Temple Terrace is a city in northeastern
Hillsborough County,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, United States, adjacent to
Tampa
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. As of the
2020 census, the city had a population of 26,690. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County, after Tampa and
Plant City. Incorporated in 1925, the community is known for its rolling landscape, bucolic
Hillsborough River views, and
sand live oak
''Quercus geminata'', commonly called sand live oak, is an evergreen oak tree native to the coastal regions of the subtropical southeastern United States, along the Atlantic Coast from southern Florida northward to southeastern Virginia and al ...
trees; it is a
Tree City USA
The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...
. Originally planned in the 1920s as a
Mediterranean-Revival golf course community
A golf course community is a type of residential Subdivision (land), housing development built around a golf course.
History
Temple Terrace, Florida is often described as the first planned golf-course community in the United States, dating fro ...
, it is one of the first such communities in the United States. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the
Tampa Bay area
The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...
.
Temple Terrace was named for the then-new hybrid, the Temple orange also called the
tangor
The tangor (''C. reticulata'' × ''C. sinensis'') is a citrus fruit hybrid of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata'') and the sweet orange (''Citrus sinensis''). The name "tangor" is a formation from the "tang" of tangerine and the "or" of " ...
. It is a cross between the
mandarin orange
A mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), often simply called mandarin, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. The mandarin is small and oblate, unlike the ...
—also called the
tangerine
The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...
—and the common sweet
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
** Orange juice
*Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
; it was named after Florida-born
William Chase Temple, one-time owner of the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
, founder of the
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a cup awarded to the winner of an annual best-of-seven postseason championship series for American professional baseball from 1894 to 1897. Competing teams were exclusively from the National League, which had been founded in ...
, and first president of the Florida Citrus Exchange. Temple Terrace was the first place in the United States where the new Temple orange was grown in large quantities. The "terrace" portion of the name refers to the terraced terrain of the area by the river where the city was founded. One of the original houses also had a terraced yard with a lawn sloping, in tiers, toward the river.
History
Pre-Columbian
The original inhabitants of the Temple Terrace area were known as the
Tocobaga
Tocobaga (occasionally Tocopaca) was the name of a chiefdom of Native Americans, its chief, and its principal town during the 16th century. The chiefdom was centered around the northern end of Old Tampa Bay, the arm of Tampa Bay that extends betw ...
, a group of
Native Americans living around Tampa Bay, both in prehistoric and historic times, until roughly 1760.
Spanish exploration
Spanish exploration of the Temple Terrace area dates back to 1757 when explorer
Don Francisco Maria Celi of the Spanish Royal Fleet made his way up the Hillsborough River (naming it "El Rio de San Julian y Arriaga") to what is now Riverhills Park in search of pine trees to use as masts for his ships. Here, in the extensive
longleaf pine
The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...
forest, he erected a cross in what he named "El Pinal de la Cruz de Santa Teresa" (the Pine Forest of the Cross of Saint Theresa). Confirmation of the fleet's travels is found in its map and logbook. A historic marker and a replica of the cross erected to honor St. Theresa are found in Riverhills Park today. Up to 1913, the longleaf pine,
sand live oak
''Quercus geminata'', commonly called sand live oak, is an evergreen oak tree native to the coastal regions of the subtropical southeastern United States, along the Atlantic Coast from southern Florida northward to southeastern Virginia and al ...
, and cypress trees made the area suitable for
turpentine
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...
manufacturing and logging.
The Potter Palmer years
The area now known as Temple Terrace was originally part of an exclusive game preserve called "Riverhills" belonging to Chicago socialite
Bertha Palmer, wife of businessman
Potter Palmer
Potter Palmer (May 20, 1826 – May 4, 1902) was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street (Chicago), State Street in Chicago. Born in Albany County, New York,[Sarasota
Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...]
the "City of the Arts" that it is today. She was one of the largest landholders, ranchers, farmers, and developers in Florida at the turn of the twentieth century. The ''Evening Independent'' newspaper in 1918 described the preserve as "a well-stocked hunting preserve north of Tampa being one of the most attractive hunting grounds in the state." Property acquisition by the Palmers and the
Honorés began in 1910; only one of the original buildings from the preserve, now known as the Woodmont Clubhouse, remains. Because it escaped logging, the grounds of the clubhouse harbor some of the largest specimens of live oak and longleaf pine in the city.
Mrs. Potter-Palmer's vision for her property was that it be developed into a
golf course community
A golf course community is a type of residential Subdivision (land), housing development built around a golf course.
