The community now known as Bowie is the largest municipality in Prince George’s County and the fifth largest city in Maryland. It started out as a small railroad stop where the B&O Railroad tracks to Washington, D.C., branched off from the main line. Although the station there was called Bowie—in honor of local resident Governor Oden Bowie—the town that was laid out around it in 1870 was named Huntington City. It comprised about 300 acres subdivided by Washington developer Ben M. Plumb into more than 500 building lots. The city has restored the original buildings of the old Bowie railroad stop to create the Huntington Railroad Museum. Historical material is displayed there, reminding visitors of Bowie’s origin as a railroad town.

Over the couple of decades after its establishment, the town grew and prospered, with a large contingent of railway employees among its population. Huntington City was incorporated by charter of the General Assembly in 1874, but that charter was amended in 1882 to change the name of the town to Bowie; another amendment in 1916 changed the name to City of Bowie.

In 1959, Bowie annexed the adjacent community of “Belair at Bowie,” which had been developed recently by Levitt and Sons on the former Belair Estate. With that property came the circa 1745 Belair Mansion.

While Bowie is proud of its history, it is focused on the future. It is now a city of 16 square miles and approximately 50,000 residents. It has nearly 2,000 acres set aside as parks or open space. It has 72 ball fields, three community centers, an ice arena, a theatrical playhouse, a golf course, and three museums. It is adding a senior-citizens center and a gymnasium.

Bowie’s motto “Growth, Unity, Progress” is a fitting description of this dynamic, family-oriented community.