Bowie

Formed December 1, 1840 (33^rd county)

Bowie County (92,903), New Boston (4,621), Texarkana (36,233)                

The Modern courthouse was built in 1985 and sits at the Texas State Highway 8 exit south of Interstate Highway 30. The tan brick and concrete building cannot be distinguished as a courthouse except for the large sign located on the facility’s grounds.  Texarkana has an augmenting courthouse and a Justice Center.  County seats were also in DeKalb (1840), Old Boston (1841 & 1891) and Texarkana (1887) previously.  The county was founded on December 1, 1840 from Red River County as the 33^rd county.  Thomas and Emberton Associates designed the courthouse.  Bowie is named for James Bowie, fabled Texas martyr and Alamo casualty.  New Boston gets its name from early settler, W. J. Boston. 

Bowie County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Bowie and Cass counties, One District Court Judge serves Bowie and Red River counties, and One District Court Judge and Two County Court Judges serve Bowie County.  The county is located on the northern edge of the East Texas pines and along the Red River, which serves as its northern border with Oklahoma.  The twin cities of Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas are on the northeast border.  The county center is 4.2 miles West-Southwest of New Boston.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Arkansas, and Cass, Morris, and Red River counties and Oklahoma. 

The area of the county is 888 square miles.  It is 167 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 43 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 104.6 persons per square mile making it 45 out of 254 in the state.  Bowie County has 62.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 30 enters Bowie County from Arkansas on the east and exits into Morris County on the southwest.  United States Highway 59 comes in the north from Arkansas and goes out the south into Cass County.  United States Highway 67 goes from the east, Arkansas, and goes out into the southwest, Cass County.  United States Highway 71 goes for a very short stretch from Arkansas to the east and back into Arkansas to the north.  United States Highway 82 enters from the east, Arkansas, and exits to the west, Red River County.  United States Highway 259 crosses the western part of the county from Oklahoma on the north into Morris County on the southwest.  The county is relatively flat and wide with river borders on the north and south.  New Boston is close to the county center.  Texarkana is located on the eastern border of the county.  New Boston is the county seat and Texarkana is the largest city.  New Boston is 5.0% of the county population while Texarkana is 39.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced BOO-WEE.  The largest city is pronounced TEX-AR-KAN-A.  This county is in the Texarkana-Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Wake Village