Bowie, Texas
Inside Bowie's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Montague County. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%, the highest of 3 cities in Montague County.
That clay share is close to Montague County's 23%. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76230 overlapping the city. Of its 2,625 homes, 70% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1973.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Montague County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Bowie
Foundation repair in Bowie: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 23% of Bowie's mapped land.
About 2,100 of Bowie's 2,625 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Bowie city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.0% |
| Mapped soil | 3,553 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Windthorst | 32% | 37% |
| Truce | 25% | 47% |
| Cona | 10% | n/a |
| Duffau | 6% | n/a |
| Bonti | 5% | n/a |
| Waurika | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 18% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Montague County is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Bowie's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Montague County
100% of Montague County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Bowie. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76230 | 100% | 6 | $228,538 |
Homes in Bowie
| Housing units | 2,625 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,300 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue | 11 mi | 10% | 0% |
| Alvord | 16 mi | 13% | 10% |
| Nocona | 17 mi | 12% | under 1% |
| Chico | 18 mi | 7% | 26% |
| Saint Jo | 21 mi | 42% | 2% |
| Bridgeport | 24 mi | 38% | 12% |
| Lake Bridgeport | 24 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Runaway Bay | 25 mi | 14% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status