History
Temple Terrace, Florida is often described as the first planned golf-course community in the United States, dating fro ...
surrounded by extensive citrus groves, but her death in 1918 prevented her from fully realizing that vision. At her death, the trustee of her estate and brother, Adrian Honoré, sold her local land holdings to Burks Hamner, Vance Helm, Maud Fowler,
Cody Fowler, and D. Collins Gillett, who formed two development corporations: Temple Terrace Estates, Inc., which developed the golf course and residential areas; and Temple Terraces, Inc., which developed of orange groves that originally surrounded the city to the west and north, the largest orange grove in the world in the 1920s. (Adrian Honoré retained a seat on the board.) D. Collins Gillett oversaw Temple Terraces, Inc. and owned the first and largest citrus nursery in Florida, Buckeye Nurseries of Tampa. His father, Myron E. Gillett, thirty-first mayor of Tampa, was instrumental in popularizing the exotic hybrid Temple orange in the United States.
The 1920 vision for the community was that wealthy retired Northerners would purchase one of the lots in Temple Terrace, build a Mediterranean Revival villa on the lot and also purchase a parcel in the extensive adjoining citrus grove to either manage as a hobby or provide extra income. Temple Terrace was originally only occupied during "The Season" (which lasted roughly from December to the annual Washington Ball held at the clubhouse on February 22). For the rest of the year, the houses were cared for by caretakers until The Season came again and the homeowners returned.
In 1924, part of the area platted as the Temple Orange grove and called Temple Terraces, Inc. was developed into the present-day neighborhood of
Temple Crest, immediately adjacent to Temple Terrace and its west, hugging the Hillsborough River. The land occupied by nearby
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously Busch G ...
was also part of Mrs. Palmer's original ranch.

In 1925 and 1926, the
Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club
The Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club is an historic golf course and country club in Temple Terrace, Florida. The course was designed by Tom Bendelow and opened in 1922. The city of Temple Terrace was incorporated three years later. (which is still in existence) hosted the
Florida Open
The Florida Open is the Florida state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is now organized by the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA). It has been played annually since 1942 at a variety of courses around the ...
(in 1925 billed as the "Greatest Field of Golfers ever to Play in Florida"). "Long"
Jim Barnes
James Martin Barnes (April 8, 1886 – May 24, 1966) was an English professional golfer and a leading figure in the early years of professional golf in the United States. He is one of three native Britons (with Tommy Armour and Rory McIlroy) t ...
was the resident professional of the course at the time (James Kelly Thomson was the course's first pro), and every major golfer of the day competed in the event except for
Bobby Jones.
Leo Diegel
Leo Harvey Diegel (April 20, 1899 – May 5, 1951) was an American professional golfer of the 1920s and early 1930s. He captured consecutive PGA Championships, played on the first four Ryder Cup teams, and is a member of the World Golf Hall o ...
won the tournament. Jim Barnes' friend
Fred McLeod is also associated with the early days of the course. The golf-course architect was
Tom Bendelow
Tom Bendelow (1868–1936), nicknamed "The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf" and "The Dean of American Golf", was a Scottish American golf course architect during the first half of the twentieth century. He is credited with having designed som ...
, who also designed
Medinah Country Club
Medinah Country Club is a private country club in Medinah, Illinois, with nearly 600 members and containing three golf courses, Lake Kadijah, swimming facilities, a golf learning center, golf shop, gun club, racket center and a mosque-evokin ...
's Course #3 in Chicago, a golf course that has hosted three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999, 2006). The golf course of the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club is virtually unchanged since its design by Bendelow and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It measures 6,414 yards with a par of 72.
Temple Terrace is one of the first planned golf-course communities in the United States (1920). The town plan was created by town planner and landscape architect George F. Young, who also created the plan for nearby
Davis Islands (Tampa)
Davis Islands is a Tampa neighborhood and archipelago on two (formerly three) islands in Hillsborough County, Florida. Its proximity to Downtown Tampa and its views of the Port of Tampa have made it a popular area to live. The area's populatio ...
and McClelland Park (Sarasota), among others. The architecture was designed in the Mediterranean-Revival style by two different architects in two different periods. The first phase was in 1921 by noted Tampa architect
M. Leo Elliott (
Centro Asturiano de Tampa
The Centro Asturiano is a historic site in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States. Designed by Tampa-based architect M. Leo Elliott and located at 1913 State Road 45 (Florida), Nebraska Avenue, the building served as a social cl ...
and Old
Tampa City Hall) designed the initial houses and the public buildings. In 1926 renowned New York architect
Dwight James Baum
Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida. His work includes Cà d'Zan, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early resid ...
(architect of
John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus, Ringling Br ...
