History and Overview of Terrell Hills, San Antonio


By: Claudia Hazlewood

Published: 1952

Updated: July 1, 1995

Terrell Hills is a suburban community off the old Austin Highway five miles northeast of downtown San Antonio in central Bexar County. The community was named for Frederick Terrell, who promoted the area as a residential addition in the late 1920s. One business and a population of 1,236 were reported there in 1930. The community incorporated as a municipality on May 1, 1939, but in 1945 San Antonio annexed the town without an election in either community. Terrell Hills filed a lawsuit to prevent the action, and the court voided the annexation. Late in 1957 Terrell Hills adopted a home-rule charter. The town more than doubled in population, from 2,708 in 1950 to 5,572 in 1960. Later its population slowly decreased, falling to 4,838 by 1980 and 4,592 by 1990.

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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Claudia Hazlewood, “Terrell Hills, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/terrell-hills-tx.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

TID: HGT05

1952
July 1, 1995

Find out more about this place from our Texas Almanac.

Place
Terrell Hills
Currently Exists
Yes
Place Type
Town
USGS ID
2412051
Town Fields
  • Has post office: No
  • Is Incorporated: Yes
Belongs to
  • Bexar County
Coordinates
  • Latitude: 29.47709920°
  • Longitude: -98.44710200°
Population Counts
People Year
4,592 1990
5,019 2000
4,878 2010
5,307 2019
5,045 2020
5,037 2021

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