Runaway Bay is a city in
Wise County,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, lying at the Southern end of
Lake Bridgeport. The population was 1,546 in 2020.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
Demographics
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
''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...
'' 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
The chupacabra or ''chupacabras'' (, literally 'goat-sucker', from , 'sucks', and , 'goats') is a legendary creature, or cryptid, in the folklore of parts of the Americas. The name comes from the animal's purported vampirism the chupacabra is ...
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."
Upon investigation, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department identified the animal as a hairless raccoon.
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
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References
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Cities in Wise County, Texas
Cities in Texas
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex