Temple, Maine Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Temple, Maine
Town
Temple Historical Society, formerly the historic No. 5 Schoolhouse
Temple, Maine Location in Maine Show map of Maine Temple, Maine Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Franklin
Villages	Temple Temple Intervale
Area
• Total	35.76 sq mi (92.62 km²)
• Land	35.53 sq mi (92.02 km²)
• Water	0.23 sq mi (0.60 km²)
Elevation	1,230 ft (375 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	527
• Density	15/sq mi (5.7/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04984
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-75980
GNIS feature ID	0582761

Temple is a small town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. It was named after a town called Temple, New Hampshire. Temple is special because it's located at the very end of Maine State Route 43. It's one of only two towns in Maine that sits at the end of a public road. In 2020, about 527 people lived there.

History of Temple
Geography of Temple
Population Information
- How Many People Live Here?
Famous People from Temple
Gallery
See also

History of Temple

People from other towns like Temple, New Hampshire, and nearby Farmington started settling in Temple in 1796. The town officially became a town, or "incorporated," in 1803.

For many years in the 1800s and 1900s, there were busy sawmills working on Temple Stream. These sawmills helped the town's economy grow. Today, cutting down trees for wood, called logging, is still important in Temple. However, the wood is now sent by trucks to mills in other towns.

The town has a few important buildings. There's a town hall, which used to be an elementary school. It also has a fire station and a youth baseball field. This baseball field was built in 1957. It honors Larry Boyce, who used to play and manage the Temple Townies baseball team.

Did you know that what is now Maple Street was once called Cowturd Lane? People called it that because of the strong smell of manure from cows walking to and from their pastures!

Temple is a quiet place that many writers, poets, artists, and crafters enjoy. Several books have been set in Temple or written by people who lived there. These include Shawno and Temple by George Dennison, Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey by Bill Roorbach, and Upcountry: Reflections from a Rural Life by Robert Kimber. Famous writers like Denise Levertov and Mitchell Goodman also lived or spent their summers in Temple.

Geography of Temple

Temple covers a total area of about 35.76 square miles (92.62 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 35.53 square miles (92.02 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.23 square miles (0.60 square kilometers), is water.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	482	—
1820	615	27.6%
1830	795	29.3%
1840	955	20.1%
1850	785	−17.8%
1860	726	−7.5%
1870	640	−11.8%
1880	580	−9.4%
1890	470	−19.0%
1900	394	−16.2%
1910	403	2.3%
1920	425	5.5%
1930	315	−25.9%
1940	252	−20.0%
1950	284	12.7%
1960	314	10.6%
1970	367	16.9%
1980	518	41.1%
1990	560	8.1%
2000	572	2.1%
2010	528	−7.7%
2020	527	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, there were 528 people living in Temple. These people lived in 226 homes. About 141 of these homes were families. The town had about 14.9 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Temple were White (97.7%). A small number were Native American (1.1%) or Asian (0.6%). About 0.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Temple in 2010 was about 45.6 years old. About 20.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 15% were 65 years old or older. The town had slightly more males (51.3%) than females (48.7%).

Famous People from Temple

John Fairfield Dryden - He started the Prudential Life Insurance Company and was a senator, which is a type of elected official in the government.
Harvey Parker - He owned hotels in Boston and created the famous Parker House rolls.
Jacob Wirth - He owned restaurants in Boston.