Terrell Hills is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States, located five miles northeast of downtown San Antonio. It is part of a group of three cities — Terrell Hills, Alamo Heights, and Olmos Park — located between downtown San Antonio and Fort Sam Houston. Terrell Hills is bordered on west by Alamo Heights, on the east by Fort Sam Houston, and on the north and south by San Antonio.

The community is named for Dr. Frederick Terrell, a local bank president who had served as mayor of San Antonio in 1901. Development of the community began in 1919, when Dr. Terrell sold 22.5 acres (91,000 m²) of property to a private association called the "Terrell Hills Community". This organization managed the community until 1939, when it incorporated as a municipality. In 1945, San Antonio attempted to annex the new municipality without permitting an election in either Terrell Hills or San Antonio, but Terrell Hills successfully sued to block the annexation. Twelve years later, in 1957, the community adopted a home rule charter.

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.

Geography

The geographic center of Terrell Hills is located at 29°28'48" North, 98°26'47" West (29.479981, -98.446465).  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²), none of which is covered with water.