local pioneer life, demonstrations include horseshoeing, spinning, weaving,
candle-making, jerky- making, hoecake- making and meat-corning. The highlight of
the festival is a Civil War re-enactment by Alpha Company of the Fightin’ 6th Cavalry. The festival also features
storytelling, a barbecue cook-off, pie bake-off and eating contest, folk
dancers, gunfighter shootouts, and a beard growing contest.
New to the list of festival attractions is the Giro d’Gap bicycle tour.
The event offers cyclists an opportunity to explore the fringes of the
Texas Hill Country and a free afternoon at Ogletree Gap.
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Civil
War
Reenactment
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The Five Hills Ride
The Five Hills Ride, run in conjunction with the Copperas Cove Downtown
Association, is Copperas Cove’s annual bicycle tour. It features five routes
that provide challenge and scenic beauty for riders of all ages and fitness
levels.
Krist Kindl Markt
The first weekend in December comes to life in downtown Copperas Cove
with the charm of a German Christmas. A parade, food, arts and crafts and
entertainment highlight the weekend festivities.
The event, live the Five Hills Ride is held in conjunction with the
Copperas Cove Downtown Association.
Climate
The climate of Copperas Cove produces very warm to hot summers and mild winters. The
average low temperature in January is 34 degrees with August boasting an average high of 97 degrees.
The annual average temperature is a pleasant 69.7 degrees. On the average, Copperas Cove has an annual rainfall of 35 inches and .9 inches of snow.
Monthly Average High Temperature
January 57 degrees
July 97 degrees
Monthly Average Low Temperature
January 37 degrees
July 75 degrees
Healthcare
Located just east of Copperas Cove is Metroplex
Hospital. Metroplex Health System is the primary healthcare provider for
Coryell, Bell and Lampasas counties, offering a wide array of medical and
wellness services. The 202-bed, multi-campus facility is a not-for-profit
Christian organization operated as a community service by the Adventist Health
System, which manages more than 560 hospitals worldwide.
Metroplex has a medical staff of more than 105 physicians practicing in 32
specialties. The system is made up of Metroplex Hospital in Killeen;
Rollins Brook Community Hospital in Lampasas; Metroplex Pavilion (a behavioral
health facility for all ages) in Killeen; HomeCare (a home health facility)
serving all of Central Texas; Advanced Imaging Center, featuring Open MRI, in
Killeen; Metroplex Occupational Medicine Center in Killeen; MetroFlex
Rehabilitation Center (offering adult physical, occupational and speech rehab)
in Killeen; MetroKids Pediatric Rehabilitation Center (offering pediatric
physical, occupational and speech rehab) in Killeen; and a Mobile Wellness Unit,
which takes healthcare and education to people who might not otherwise be able
to access it.
Metroplex Hospital
As the largest healthcare center in the Metroplex system, Metroplex Hospital is
a 117-bed, modern, acute-care facility with high-end, state-of-the-art equipment
and technology. It offers a 24-hour emergency room, cardiac care equipment,
general and same-day surgery suites and maternity services. Metroplex Hospital
offers a radiology lab equipped with advanced diagnostic imaging capabilities,
including state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), CT scans, nuclear
medicine techniques, a cardiac-cath lab for diagnosing heart blockage and other
heart-related problems, x-ray imaging, ultrasound and mammography.
Metroplex also has an extensive on-site laboratory, pharmacy,
cardio-pulmonary care and skilled nursing unit. Metroplex Cardiac Rehab,
Metroplex Sleep Disorders Center and Metroplex Joint Care Center are also
located at Metroplex Hospital. Metroplex offers free and low-cost community
wellness classes and screenings each month, the Prime of Life senior health
program and a variety of annual events, including the Silver Classic 5K Run &
Walk in March, the Lampasas Health Fest in June, spring and fall golf
tournaments, Kidfest Health and Safety Fair in October and the Foundation Gala
in November.
Rollins Brook Community Hospital
Located 25 miles west of Killeen, Rollins Brook is a 25-bed facility, designated
as a critical access hospital. Rollins Brook offers many technological services
including a 24-hour emergency center, a state-of-the-art laboratory,
medical/surgical rooms, CT scanning, mammography and cardio-pulmonary services
with EKG and stress testing.
