Temple, Texas
| City of Temple | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Nickname(s): "Wildflower Capital of Texas" | |
| Motto: "Choose Temple" | |
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| Coordinates: 31°5′37″N 97°21′44″W / 31.09361°N 97.36222°WCoordinates: 31°5′37″N 97°21′44″W / 31.09361°N 97.36222°W | |
| 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) |
| ZIP codes | 76501-76505, 76508 |
| Area code(s) | 254 |
| FIPS code | 48-72176[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1369696[2] |
| Website | City of Temple Texas |
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. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an increase of more than 20 percent from the 2000 Census.
Temple is a "principal city" in the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco.
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History [edit]
Temple was founded as a railroad town in 1881, by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. It was incorporated in 1882.[3] The town was named after a Santa Fe Railroad official, Bernard Moore Temple.[4] Temple was a civil engineer and former surveyor with the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company.
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.[5]
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.[6]
Geography [edit]
Temple is located at 31°5′37″N 97°21′44″W / 31.09361°N 97.36222°W (31.093678, -97.362202)[7]. It is the second largest city in Bell county, population 66,102.[8] Temple is situated within a relatively short drive of most of the major cities of Texas: 121 miles to Fort Worth, 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 fertile farming land to the east 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.
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 66,102 people, 23,359 households, and 15,878 families residing in the city. The population density was 834.2 people per square mile (373.6/km²). There were 28,005 housing units at an average density of 359.8 per square mile (138.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.1%White, 23.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% African American, 0.6%Native American,2.1%Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 3.3% from two or more races.
There were 23,359 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% 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 3.29.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1 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 $47,240 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 $25,740. About 10.8% of families and 12.5% 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.
Economy [edit]
Temple is home to many regional distribution centers andis headquarters to two large, multi-national companies, Wilsonart International and McLane Company,[9] as well as the internationally known McLane Group.[10]
Temple is also home to the Temple Bottling Company which produces Dr Pepper with Imperial cane Sugar.
Temple Mall serves as the city's major shopping destination, and one of two regional shopping malls in Bell County. The other being Killeen Mall, located in Killeen, Texas.
Education [edit]
Primary and secondary schools [edit]
The City of Temple is served by the Temple Independent School District. The district has one high school, three middle schools, nine elementary schools, and three supplemental learning programs (early childhood center, alternative learning center and an innovative academy high school program). Students attend Temple High School.[11]
In addition, Temple is home to several private schools: Saint Mary's Catholic School (Pre K-8),[12] Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Texas),[13] and Central Texas Christian School (K–12).[14]
Colleges and universities [edit]
Temple College offers two-year associate degrees in a variety of subjects, with strong programs in business administration, information technology and nursing. Temple College was the first college located in Temple, and opened in 1926.[15]
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.
Media [edit]
The city is served by several dozen radio, television, and newspaper outlets.
Infrastructure [edit]
Transportation [edit]
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:
- Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport, 5 miles Northwest of Temple, provides general aviation service
- Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport out of Killeen (25 miles West)
- Waco Regional Airport out of Waco (35 miles North)
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport out of Austin (65 miles South)
Health care [edit]
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 twelve 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.
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board [edit]
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board has its headquarters in Temple.[16]
Criminal Justice [edit]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates a regional office in the city.[17]
Postal Service [edit]
The United States Postal Service operates a regional office in the city.[18]
Notable people [edit]
- Sammy Baugh, football player
- Bryan Burrough, author
- Britt Daniel, singer
- Bob McQueen, Texas Footbal Hall of Fame, Coach
- Kenneth Davis, football player
- Brad Dusek, football player
- Daniel K. Elder, former soldier
- Gloria Feldt, author, women's rights advocate, former CEO and president of Planned Parenthood
- Flyleaf
- "Mean" Joe Greene, football player
- Bernard A. Harris, Jr., astronaut
- Logan Henderson, actor and member of Big Time Rush
- Blind Willie Johnson, (1897-1945), singer, songwriter, guitarist
- Frank W. Mayborn (1903–1987), editor and publisher
- Drayton McLane, Jr., former owner of the Houston Astros
- Ted Poe, US Congressman from the 2nd District of Texas
- Ricky Sanders, football player
- Brian Skinner, basketball player
- Rip Torn, actor
- Darren Trumeter, actor
- Matt Young of the Atlanta Braves
References [edit]
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Britanica. 1984 Edition. Vol. IX, p. 879
- ^ "Poynette, Wisconsin". City of TempleHistory. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ Texas State Historical Commission. "Temple, Texas Historical Marker".
- ^ Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum Website
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ 2010 US Census http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
- ^ http://www.mclaneco.com
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drayton_McLane,_Jr.#McLane_Group McLane Group
- ^ "Texas Independent School District". Texas Independent School District. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "St. Mary's Catholic School". St. Mary's Catholic School. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "Holy Trinity Catholic High School". Holy Trinity Catholic High School. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "Central Texas Christian School". Central Texas Christian School. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "Temple,Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Contact Us." Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. Retrieved on June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Parole Division Region IV." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
- ^ "Post Office Location - TEMPLE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Temple, Texas |
- City Website
- Texas Highschool Hall of Fame Inductees [1]
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