Bowie, Maryland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bowie, Maryland
City
Old Town Bowie, as seen from the intersection of Maryland Route 564 and Chapel Avenue in January 2008
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "Growth, Unity and Progress"
Location of Bowie in Prince George's County and the State of Maryland
Bowie, Maryland Location in Maryland Show map of Maryland Bowie, Maryland Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Prince George's
Incorporated	1882
Area
• Total	20.55 sq mi (53.22 km2)
• Land	20.44 sq mi (52.95 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation	154 ft (47 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	58,329
• Density	2,853.25/sq mi (1,101.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	20715-20721
Area code(s)	301, 240
FIPS code	24-08775
GNIS feature ID	0597104

Bowie (pronounced like "boo-ee") is a city located in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. According to the 2020 census, about 58,329 people live there. Bowie started as a small stop along a railroad line. Today, it is the biggest city in Prince George's County. It is also the fifth most populated city and the third largest city by area in the state of Maryland. In 2014, CNN Money said Bowie was the 28th best place to live in the United States.

History of Bowie

How Bowie Started: The 1800s

The city of Bowie exists because of the railroad. In 1853, a man named Colonel William Duckett Bowie got permission from the Maryland government to build a train line into Southern Maryland. In 1869, the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Company began building a railroad from Baltimore to Southern Maryland. It ended in Pope's Creek. Before this, the area had many small farms and large tobacco farms. These farms used enslaved people for labor.

In 1870, a land seller named Ben Plumb sold land lots around the railroad crossing. He called this new settlement Huntington City. By 1872, the main train line was finished. A side track to Washington, D.C., was also completed. The full line through Southern Maryland was ready in 1873.

In 1880, Huntington City changed its name to Bowie. It was named after Colonel Bowie's son and business partner, Oden Bowie. Oden Bowie was a former Governor of Maryland and was then the president of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad. In the early days, land developers divided the area into more than 500 lots for homes. They wanted to create a large town where the Baltimore and Potomac's main line met the branch line to Washington, D.C.

Bowie in the 1900s

By 1902, a powerful company called the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the Baltimore & Potomac line. A second railroad came to Bowie in 1908. This was the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway, which was an electric trolley line. These large trolley cars brought fast transportation to the area. Trains ran every hour. Bowie had stations at High Bridge, Hillmeade, and the Race Track.

Because two train systems met here, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Society built the Bowie Race Track in 1914. This track helped the Belair Stud become one of Maryland's top places for thoroughbreds (racing horses). Also in 1914, a college to train teachers for African-Americans was built just outside the town. This college is now known as Bowie State University. The town of Bowie officially became a town in 1916.

Belair at Bowie Community

In 1957, a company called Levitt and Sons bought the nearby Belair Estate. This estate was once the large farm of the Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle. Levitt and Sons built a new neighborhood called Belair at Bowie. Two years later, the town of Bowie added these new properties to its area. Then, in 1963, the larger area officially became a city. Most people in Bowie today live in this community, which was planned by Levitt in the 1960s. Its streets have names that start with the same letter in each section. Levitt & Sons had rules about who could buy homes, which led to important protests for equal rights in 1963.

The Historic Belair Estate

The original Belair Estate includes the Belair Mansion. This old house, built around 1745, was the home of Governor Samuel Ogle and his son Governor Benjamin Ogle. A rich banker named James T. Woodward bought it in 1898. When he passed away in 1910, he left it to his nephew, William Woodward Sr., who became a famous horseman. The Mansion has been fixed up to show its 250-year-old history. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Belair Stable, also on the Estate, was part of the famous Belair Stud. This was one of the best horse racing stables in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. William Woodward Sr. (1876–1953) owned and ran it. It closed in 1957 after his son, Billy Woodward, died. Belair had been the oldest horse racing farm in the country that was always running.

Bowie in the 2000s

Bowie covers about 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) and has around 50,000 residents. Nearly 2,000 acres (8 square kilometers) are kept as parks or open spaces. The city has 72 ball fields, three community centers, and an ice rink at Allen Pond Park. It also has the Bowie Town Center, the 800-seat Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, a small theater with 150 seats, a golf course, and three museums.

You can learn about Bowie's railroad history at the Huntington Railroad Museum. It is located in the restored railroad buildings of the local train station. In 2006, the city reopened the Bowie Building Association building. This small brick building, built around 1930, is now a Welcome Center. It used to be where the Bowie Building Association helped fund many of the community's early developments.

Bowie is home to the Chesapeake Baysox. This is a Minor League Baseball team in the Eastern League. They are the Double-A team for the Baltimore Orioles. The Baysox moved to Bowie in 1993 and started playing at Prince George's Stadium in 1994. In 2015, the Baysox won their first Eastern League championship. They beat the Reading Fightin Phils in five games.

The city also runs a center for senior citizens and a gym for community activities.

Geography of Bowie

A detailed map of Bowie, MD and nearby areas. Bowie is shown in orange.

Bowie is located at 38°57′53″N 76°44′40″W / 38.96472°N 76.74444°W / 38.96472; -76.74444.

The United States Census Bureau says the city has a total area of about 18.51 square miles (47.94 square kilometers). Most of this area, 18.43 square miles (47.73 square kilometers), is land. Only a small part, 0.08 square miles (0.21 square kilometers), is water.

Areas Next to Bowie

Bowie is next to several other communities:

• Glenn Dale (to the northwest)
• South Laurel (to the northwest)
• Crofton (to the northeast)
• Davidsonville (to the east)
• Queen Anne (to the southeast)
• Brock Hall (to the south)
• Kettering (to the southwest)
• Woodmore (to the southwest)
• Fairwood (to the west)

ZIP Codes in Bowie

Here are the ZIP codes for mail delivery in Bowie: 20715, 20716, 20717, 20718, 20719, 20720, 20721

Bowie's Climate

The weather in Bowie has hot, humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bowie has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm temperatures and plenty of rain throughout the year.

