TEMPLE

city, Bell county, central Texas, U.S. It lies along the Little River, just southeast of Belton Lake (impounded on the Leon River) and 36 miles (58 km) south-southwest of Waco. Founded by the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882 and named for B.M. Temple, a railroad engineer. Soon thereafter it became a division point with railroad shops after the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad came through. The city's growth as a commercial centre for livestock and farm produce was fostered by the establishment of three hospitals (Santa Fe , King's Daughters , and Scott-White ). Temple Junior College was founded in 1926, and the University of Mary HardinBaylor (1845) is in nearby Belton. The city is headquarters for several state and regional agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and for agricultural-research centres. Manufactures include school and office furniture and farm machinery. Pop. (1990) city, 46,150; Killeen-Temple MSA, 255,301; (1994 est.) city, 52,087; (1995 est.) Killeen-Temple MSA, 289,903.