| City of Temple | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| The former Kyle Hotel at 111 Main Street in Temple has been converted to apartments. | |
| Location of Temple, Texas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Bell |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | Mayor Bill Jones III Danny Dunn Patsy E. Luna Perry Cloud Russell Schneider |
| • City Manager | David Blackburn |
| Area | |
| • Total | 65.3 sq mi (66.5 km2) |
| • Land | 65.4 sq mi (169.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 719 ft (219 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 66,102 |
| • Density | 834.2/sq mi (322.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 254 |
| FIPS code | 48-72176[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1369696[2] |
| Website | www.templetexas.us |
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an increase of more than 20 percent from the 2000 census. It is a "principal city" in the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Called the "Wildflower Capital of Texas," Temple was founded in 1881 as a railroad town. It was named in honor of Bernard Moore Temple, a civil engineer and former surveyor with the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company who established the town. For many years it was the home of the Santa Fe Railway Company's hospital for its employees. Temple is known for its strength as a regional medical center (this is primarily due to the highly respected Scott & White Memorial Hospital). Scott & White is the largest employer in town with about ten thousand employees. With Scott & White, the Veterans' Hospital Center, and other smaller clinics, Temple is home to more physicians per capita than any other community in the nation. Temple is the site of one of two major campuses for the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. Medical students can elect to spend the full four years of medical education training or just two years of their clinical training on campus.
Besides health services, Temple is home to many regional distribution centers and headquarters to two large, multi-national companies, Wilsonart International and McLane Company.[3] The Temple Daily Telegram is the daily newspaper.
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Temple is located at (31.093678, -97.362202)[4]. It is the second largest city in Bell county, population 66,102[5]. Temple is situated within a relatively short drive of all the major cities of Texas: 134 miles to Dallas, 65 miles to Austin, 143 miles to San Antonio, and 187 miles to Houston. The city is located right on Interstate 35 running alongside the Balcones Fault with very mixed geography. Towards the east lies the Blackland Prairie region (a rich farming area) and towards the west the terrain rises with low rolling limestone layered hills at the northeastern tip of the Texas Hill Country. As the Central Texas economy develops at a fast pace, the furtile farming land to the west is transitioning to more suburban residential developments, retail centers and scientific/industrial complexes.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.4 square miles (169 km2), of which 65.3 square miles (169 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.14%) is water.
Temple was founded by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad in 1881. It was incorporated in 1882.[6] The town was named after a Santa Fe Railroad official, Bernard Moore Temple.
In 1882, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad built through the town and soon after, the Santa Fe railroad made Temple a division point. In its early years, Temple was a town of shacks and tents with a large number of saloons and tough characters found in the early west. Locally, it was nicknamed Tanglefoot, because some citizens found that the combination of muddy streets and liquor made walking through the town challenging. After the town was incorporated in 1882, two private schools were founded in the city: The Temple Academy was organized and public school was established in 1884. In 1893, the annual Temple Stag Party began, growing out of a private Thanksgiving celebration attended by the town's leading men. It was held until 1923.[7]
The Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum, on the second floor of the Santa Fe Railroad station at 315 West Avenue B, commemorates the connection between railroads and the city.[8]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 54,514 people, 21,543 households, and 14,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 834.2 people per square mile (322.1/km²). There were 23,511 housing units at an average density of 359.8 per square mile (138.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.76% White, 17.82% Hispanic or Latino, 16.49% African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 9.23% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races.
There were 21,543 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,135, and the median income for a family was $42,795. Males had a median income of $30,858 versus $22,113 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,360. About 10.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board has its headquarters in Temple.[9]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) [10] and United States Postal Service operate regional offices in the city.[11]
The City of Temple is served by the Temple Independent School District including 1 high school, 3 middle schools, 9 elementary schools, and 3 supplemental learning programs (early childhood center, alternative learning center and an innovative academy high school program).
In addition, Temple is also home to several private schools: Saint Mary's Catholic School (Pre K-8), Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Texas), and Central Texas Christian School (K–12).
Temple College offers two-year associate degrees in a variety of subjects, with strong programs in business administration, information technology and nursing. Temple is also home to one of two locations of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. It operates in conjunction with the Scott & White Memorial Hospital and the Olin Teague Veterans' Hospital Center.
Adjacent Belton is home to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor offering both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in various fields of study. Temple is within a short drive of several other regional and national universities: Baylor University in Waco, the University of Texas in Austin, Texas A&M University in College Station, and Texas A&M University—Central Texas in Killeen.
Temple was founded as a railroad junction, and serves as a major freight railroad hub to this day. Both the Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway have mainlines serving the city, and a BNSF rail yard and locomotive maintenance facility are located here. Amtrak also serves the city with its Texas Eagle passenger train, which stops at the Temple Railway Station.
Temple does not currently have commercial airline service, but is served indirectly by these airports:
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