's
Cà d'Zan
Cà d'Zan () is a Mediterranean Revival architecture, Mediterranean revival residence in Sarasota, Florida, adjacent to Sarasota Bay. Cà d'Zan was built in the mid-1920s as the winter retreat of the American circus mogul, entrepreneur, and art c ...
, the Hotel El Verona in Sarasota, and the West Side YMCA in New York City) also designed residences in Temple Terrace.
There are fifteen houses and buildings designed by Elliott remaining in the city, the largest collection of his work anywhere. In addition, there are over 35 houses in the city designed by architect Dwight James Baum, which is thought to be the largest collection of his work in the
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
.
Temple Terrace struggled through the 1930s like the rest of Florida. Building activity began to pick up again after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. There is now a fine collection of mid-century modern homes and buildings, at least two of which were designed by well-known architect Frank Albert DePasquale.
Florida College
Florida Bible Institute bought the old Country Club Clubhouse in the late 1930s from the city for back taxes and remains a cherished part of Florida College.
Florida College
Florida College is a private Christian college in Temple Terrace, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1946. Although it draws its staff, faculty, and most of its students from non-institutional churches of Christ, it is not legally or ...
is now a private liberal arts college (founded in 1946) and occupies some of the community's oldest buildings, including the Temple Terrace Country Club, which is now Sutton Hall.
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
attended Florida Bible Institute, which owned the property now occupied by Florida College, in the late 1930s. In his autobiography, he writes that he received his calling "on the 18th green of the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club". A Billy Graham Memorial Park is on the east side of the 18th green on the river.
Rejuvenation and redevelopment
Temple Terrace's rebirth took place in 1984–1987 with the appointment of Thomas C. Mortenson as the city's Building and Zoning Director and 1st Community Development Director. Mortenson, with the assistance of City Engineer Paul Tomasino, and City Attorney Ted Taub, were responsible for the annexation of Telecom Park and numerous areas adjacent to the city, thereby tripling the tax base and doubling the size of the city. Creating a favorable development environment and working with the Mayor and City Council, the trio worked to attract new businesses, and shopping centers, as well as redevelopment of existing business areas and vastly expanded housing in the community. Numerous new subdivisions were created during this period giving the city a firm tax base and identity that made Temple Terrace a desirable safe place for raising families, conducting business, and an environmentally sound community.
Temple Terrace is currently in the process of redeveloping (the southeast quadrant) of its 1960s-era downtown. The goal of the city is to build a mixed-use, medium-density, pedestrian-oriented downtown.
The city hired noted town planne
Torti Gallas + Partnersin 2004 to create a
New Urbanist
New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually in ...
br>
master plan and redevelopment codefor the entire downtown area (four quadrants of 56th Street and Busch Boulevard), all with citizen input. The city also initiated a
form-based code
A Form-Based Code (FBC) is a means of regulating land development to achieve a specific urban form. Form-Based Codes foster predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the or ...
for its downtown, created a façade-improvement grant program, implemented a multi-modal transportation model to encourage alternatives to the automobile, and began revitalizing 56th Street with entry towers, landscaping, street furniture, placing utilities underground, and improved lighting.
The site of the new downtown area is the site of the downtown area that was originally planned in the 1920s but never built because of the Great Depression. Many of the planning concepts and architecture of the redevelopment area are based on the original plan and Temple Terrace's unique 1920s historic Mediterranean Revival architecture.
Neighbors
Many of Temple Terrace's residents teach or work at the nearby
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...
, and the close-knit community has strong ties to that institution. (The USF campus was also part of Mrs. Palmer's original ranch.)
Eureka Springs Park, located to the east of Temple Terrace, is Hillsborough County's only
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
. The park was started by Russian immigrant and amateur horticulturalist Albert Greenberg, who donated his park to the county in 1967. Poet
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...
and other famous personalities made it a point to visit Greenberg in the years before World War II.
The
Museum of Science & Industry, commonly called MOSI, is located in Tampa near the Temple Terrace city line.
Sitting just one mile to the west of Temple Terrace is
Busch Gardens Tampa.
Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Temple Terrace is located in north-central Hillsborough County at (28.041546, –82.382519).
The city is bounded by
Tampa
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
to the west and north,
Del Rio to the south, and rural
Hillsborough County, near
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
, to the east.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.70%, are water.
The
Hillsborough River flows through the eastern and southern parts of the city and forms some of its southern boundary.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, the City of Temple Terrace has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
zone (''Cfa'').
Demographics
2010 and 2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 26,690 people, 10,490 households, and 5,652 families residing in the city.
