Runaway Bay is a city in Wise County, Texas, lying at the Southern end of Lake Bridgeport. The population was 1,546 in 2020.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
As of the 2020 census, Runaway Bay had a population of 1,546, 644 households, and 501 families residing in the city.
The median age was 49.0 years, 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 27.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 644 households in Runaway Bay, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.3% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 733 housing units, of which 12.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
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 2008âÂÂ09 edition of Golf Digest as one of the "Best Places to Play." The course closed on November 3, 2024.
On January 17, 2010, the golf course was the subject of a chupacabra 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.
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.