A recent $3 million expansion to the existing facility at Rollins Brook added
15,500 square feet to the previous 18,067-square-foot structure. The two-story
addition features a larger emergency room, radiology department and laboratory.
The second floor includes eight new patient rooms.
Metroplex Pavilion
The Pavilion is a behavioral health center located on the Metroplex Hospital
campus. The 60-bed facility offers numerous treatment programs and has separate
patient areas for children, adolescents and adults. With inpatient, transitional
and partial hospitalization programs, the Pavilion provides a variety of options
to meet the needs of both families and individuals.
Rehabilitation Services
MetroFlex Rehab Center and MetroKids Pediatric Rehab Center provide
state-of-the-art outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and
speech/language pathology. Each center’s team of professionals handle
specialities including physical medicine, orthopedics, neurology, geriatrics,
sports medicine and wound and burn care.
HomeCare of Metroplex
HomeCare offers rehabilitative therapies, skilled nursing, mental health nursing
and other services for patients in the privacy and convenience of their own
homes. HomeCare offers registered nurses, mental health nurses, physical
therapists, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, social
workers, home health aids and Life Line.
Metroplex Advanced Imaging Center
Located in Killeen, this center features the only Open MRI between Austin and
Waco. Open MRI is an alternative for claustrophobic, larger-sized patients and
children.
Metroplex Sleep Disorders Center
The Sleep Disorders Center offers diagnostic testing of sleep disorders under
the direction of a physician. The program provides comprehensive evaluations of
various sleeping problems.
Metroplex Occupational Medicine Center
Operated by a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician,
the Metroplex Occupational Medicine Center offers specialized services in
physical medicine and rehab, pre-employment services and workers compensation
services.
Metroplex Cardiac Rehab
The cardiac rehabilitation program is designed to benefit people with heart
disease who have had a heart attack, bypass surgery, heart-related chest pain or
coronary artery disease. This comprehensive program includes both exercise and
education, tailored to the patient’s physical abilities.
Metroplex Joint Care Center
This center, located inside Metroplex Hospital, is primarily dedicated to
patients requiring total knee or hip replacements.
Metroplex is located at 2201 S. Clear Creek Road in Killeen. For more
information about services, physicians or wellness classes, call 254-519-8200 or
visit <www.mplex.org>.
Active duty and retired military
personnel and their families are served by the 265 bed Darnall Army Community
Hospital (DACH) on Fort and the satellite Primus Clinics. Darnall offers
complete medical care for both inpatients and outpatients and delivers an
average of 300 babies per month.
Within 30 miles of Copperas Cove
is the 360-bed Scott & White Memorial Hospital, one of the largest
multi-specialty group practices in the United States. Scott and White Hospital
is affiliated with the Texas A & M University Health Science Center College
of Medicine.
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Recreation
An 88-acre park is located approximately one mile
from downtown Cove. The park includes six ball
fields, soccer fields, tennis courts and three swimming
pools. Also included in the park are picnic areas and a
fishing lake.
The Parks and Recreation Department's offices
are located in the Civic Center which is also a site
of increasing activities such as dances, aerobic
instruction and roller hockey. The Civic Center also houses
art shows and commercial expositions and is available
to private groups for banquets and dances.
Golfers can enjoy a variety of local courses.
The Copperas Cove Municipal Golf Course has 18 holes.
Fort Hood supports two 18-hole courses that are open to
the general public. In addition, a Robert Trent Jones II course is located in nearby
Salado.
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18 Hole Municipal
Golf Course
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For those preferring water sports, Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Lake offer swimming
areas, picnic areas, boat rentals, hiking trails, and camping areas. The fishing is said to be
excellent. Within 100 miles of Copperas Cove are over 30 lakes to enjoy for your water activities.
For the young water sports enthusiast, nearby Belton is the home of SummerFun
USA.
This popular water theme park has two large water slides and swimming pool.
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Auto racing fans have two ways to enjoy their favorite sport in the Copperas Cove area -
watching or participating. Texas Thunder Speedway in south Killeen offers fans five classes of racing.
