Temple, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Temple, Texas
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Downtown Temple
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| Motto(s):
Make Temple Great!
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Location within Bell County and Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Bell |
| Settled | June 29, 1881 |
| Incorporated | 1882 |
| Founded by | Bernard Moore Temple |
| Named for | Bernard Moore Temple |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 76.01 sq mi (196.85 km2) |
| • Land | 71.17 sq mi (184.33 km2) |
| • Water | 4.84 sq mi (12.52 km2) |
| Elevation | 607 ft (185 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 85,416 |
| • Density | 1,102.14/sq mi (425.53/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
76501–76505, 76508
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| Area codes | Area code 254 |
| FIPS code | 48-72176 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412046 |
Temple is a city located in Bell County, Texas, United States. In 2020, about 82,073 people lived there. Temple is in a part of Texas called Central Texas. It is a main city in the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area, which had over 475,000 people in 2020.
Temple is right off Interstate 35. It is about 65 miles north of Austin. It is also 34 miles south of Waco and 27 miles east of Killeen.
Contents
Temple's History
Temple started as a railroad town. It was founded by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad (GC&SF). The area began as a construction camp in 1880. It was called Temple Junction.
In January 1881, a post office opened. The town was officially named Temple. It was named after Bernard Moore Temple. He was the chief engineer for the GC&SF railroad. The town became an official city in 1882.
Also in 1882, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway built tracks through Temple. Soon after, the GC&SF made Temple a major railroad stop. In its early days, Temple had many simple buildings and saloons. It was nicknamed "Tanglefoot." This was because the muddy streets and drinks made walking hard.
After the city was formed in 1882, two private schools started. The Temple Academy was one of them. A public school opened in 1884.
Temple became known for its medical care. It had the Santa Fe Hospital and Scott and White Memorial Hospital. These two hospitals joined in 1983. They are now called the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple. Temple grew into the largest city in Bell County. This was thanks to its hospitals and its important role as a railroad hub.
In 1886, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bought the GC&SF. This railroad was often called the Santa Fe. Temple's Santa Fe depot had the biggest Harvey House restaurant in Texas. Harvey Houses were famous for good food. They also had "Harvey Girl" waitstaff. These were uniformed women who served passengers.
The Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum is in the old Santa Fe depot. It shows how important railroads were to the city. It also has many items from the Harvey House restaurants.
Where Temple Is Located
Temple is in the northeast part of Bell County. It is the second-largest city in the county. To the southwest, across the Leon River, is Belton. Belton is the county seat.
Temple is close to many big cities in Texas. It is 124 miles north of Fort Worth. It is 130 miles north-northeast of Dallas. Austin is 65 miles southwest. San Antonio is 147 miles southwest. Houston is 168 miles southeast.
The city is on Interstate 35. The land around Temple changes a lot. To the east are the Blackland Prairie areas. These are rich farming lands. To the west, the land rises into low, rolling hills. These hills are part of the Texas Hill Country.
The United States Census Bureau says Temple covers about 74.9 square miles. About 70.1 square miles are land. The other 4.8 square miles are water.
Temple's Weather
Temple has a mild climate. Summers are hot, and winters are cool. The city gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.
People in Temple
As of the 2020 United States census, Temple had 82,073 people. There were 28,276 households. Many different groups of people live in Temple.
Temple's Economy
Temple's economy started with the Santa Fe Railroad hospital over 100 years ago. Today, Temple has a strong economy. It is a major center for distributing goods. It is also a very important medical center for the region.
Baylor Scott & White Health is the biggest employer in Temple. It has about 12,000 employees. Most of them work at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple.
Many companies have distribution centers in Temple. Two large international companies are based here: Wilsonart International and McLane Company. Temple also has a growing customer service industry. The Temple Bottling Company makes Dr Pepper using cane sugar.
Temple is about 30 miles from Fort Hood. Military families from Fort Hood also help the city's economy.
Education in Temple
Schools for Kids
Most of Temple is served by the Temple Independent School District. This district has one high school. It also has three middle schools and nine elementary schools. There are also special learning programs. Students go to Temple High School. The high school has great academic programs. It also has an International Baccalaureate program. Its sports programs are also very good.
Some parts of Temple are served by other school districts. These include Belton ISD, Troy ISD, and Academy ISD.
Temple also has several private schools. These include Christ Church School and Saint Mary's Catholic School. There is also Providence Preparatory School and Holy Trinity Catholic High School. Central Texas Christian School is another option.
Colleges and Universities
Temple College offers two-year associate degrees. It has strong programs in business, technology, and nursing. Temple College was the first college in Temple. It opened in 1926.
Temple is home to a campus of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. It works with the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple. It also works with the Olin Teague Veterans' Hospital Center. The Baylor College of Medicine also has a campus in Temple. It is linked to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple.
City Government
Temple uses a council–manager system. This means the city council makes decisions. A city manager then runs the daily operations. The current mayor is Tim Davis.
Media in Temple
The main newspaper in Temple is the Temple Daily Telegram. Many radio stations can be heard in the city. These include KVLT-FM, KBDE-FM, KLTD-FM, and KRYH-LP. There are also AM stations like News Radio 1400.
Several TV channels are available. These include KCEN-TV (NBC), KWTX-TV (CBS), and KXXV-TV (ABC). Others are KWKT-TV (Fox) and KNCT-TV (The CW). Cable and satellite TV services are also available.
Transportation in Temple
The Hill Country Transit District (The HOP) runs three bus routes in Temple. There is also a bus that connects to Killeen.
Temple started as a railroad junction. It is still a major hub for freight trains. Both the Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway have main lines here. BNSF also has a large rail yard and a place to fix locomotives. Amtrak passenger trains, like the Texas Eagle, stop at the Temple Railway Station.
Temple has a local airport called Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport. It is for private planes. For commercial flights, people use nearby airports. These include:
- Killeen Regional Airport (32 miles west)
- Waco Regional Airport (44 miles north)
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (74 miles south)
Future High-Speed Rail
There have been plans for a high-speed rail system in Texas. One idea was to connect Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio. Another line from Houston would connect to the first one. Temple was considered as a possible connection point. If this happened, Temple would be a stop on the line. This would make it much faster to travel to major cities from the Temple area.
Health Care in Temple
Temple is known as a regional medical center. It has four main hospitals:
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center
- Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's Medical Center
- Olin E. Teague Veterans' Medical Center
- McLane Children's Specialty Clinic
Baylor Scott & White Health is the biggest employer in Temple. It has over 11,000 employees.
Notable People from Temple
Many interesting people have come from Temple:
- Sammy Baugh, a famous football player for the Washington Redskins.
- Britt Daniel, a singer and songwriter from the band Spoon.
- Forrest B Fenn, an author known for creating the Fenn treasure hunt.
- Brian Floca, an author and illustrator who won the Caldecott Medal.
- "Mean" Joe Greene, a Hall of Fame football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Bernard A. Harris Jr., an astronaut.
- Jose Maria de Leon Hernandez, a Grammy Award-winning singer.
- Logan Henderson, a singer, songwriter, and actor.
- Blind Willie Johnson, a famous singer and guitarist.
- Drayton McLane, Jr., a business leader and giver to charity.
- Eric Paslay, a country music singer.
- Rip Torn, a well-known actor.
See also
In Spanish: Temple (Texas) para niños
