Holland

The centre of Texas, more or less literally

Holland contains the geographic centre of population for the entire state of Texas. It is also a town of about 1,075 people covering a mile and a half, which tells you most of what you need to know about how the statistic feels in practice.

It sits in southeastern Bell County where State Highway 95 meets FM 2268, on Darrs Creek and the old railroad line — roughly fifteen to seventeen miles south of Temple and about nineteen by road to Belton. It is not on I-35, and that is the honest difference between Holland and Troy. This is a state-highway farm town, not an interstate commuter town.

It was settled in 1860 as Mountain Home and renamed for James Reuben Holland, who built the first steam cotton gin in the south of the county in 1878. There was significant Czech immigration in the early 1900s, and a Czech Brethren Church was established in 1910. The Women’s Study Club of Holland, founded in 1914, is among the oldest women’s civic groups in Texas. The town calls itself The Friendly Community and holds a Corn Festival on the third Saturday in June, with a parade, a carnival and a street dance.

Being straight about the market

Holland’s population has been flat to slightly declining — down about four percent between 2010 and 2020. Inventory is thin, and there is no meaningful subdivision development. What sells here is older small-town housing near the core and farmland around it.

I would rather tell you that than dress it up. If you want a quiet, genuinely rural town with land available and you do not need an interstate commute, Holland is a real option — and because it falls inside the USDA eligible area, a zero-down loan is available here in a way it is not in the bigger towns. If you need inventory to choose from, you will be waiting.

Schools and services

Holland Independent School District runs elementary, middle and high school campuses in town. The city provides water and sanitation and has its own police department, a parks and recreation department, and the Holland Volunteer Fire Department on West Travis Street.

One thing that catches people: the city does not own the gas or electric utility. Those come from outside providers and Texas retail electric choice applies, so you pick your own provider rather than opening an account with the city.

Worth checking before you buy in Holland

• Inside the city or in the county. It changes utilities, services and taxing entities.
• Septic and water supply. Outside the city, expect on-site sewage and either a well or a rural water supply corporation. Bell County requires every on-site system to be permitted.
• Road maintenance. Green street signs are county-maintained, blue signs are private. On a rural property that difference is money.
• Older housing condition. Ask about the foundation, the electrical service, the roof, and whether earlier work was permitted.
• Agricultural valuation and rollback exposure. Confirm the current status with the appraisal district before you plan a change of use.
• Insurance. Volunteer fire coverage and rural distance both affect the quote. Get one during the option period.