Temple (Texas)

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 north of Austin and 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 Medical Center) and goods distribution based on its central location and proximity to larger cities, such as Austin and Waco.HistoryTemple 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.