Runaway Bay, Texas

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

Runaway Bay, Texas
City
Location of Runaway Bay, Texas
Coordinates: 33°10′31″N97°52′29″W / 33.17528°N 97.87472°W / 33.17528; -97.87472 Coordinates: 33°10′31″N97°52′29″W / 33.17528°N 97.87472°W / 33.17528; -97.87472
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	912 ft (278 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,286
• Estimate  (2019) [2]	1,845
• Density	625.89/sq mi (241.61/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	1388609 [4]
Website	runawaybaytexas.com

Runaway Bay is a city in Wise County, Texas, lying at the Southern end of Lake Bridgeport. The population was 1,546 in 2020. ^[5]

Geography

Runaway Bay is located at 33°10′31″N97°52′29″W / 33.17528°N 97.87472°W / 33.17528; -97.87472 (33.175379, −97.874794). 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. ^[6]

The city is built around an 18-hole golf course and the city's main water tower resembles a golf ball on a tee.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1980	504		—
1990	700		38.9%
2000	1,104		57.7%
2010	1,286		16.5%
2019 (est.)	1,576	[2]	22.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

Runaway Bay racial composition as of 2020 ^[5]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

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 is an 18-hole golf course and club house designed by Leon Howard and established in 1969. It is Par 72, length 7032 yards and has 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."

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.

Highways

• US 380
• SH 114

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
6. "US Gazetteer Files 2016-Places-Texas". US Census. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. https://www.census.gov/ ^{[ not specific enough to verify ]}
9. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
10. "Alleged chupacabra found in Runaway Bay". Alleged chupacabra found in Runaway Bay. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
11. "Chupacabra Debunked! It's a Hairless Raccoon: Biologist". Chupacabra Debunked! It's a Hairless Raccoon: Biologist. Retrieved 2010-11-22.

1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. ^{[8] [9]}