Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Adjacent to the county seat (Belton), Temple lies at the hub of the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles (105 km) north of Austin and 34 miles (55 km) south of Waco. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 54,514, but a 2006 estimate places the current population at a little over 60,000. It is a "principal city" of the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area. Temple is located at 31°5′37″N, 97°21′44″W (31.093678, -97.362202). Its residents are within relatively short driving distances to Texas' major cities: 134 miles to Dallas, 143 miles to San Antonio, and 187 miles to Houston.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 169.5 km² (65.4 mi²). 169.3 km² (65.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.14%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 54,514 people, 21,543 households, and 14,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 322.1/km² (834.2/mi²). There were 23,511 housing units at an average density of 138.9/km² (359.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.76% White, 16.49% African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 9.23% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.82% of the population.