Temple, Texas

Temple is a in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2016 the city has a population of 73,600 according to a US census estimate. It is near the county seat of Belton, Texas. It is located off, Temple is 65 mi north of Austin and 34 mi 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.

History
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 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.

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.

Geography
Temple is located northeast of the center of Bell County at 31.10833°N, -97.38917°W (31.108381, -97.389125). It is the second largest city in Bell County. It is bordered to the southwest, on the opposite side of the Leon River, by Belton, the county seat.

Temple is situated within a relatively short drive of most of the major cities of Texas: 124 mi north to Fort Worth, 130 mi north-northeast to Dallas, 65 mi southwest to Austin, 147 mi southwest to San Antonio, and 168 mi southeast to Houston. The city is located right on running alongside the  Fault with very mixed geography. Towards the east lies the 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.

According to the, the city has a total area of 74.9 sqmi, of which, 70.1 sqmi of it is land and 4.8 sqmi is water.

Demographics
As of the 2010, , there were 66,102 people, 23,359 households, and 15,878 families residing in the city. The 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 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 for the city was $25,740. About 10.8% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Temple has a homeless population of 1.9% on average. Roughly 1 in 50 people. Assistance to the homeless is provided by Feed My Sheep and the Salvation Army.