Killeen was settled in 1881. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway platted a 70-block town on its land and named it for Frank P. Killeen, the assistant general manager of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway.
Killeen is directly adjacent to the main cantonment of Fort Hood. Its economy depends on the activities of the post, and the soldiers and their families stationed there. It is known as a military “boom town” because of its rapid growth and high influx of soldiers.