Bowie, Texas

Not to be confused with Bowie County, Texas.

Bowie (/ˈbuːi/ BOO-ee)^[3] is a town in Montague County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,448 at the 2020 census.^[4]

Bowie
City
Downtown Bowie, Texas
Show Bowie Show Montague County Show Texas Show the United States
Coordinates: 33°33′32″N 97°50′55″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Montague
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area [1]
• Total	5.54 sq mi (14.36 km2)
• Land	5.52 sq mi (14.29 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	1,116 ft ([2] m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,448
• Estimate  (2021)	5,534
• Density	980/sq mi (380/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76230
Area code	940
FIPS code	48-09640
GNIS feature ID	1352736[2]
Website	www.cityofbowietx.com

History

On July 22, 1881, Bowie was incorporated as a town in Montague County, United States. (A separate Bowie County includes Texarkana in northeastern Texas.) The town began to expand with the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in 1882.^[5] In 1884, four men robbed the First National Bank of Bowie and allegedly left with over $10,000 in gold coins. Townspeople gave chase and eventually captured the robbers, who were hanged for their crimes.^[6] By 1913, the town had a population of more than 5,000, and included the Bowie Commercial College.^[7]

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the town on his train on July 11, 1938. He ceremonially purchased biscuits from businessman Amon G. Carter of Fort Worth, who had grown up in Bowie.^[8] On August 19, 1941, Rex Beard, Jr., robbed the First National Bank of Bowie and was captured in December of that same year.^[9] An EF1 tornado hit the town of Bowie on May 22, 2020.^[10] On March 21, 2022, two EF1 tornadoes hit the town.^[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bowie has a total area of 5.54 square miles (14.3 km²), of which 5.52 square miles (14.3 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.052 km²) is water.^[12]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Bowie has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.^[13] Record extremes there have ranged from 115 °F (46.1 °C) in June 1980 to −11 °F (−23.9 °C) in December 1989 although an unofficial record low of −12 °F (−24.4 °C) occurred in February 1899.^[14]

Climate data for Bowie, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	92 (33)	94 (34)	100 (38)	105 (41)	107 (42)	115 (46)	113 (45)	111 (44)	109 (43)	103 (39)	91 (33)	88 (31)	115 (46)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	54.1 (12.3)	58.4 (14.7)	66.7 (19.3)	74.4 (23.6)	81.0 (27.2)	88.7 (31.5)	93.4 (34.1)	93.9 (34.4)	86.3 (30.2)	76.2 (24.6)	64.8 (18.2)	55.4 (13.0)	74.4 (23.6)
Daily mean °F (°C)	42.0 (5.6)	46.1 (7.8)	54.2 (12.3)	62.0 (16.7)	70.2 (21.2)	78.3 (25.7)	82.6 (28.1)	82.6 (28.1)	75.0 (23.9)	64.3 (17.9)	52.7 (11.5)	43.8 (6.6)	62.8 (17.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	30.0 (−1.1)	33.8 (1.0)	41.7 (5.4)	49.6 (9.8)	59.4 (15.2)	68.0 (20.0)	71.9 (22.2)	71.4 (21.9)	63.6 (17.6)	52.4 (11.3)	40.5 (4.7)	32.2 (0.1)	51.2 (10.7)
Record low °F (°C)	−2 (−19)	−7 (−22)	9 (−13)	22 (−6)	33 (1)	45 (7)	53 (12)	52 (11)	37 (3)	18 (−8)	13 (−11)	−11 (−24)	−11 (−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.64 (42)	2.29 (58)	3.00 (76)	3.04 (77)	5.22 (133)	4.00 (102)	2.63 (67)	2.47 (63)	3.23 (82)	3.62 (92)	2.10 (53)	2.08 (53)	35.32 (897)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.4 (1.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.3 (0.76)	0.7 (1.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	4.5	4.8	5.4	5.4	7.8	6.3	4.1	4.5	5.1	5.6	4.4	4.2	62.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.6
Source: NOAA[15][16]

Roads

• U.S. Route 81
• U.S. Route 287
• Texas State Highway 59

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	1,486		—
1900	2,600		75.0%
1910	2,874		10.5%
1920	3,179		10.6%
1930	3,131		−1.5%
1940	3,470		10.8%
1950	4,544		31.0%
1960	4,566		0.5%
1970	5,185		13.6%
1980	5,610		8.2%
1990	4,990		−11.1%
2000	5,219		4.6%
2010	5,218		0.0%
2020	5,448		4.4%
2021 (est.)	5,534	[17]	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]

2020 census

Bowie racial composition^[4]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	4,177	76.67%
Black or African American (NH)	33	0.61%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	44	0.81%
Asian (NH)	36	0.66%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.04%
Some other race (NH)	7	0.13%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)	275	5.05%
Hispanic or Latino	874	16.04%
Total	5,448

As of the 2020 United States census, 5,448 people, 1,911 households, and 1,333 families resided in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, 5,218 people and 2,090 households, with 2,489 housing units, were in the town. The population density was 945.6 people per square mile. The average household size was 2.32 persons and the average family size was 2.99. The racial makeup of the town was 91.9% White, 0.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.7% Asian, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.6% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $33,846. The per capita income for the town was $19,063.^[12]

Education

The town is served by the Bowie Independent School District and a branch campus of North Central Texas College.

Airport

Bowie Municipal Airport
IATA: none ICAO: none FAA LID: 0F2
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Bowie
Serves	Bowie, Texas
Location	522 Private Road, Bowie, TX 76230[20]
Elevation AMSL	1,101 ft / 336 m
Coordinates	33°36′06″N 097°46′32″W
Map
0F2
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 17/35 3,603 1,098 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations (year ending 9/19/2022) 7,350 Based aircraft 29
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration[21]

Bowie Municipal Airport (FAA LID: 0F2) is a city-owned public airport of the town, located approximately 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) northeast of the central business district.^[21][22] The airport has no IATA or ICAO designation.^[23]

Facilities

Bowie Municipal Airport covers 52 acres (21 ha) at an elevation of 1,101 feet (336 m) above mean sea level (AMSL), and has one runway:

• Runway 17/35: 3,603 x 60 ft. (1,098 x 18 m), Surface: Asphalt^[21]

For the 12-month period ending September 19, 2022, the airport had 7,350 aircraft operations, an average of 20 per day: 100% general aviation and <1% military. At that time there were 29 aircraft based at this airport: 28 single-engine, and 1 helicopter.^[21]

Accidents and incidents

• 15 August 2014: A Cessna 414, registration number N127BC, was on approach to land when it suddenly went into a spin and impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. The aircraft was consumed in an immediate post-impact fire and the pilot and single passenger were killed. An autopsy of the pilot revealed acute, premortem, nonocclusive thrombosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and the medical examiner concluded that "[the pilot] died primarily to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and that his multiple blunt force injuries likely contributed to his death." The accident was attributed to "The pilot's incapacitation in flight as the result of an acute cardiac event, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain."^[24]

Notable people

• James V. Allred, 33rd Governor of Texas
• Amon Carter, Businessman, Creator and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Woodrow Chambliss, actor

Gallery

• 
  A look at downtown Bowie (2013)
• 
  Bowie Public Library
• 
  U.S. Post Office in Bowie
• 
  St. Peter Lutheran Church at 906 Highway 59 North in Bowie; pastor Larry Knobloch (2013)