People in Bowie (Demographics)

2020 Census Information

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Bowie, Maryland, based on the 2010 and 2020 censuses.

2010 Census Details

In 2010, there were 54,727 people living in Bowie. There were 19,950 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 14,264 of these were families. On average, there were 2,969.5 people per square mile.

The people in Bowie came from different backgrounds:

• 41.4% were White
• 48.7% were African American
• 0.3% were Native American
• 4.1% were Asian
• 0.1% were Pacific Islander
• 1.9% were from other races
• 3.6% were from two or more races

About 5.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2010, 37.0% of households had children under 18 living with them. About 53.2% were married couples living together. The average household had 2.73 people, and the average family had 3.23 people. The average age in the city was 40.1 years old.

Getting Around Bowie (Transportation)

I-595/US 50 eastbound in Bowie

Bowie has several important highways. The main one is Interstate 595/U.S. Route 50, also known as the John Hanson Highway. This road goes east and west through the city. From I-595/US 50, you can travel west to Washington, D.C., or east to Annapolis and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

U.S. Route 301 and Maryland Route 3 run along the eastern edge of Bowie. These roads connect south to Waldorf and La Plata, and north to Baltimore. Other state roads in Bowie include Maryland Route 197, Maryland Route 214, Maryland Route 450, and Maryland Route 564.

Bowie also has a train station called Bowie State station. It is part of MARC's Penn Line, which helps people travel to other cities.

Bowie's Economy

Top Employers in Bowie

Here are the largest employers in Bowie, based on a 2018 report:

Education in Bowie

Schools for Kids and Teens

Public Schools

Bowie is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system.

Students in Bowie usually go to Benjamin Tasker Middle School or Samuel Ogle Middle School. For high school, they attend Bowie High School. Some Bowie students also go to Eleanor Roosevelt High School for its special science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program.

Elementary schools in Bowie include Heather Hills, Kenilworth, Northview, Pointer Ridge, Rockledge, Tulip Grove, Whitehall, and Yorktown Elementary Schools. Some students in Bowie also attend High Bridge and Woodmore Elementary Schools, which are just outside Bowie. There are two special education centers: Chapel Forge and C. Elizabeth Reig. Tall Oaks High School offers vocational and technical training.

From 1950 to 1964, when schools were separated by race, black students from Bowie went to Fairmont Heights High School.

Private Schools

Bowie also has several private schools:

Colleges and Universities

Bowie State University, located north of Bowie, has been open since 1865. It is a university where students can get higher education.

Public Libraries

The Prince George's County Memorial Library System runs two public libraries in Bowie: the Bowie Branch and the South Bowie Branch.

Famous People from Bowie

Many notable people have lived in Bowie:

Sports in Bowie

Bowie is home to a professional sports team:

Historic Places in Bowie

Here is a list of historic sites in and near Bowie. These sites are recognized by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission:

	Site Name	Image	Location	M-NCPPC Inventory Number	Comments
1	Belair		Tulip Grove and Belair Drives	71B-004	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1977-09-16
2	Belair Stables		Belair Drive	71B-005	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1973-05-08
3	Bowie Railroad Buildings		8614 Chestnut Ave.	71B-002-09	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1998-11-04
4	Boyden House		6501 Hillmeade Road	71A-034
5	Fair Running (Maenner House)		7704 Laurel-Bowie Road	71B-015
6	Fairview Plantation		4600 Fairview Vista Drive	71A-013
7	Don S. S. Goodloe House		13809 Jericho Park Rd.	71A-030	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1988-10-13; African American Heritage site
8	Governor's Bridge		Governors Bridge Road at Patuxent River	74B-001	Historic American Engineering Record, Maryland Historical Trust
9	Harmon-Phelps House		8706 Maple Avenue	71B-002-08
10	Holy Trinity Episcopal Church		13104 Annapolis Road	71A-009a
11	Holy Trinity Church Rectory		13106 Annapolis Road	71A-009b
12	Ingersoll House		9006 Laurel-Bowie Road	71A-003
13	Knights of St. John Hall		13004 12th Street	71B-002-23
14	Melford		17107 Melford Boulevard	71B-016	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1988-04-06; also listed at Mitchellville
15	Mitchellville Storekeeper's House and Store Site		2608 Mitchellville Road	71B-007
16	Ryon House		13125 11th Street	71B-002-03
17	Sacred Heart Catholic Church		16101 Annapolis Road	71A-019	This is where the Catholic Church in America was first organized. The first US Catholic Bishop, John Carroll, was asked for and then named by the Vatican here.
18	Albert Smith House		9201 Laurel-Bowie Road	71A-002
19	St. James Episcopal Chapel		13010 8th Street	71B-002-05
20	Straining House		13005 7th Street	71B-002-01
21	Williams Plains		MD 3, White Marsh Recreational Park	71B-003	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1980-11-28
22	Pleasant Prospect		12806 Woodmore Rd.,Mitchellville, Maryland	74A-006	Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, April 30, 1976

Parks in Bowie

Bowie has many parks where people can enjoy nature and outdoor activities:

• Allen Pond Park
• Foxhill Park
• Buckingham Park
• Somerset Park
• Whitemarsh Park
• Jericho Park

Sister Cities

In June 2016, Mayor Robinson gave honorary Bowie citizenship to Mayor Luigi Lucchi of Berceto, Italy. This happened during an International Youth Festival held in Berceto.