Bowie, MD

Bowie, Maryland

Introduction to Bowie, Maryland

The Maryland city of Bowie is located in Prince George's County, only 15 miles east of Washington, D.C. and 30 miles south of Baltimore. Major highways in or near the city include U.S. Routes 50 and 301, and Maryland State Highways 3, 193, 197, 214, and 450.

The origins of Bowie trace back to 1870, when a community formed around a local railroad stop where the B&O Railroad tracks to Washington branched off from their main line. The railroad station was called Bowie in honor of local resident Governor Oden Bowie; however, the name of its surrounding town was Huntington City. Huntington City was incorporated as a town in 1874, but its charter was later amended to change the town's name to Bowie. In 1916, Bowie was incorporated and then re-incorporated as a city in 1963 after annexing the adjacent residential community of "Belair at Bowie", which had been developed by the firm of Levitt and Sons on the former Belair Estate, once a colonial plantation of Governor Samuel Ogle. Also part of the Estate was Belair Stable, once the oldest continually operated thoroughbred horse farm in the country. Over the years, Bowie has grown from a small agricultural and railroad town to become what it is today: one of Maryland's largest and fastest growing cities.

Points of Interest in Bowie

Bowie enjoys a rich historic and cultural heritage which is reflected in the city's array of historic sites. The Belair Mansion is a beautiful five-part Georgian plantation house which has been restored to reflect is 250-year old legacy. The Belair Stable Museum, former home of Triple Crown winners Gallant Fox and Omaha as well as many other well-known thoroughbreds, has been restored and is now open as a museum. The Bowie Railroad Station and Huntington Museum, relocated from its original site across the railroad tracks and restored in the 1990s, reflects the Bowie's origins as the site around which the city grew. The Radio and Television Museum chronicles the growth of the media from Marconi's earliest wireless telegraph to the primitive crystal and then cathedral-type radios to the post-War transistor radios and finally to the development of television.

Other city attractions include the newly renovated City of Bowie Ice Arena, a year round ice skating facility which also houses an annual Home Show. The Bowie Playhouse is a 150-seat theater which provides quality live theater entertainment to area residents. The Amphitheater at Allen Pond Park is an open air theater which hosts many musical, dance, and other types of performances throughout the summer months. The Bowie Skate Park is a 10,000 square foot concrete skating facility open for skateboard and inline skating.

Bowie residents and visitors are only minutes away from Washington, D.C. and its plethora of attractions. These include the following:

• The Library Of Congress
• George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
• The White House and Capitol Building
• The National Air and Space Museum
• Washington Sailing Marina
• Library Of Congress
• The Washington Monument
• Washington Sailing Marina
• The Lincoln Memorial
• Ford's Theatre
• National Gallery of Art
• Smithsonian Institution
• Capital Children's Museum
• The Folger Theatre
• The National Zoo
• The National Museum of American History
• John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Sports fans in Bowie can cheer for their local pro baseball team, the Bowie Baysox, a minor league Class Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Baysox belong to the Eastern League and play their home games at the city's Prince George's Stadium. Major league action can be found in two nearby places: the cities of Baltimore and Washington. Teams which reside in these two cities include the following:

• Baseball (MLB): Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals
• Football (NFL): Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins
• Hockey (NHL): Washington Capitals
• Basketball: ABA's Baltimore Pearls, NBA's Washington Wizards, and WNBA's Washington Mystics
• Soccer: Major Indoor Soccer League's Baltimore Blast and Major League Soccer's DC United (Washington)
• Lacrosse (MLL): Baltimore Bayhawks

High Points

Bowie strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Maryland):

Category	Trophy
Low Rate of Poverty (vs. Peers)	Top 1%
People in Middle Class or Better (vs. Peers)	Top 1%
Well-Paid Single Women (vs. Peers)	Top 9%
Median Family Income (vs. Peers)	Top 10%
Well-Paid Single Men (vs. Peers)	Top 13%
College Educated Adults (vs. Peers)	Top 16%
Public Transportation Use (vs. Peers)	Top 19%

Comparative Profile of Bowie, MD

Comparing Bowie to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Maryland (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Well-Paid Single Women
Well-Paid Single Men
Female Share of the Population
Children Under 5 Years Old
Age of the Population
Racial Diversity
Male Share of the Population
Senior Citizens

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Portion of People Married
Average Household Size

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
People Above Poverty
People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
College Educated Adults

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Public Transportation Use
Working at Home
Short Commute Times
Walking and Biking to Work

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Housing Recently Built
Affordability of Property Taxes
People Living Alone
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals
Affordability of Rents

Bowie Almanac

Bowie Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Bowie Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Neighborhood and Nearby Area Names

According to the US Postal Service, Bowie, its neighborhoods, and/or surrounding areas are also referred to as:

Note that not all alternate names are acceptable for use in US Post Office addresses.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Starbucks in Bowie

Wal-Mart in Bowie

Bowie High Schools (2004)

BOWIE HIGH
15200 ANNAPOLIS RD
301-805-2600
Serves 2,758 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 20.9

BLADENSBURG HIGH
3021 BELAIR DR
301-860-7360
Serves 1,675 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 19.5

TALL OAKS VOCATIONAL
2112 CHURCH RD
301-390-0230
A Vocational School
Serves 155 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 8.6

Bowie Colleges

Click school name for a detailed profile.

Bowie State University

(List of All Maryland Colleges)

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