Temple oranges are the pick of the orange crop, and are also, interestingly enough, responsible for the development of Temple Terrace, Florida, a community that is still thriving today. In 1757, the Royal Spanish Fleet first explored the area that would come to be the site of the first Temple orange groves.
The land that is now known as Temple Terrace was purchased by the Potter Palmer family of Chicago in 1911, and in 1918, the family sold it to three developers who developed much of the land surrounding the city—the largest orange grove in the world at that time.
The Temple orange, was a new kind of orange, grown extensively in the nearby grove, and the revenue generated by this new industry paved the way for the elite golf courses, luxury homes, and other high-end amenities that the citizens of Temple Terrace quickly became accustomed to.
The town of Temple Terrace was created using a unique model that would come to be the standard of many Florida towns. Streets were paved, storm sewers were installed, and a well was drilled to provide the town with fresh spring water.
Temple Terrace, and the surrounding orange groves, fell into hard times during the Great Depression of 1929.The population fell to 200 people and among those remaining; a barter system was instituted to pay for outstanding municipal service debt. Many of the Temple orange groves were wiped out after a hard freeze in 1928, and all of this resulted in the stagnation of the area for nearly twenty years, when it was revived during the post World War II housing boom.
Today, temple oranges are still grown near Temple Terrace, and the city itself has become the second fastest growing in the United States. Temple oranges are still a large part of their economy, and the natural beauty of the area attracts tourists, residents, and orange lovers alike.
At Hale Groves, our Temple oranges are grown with care and selected to arrive at your door in the peak of freshness. Our temples are as vibrant, ripe, fresh, and delicious as the ones enjoyed by the founders of Temple Terrace over a century ago.
The next time that you enjoy one of these bright, sunny citrus fruits, take a minute to reflect on their history—a history which helped to shape not only the future of the Temple orange, but the agricultural economy of Florida as well. |
