Temple, Texas | |||
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City | |||
City of Temple | |||
Downtown Temple
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Nickname(s): "Wildflower Capital of Texas" | |||
Motto: "Choose Temple!" | |||
Location of Temple, Texas |
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Coordinates: 31°6′30″N 97°23′21″W / 31.10833°N 97.38917°WCoordinates: 31°6′30″N 97°23′21″W / 31.10833°N 97.38917°W | |||
Country | United States of America | ||
State | Texas | ||
County | Bell | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Council-Manager | ||
• City Council |
Mayor Danny Dunn Tim Davis Patsy E. Luna Perry Cloud Russell Schneider |
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• City Manager | Johnathan Graham | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 74.9 sq mi (194 km2) | ||
• Land | 70.1 sq mi (182 km2) | ||
• Water | 4.8 sq mi (12 km2) | ||
Elevation | 719 ft (219 m) | ||
Population (2015) | |||
• Total | 76,277 | ||
• Density | 1,000/sq mi (390/km2) | ||
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
ZIP codes | 76501-76505, 76508, 76502 | ||
Area code(s) | 254 | ||
FIPS code | 48-72176 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 1369696 | ||
Website | www |
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2016 the city has a population of 72,277 according to a US census estimate.
Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas and is a principal city in the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. The metro region has a population of 450,051. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles (105 km) north of Austin and 34 miles (55 km) south of Waco.
Temple has developed as a small city with a number of arts and retail amenities not typically associated with a smaller community. The primary economic drivers are the extensive medical community (mostly due to Scott & White Memorial Hospital) and goods distribution based on its central location and proximity to larger cities, such as Austin and Waco.
Temple was founded as a railroad town in 1881, by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. It was incorporated in 1882. The town was named after a Santa Fe Railroad official, Bernard Moore Temple. 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.