Racing at the speedway is open to anyone with a race car that meets technical regulations.
Dirt-bike riders and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts can enjoy their sport on Fort Hood. Riders
have almost 3,000 acres of prime riding terrain. There are water crossings, open trails, heavily
wooded sections and steep uphill and downhill areas.
The Central Texas area also has popular mountain biking areas located at Stillhouse Hollow Lake.
The Bell County Expo Center provides a variety of entertainment throughout the year
including concerts , rodeos, arts and crafts shows, car shows, and livestock shows. The Bell County
Expo Center is also home of the popular local minor League ice hockey team, the Central
Texas Stampede.
Housing
Known as the community for family living, Copperas Cove's homes are both affordable
and plentiful. Copperas Cove has relatively new homes with 39% being built between 1970 and
1979. The majority of Copperas Cove residents own homes in the $60,000 to $74,999 range or pay rent
in the $200 to $299 range.
Permits for single-family housing have increased significantly since 1992 when the movement of
the 5th Mechanized Division from Fort Polk, Louisiana to Fort Hood took place.
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Media
Newspapers
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Copperas Cove Leader Press
(Tuesday/Friday delivery)
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547-4207
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Cove Herald (Wednesday/Saturday delivery) |
547-2770 |
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Killeen Daily Herald
(Daily delivery)
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547-2770
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Fort Hood Sentinel
(Weekly delivery)
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634-6666
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Television
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KCEN-TV
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NBC |
526-4912
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KNCT TV
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PBS |
526-1405
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KWTX-TV
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CBS |
699-4420
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KXXV-TV
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ABC |
634-2555
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KAKW-TV |
Fox/UPN/WB |
554-6266
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Radio |
| KLFX (The Fox) |
Rock |
699-5000 |
| KIIZ-FM |
Urban |
699-5000 |
| KNCT-FM
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Easy Listening |
526-1406
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| KISS
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Classic R&B |
547-8889 |
| MIX 106
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Top 40 |
634-1063
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| KRMY
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Latin |
628-7070 |
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Tourist Attractions
Copperas Cove contains many historical sites and attractions.
For those interested in military history, you can visit the
2nd Armored Division Museum and the
1st Cavalry Division Museum located on
Fort Hood. These museums tell the history of the divisions from
their inception and include libraries and gift shops.
The glamorous First Team Horse Cavalry Detachment is thrilling
to watch as they demonstrate their equestrian skills. Made up
of volunteers, these young men perform worldwide at rodeos, fairs
and even for royalty in foreign countries. All items used by
the detachment are authentic originals or are handcrafted to
original specifications.
The old Stagecoach Stop built in 1878 is the original building at
the historic town site. It served as a post office, stage stop,
general store, and a residence for many years. A city park has
been established around it.
The Immanual Lutheran Church site was donated by Ernst Falke
in 1894. Built from logs in 1914, the church continues to serve
its Lutheran congregation.
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The Allin House was built in 1913 by the first mayor
of Copperas Cove. Purchased by the City in 1985, it
is currently leased to the Historical Society. The
building provides a lovely meeting place for receptions
and shows.
Established in 1872 by Ambrose W. Elledge, the
Clear Creek Baptist Church is the oldest church in
the Copperas Cove area.
Because most of the church records were lost in a
fire, very little is recorded prior to 1950.
The First Baptist Church was established in 1885
by Reverend J. F. Baker. Two entrances were
constructed; one for the women to use and one for the men to
use. The existing stone building was constructed in 1908.
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Allin House
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Dining
Ethnic and multi-cultural cuisine is found in abundance in Copperas Cove. From
Asian
to German, there are a variety of small restaurants that offer a delightful dining experience.
Because of the large increases in employment, population, retail sales and home sales, the
area has benefited from the rapid growth in foodservice sales. Foodservice sales increased by
9.7 percent last year to reach $221 million. The growth is expected to continue, although at a
more moderate pace of 5.2 percent. This growth rate earns the Killeen-Temple MSA the title of
the seventh fastest growing foodservice market in the state.
(Source: 1998 Annual Foodservice Forecast, Texas Restaurant Association).
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