Bonita is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in north-central Montague County, Texas, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 25 in 2000.

History

Bonita was established in 1886 with the construction of the Gainesville, Henrietta and Western Railway through northern Montague County. It was most likely named for Bonita Hansen, an engineer's daughter, or the Spanish word ''bonita'', due to the area's beauty. In 1887, Bonita received a post office. It became a shipping point for

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

and

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

in 1900 and had 300 residents. A bank was chartered in 1906. Fires and the construction of

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...

from St. Jo to Nocona led to Bonita's demise. In the 1930s, it had a population of 218 and had seven businesses. By the 1950s, the population had fallen to 80 alongside three businesses, and the post office closed in 1967. Its population was 25 in 2000. On March 26, 2009, an EF0 tornado struck Bonita, but there was no damage.SPC Storm Reports for 03/26/09
/ref> On April 25, 1893, a possible

F4 tornado The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

struck Bonita. Nine homes were destroyed, two of which were leveled.

Geography

Bonita is located on Farm to Market Road 1815, northeast of Montague in northeastern Montague County.

Education

The Bonita area is serviced by the

Nocona Independent School District Nocona Independent School District is a public school district based in Nocona, Texas (USA). Nocona ISD provides more than the standard K-12 curriculum. NISD offers extended opportunities for students ranging from Head Start for very young chil ...

Notable person

* Wilcy Moore, pitcher for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Montague County, Texas