About Us

Exploration of the Temple Terrace area dates back to 1757 when the Spanish Royal Fleet made its way up the Hillsborough River to what is now Riverhills Park. Confirmation of the fleet's travels is found in its map and log book.

The original town plan for Temple Terrace, created in 1922, was a model of town planning in its day. Between 1923 and 1925 during the land boom, streets were paved, storm sewers installed, and a well was drilled to tap spring water. On May 25, 1925, the City was incorporated, with D. Collins Gillette, one of the founding developers, serving as the first mayor, and Maude Fowler, one of the foremost women real estate operators in America, serving as vice mayor.

The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression caused the City to fall upon hard times. The plan that developers originally had for Temple Terrace was never fully realized. When the Depression hit Temple Terrace, the town consisted of the golf course and the residential areas, with eighty-five Mediterranean Revival residences built. The population fell to about 200 people and municipal services debts were paid by residents bartering goods and services. Most of the orange groves had been wiped out in a hard freeze two years earlier in 1927 and 1928. The area remained stagnant for almost twenty years, until the housing boom after World War II.

In 1960, the population of the City climbed to 3,812, making Temple Terrace the second fastest growing city in the U.S. Today, with a population of over 23,000 the City continues to grow and flourish. Annexations of surrounding unincorporated properties have allowed the City's boundaries to grow to an area of 6.5 square miles. The convenient location and natural beauty of the area makes Temple Terrace an attractive destination to residents and businesses alike. And with plans underway to complete the plan for a downtown area that founding fathers were unable to complete, our City promises to be "A City for Living" for many generations to come.