As of the
2010 United States census, there were 24,541 people, 9,888 households, and 5,303 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 20,918 people, 8,671 households, and 5,350 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 9,359 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.46%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 11.16%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.37%
Native American, 2.59%
Asian, 0.13%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.39% from
other races, and 2.90% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 11.34% of the population.
In 2000, there were 8,671 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.
In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $44,508, and the median income for a family was $56,809. Males had a median income of $38,384 versus $32,107 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $26,515. About 5.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Pam Bondi
Pamela Jo Bondi ( ; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who has served as the 87th United States attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 37th attorney general of Fl ...
, 87th
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
*
Sammy Ellis, professional
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
baseball pitcher
*
Cody Fowler, prominent Florida attorney and former President of the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
*
Napoleon Hill
Oliver Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is best known for his book ''Think and Grow Rich'' (1937), which is among the best-selling self-help books of all time. Hill's works insisted tha ...
, motivational author and speaker
*
Peter Palmer, actor
*
Colonel Tom Parker
Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997) was a Dutch people, Dutch talent manager and concert promoter, best known as the manager of Elvis Presley.
Parker was born in the Netherlands and Il ...
, Elvis Presley's manager
*
Robin Roberts, professional MLB
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
baseball pitcher
Education
Temple Terrace is served by
Hillsborough County Schools.
Elementary schools
*Temple Terrace Elementary School
*Riverhills Elementary School
*Lewis Elementary School
Middle schools
*Terrace Community Middle School
*Angelo L. Greco Middle School
High schools
*
C. Leon King High School
*Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School
Private schools
*Temple Terrace Presbyterian Weekday School
*Florida College Academy (private school)
*Corpus Christi Catholic School
*
American Youth Academy
American Youth Academy, previously the Islamic Academy of Florida, is a PreK-12 Islamic school in Tampa, Florida, United States, located in Temple Terrace (as of 2006).
History
The school was established in 1992.
Sami Al-Arian and others est ...
College
*
Florida College
Florida College is a private Christian college in Temple Terrace, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1946. Although it draws its staff, faculty, and most of its students from non-institutional churches of Christ, it is not legally or ...
Library

The
Temple Terrace Public Library is located at 202 Bullard Parkway in the City of Temple Terrace and is part of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (HCPLC).
History
The Temple Terrace Library was established in 1959 by the Temple Terrace Women's Club. The doors officially opened on January 15, 1960, after pursuing a collection of enough donations to facilitate a small library for the community. It was originally run by volunteers of the Women's Club and was located in a small house. As demand grew, they relocated to a City Hall building in April 1961, which is now part of Florida College. The library shortly outgrew this too as they built their collection and by 1965 they needed a new building and a larger overall operation which included appointing a Library Board which was run by the city. They broke ground in September of that year and opened in April 1966. The Women's Club remained involved and provided the money for the library's service desk. By the mid-70's they were running out of space and added 5,600 square feet which enlarged the structure by April 1978. On February 18, 1982, tragedy ensued when a fire was set by an arsonist. The library lost a devastating 11,666 books and 1,010 recordings. The Women's Club stepped in again and helped restore the building which then opened a year after the fire. In the meantime, they relocated materials to the Lightfoot Recreation Center to keep the library going. In 1997 the library was once again renovated for expansion which brought the library to 20,000 square feet. It reopened in March 1998 with an online catalog, computers, and internet access which is largely how it is utilized to this day with a collection of over 100,000 volumes and 52 community computers.
Services
Services include a standard book, eBook, CD, and DVD checkout. There is access to computers, Wi-Fi, and other technologies as well as regular and 3D printing. There are meeting and study rooms, safe areas for children, and a Book Nook provided by the local Friends of the Temple Terrace Library organization. There are programs for children, teens, and adults which include activities and resources for certain age groups and developmental levels ranging from storytime to crafts and appropriate games. The library also offers many resources beyond books such as sewing machines, cooking items, tools, board games, and neckties to borrow for various reasons. You can even "check out" a limited number of seed packets each month that does not have to be returned and come with instructions on how to take care of them. These are all resources that have been proven to be successful in the local community to help provide items that may only occasionally be needed. Partnering up with the University of South Florida Special & Digital Collections and Tampa-Hillsborough County Libraries, the Temple Terrace Library has also been able to provide access to archives of the local newspapers, the Temple Terrace Beacon and Temple Terrace Sentinel.
Sister cities
Temple Terrace has a
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inte ...
:
*
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census.
The town ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
''since 1989''
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
City of Temple Terrace official website*
{{authority control
Cities in Hillsborough County, Florida
Cities in Florida
1920 establishments in Florida