Runaway Bay, Texas

For other uses of the name, see Runaway Bay (disambiguation).

Runaway Bay is a city in Wise County, Texas, lying at the Southern end of Lake Bridgeport. The population was 1,546 in 2020.^[4]

Runaway Bay, Texas
City
Location of Runaway Bay, Texas
Coordinates: 33°10′34″N 97°52′34″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Wise
Area [1]
• Total	6.79 sq mi (17.58 km2)
• Land	2.52 sq mi (6.52 km2)
• Water	4.27 sq mi (11.05 km2)
Elevation [2]	833 ft (254 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,546
• Density	230/sq mi (88/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76426
Area code	940
FIPS code	48-63782[3]
GNIS feature ID	2411015[2]
Website	runawaybaytexas.com

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (18 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km²) is water.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	504		—
1990	700		38.9%
2000	1,104		57.7%
2010	1,286		16.5%
2020	1,546		20.2%
2023 (est.)	1,990		28.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

^[7]

Runaway Bay racial composition as of 2020^[4]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	1,314	84.99%
Black or African American (NH)	13	0.84%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	13	0.84%
Asian (NH)	8	0.52%
Some Other Race (NH)	1	0.06%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	44	2.85%
Hispanic or Latino	153	9.9%
Total	1,546

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,546 people, 734 households, and 501 families residing in the city.

Golf course

The Club at Runaway Bay was an 18-hole golf course and club house designed by Leon Howard and established in 1969. It was Par 72, length 7032 yards and had a course rating of 73.1. It was featured in the 2008–09 edition of Golf Digest as one of the "Best Places to Play." The course closed on November 3, 2024.

Alleged chupacabra sighting

On January 17, 2010, the golf course was the subject of a chupacabra sighting in which the unidentified dead animal was described as a "brown, earth-colored creature is hairless with oversized canines and elongated padded feet with inch-long toes tapered with sharp, curved claws. The creature also had long hind legs."^[10] Upon investigation, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department identified the animal as a hairless raccoon.^[11]

Education

The City of Runaway Bay is served by the Bridgeport Independent School District with some minor parts of the city extending to Jacksboro Independent School District.

Highways

• US 380
• SH 114