What it’s like to live in Runaway Bay
Runaway Bay offers a laid-back lifestyle along the shores of Lake Bridgeport. Locals typically spend their days boating, swimming and fishing, before driving their golf carts to meet up with neighbors at casual bars and restaurants. The town has multigenerational vacation homes and new builds that are slowly bringing in more full-time residents. Although schools and grocery stores are a short drive away, U.S. Route 380 keeps Runaway Bay connected to nearby towns and bigger cities.
House styles and what they cost
Ranch-style and New Traditional homes dot Runaway Bay’s winding roads and cul-de-sacs. Many of these houses were built between the 1970s and early 2000s, and the community is in the middle of another housing boom. “Right now, I still consider us a sleepy lakefront town,” says Tomie Fox, the owner-broker of the Tomie Fox Real Estate Group, who owns a lakefront home in Runaway Bay. “But with all the new builds popping up and all the new families moving in, I can see that changing pretty quickly.” The median sale price here is around $320,000, which is slightly higher than Bridgeport's median of about $290,000. Older houses usually fall in the mid- to upper $200,000s, while newer builds tend to range from the lower $300,000s to the upper $400,000s. Lakefront homes sometimes reach up to $900,000, though they rarely come on the market. “People have either just recently built those, or they’ve kept them in their families for decades as a second home,” Fox says.
Things to do on Lake Bridgeport
Lake Bridgeport, which is about 12,000 acres, sits on Runaway Bay’s east side. While the area gets a little busier during the summer when part-time residents roll in, the lake typically keeps a calm vibe. “It’s really not much of a tourist spot,” Fox says. “We don’t even get that many non-homeowners here on the Fourth of July or Labor Day.” For locals, that leaves plenty of space to enjoy activities like:
- Water skiing and tubing behind boats, which can be stored at the Runaway Bay Marina or launched from the public boat ramp?
- Swimming from the sandy shoreline at Runaway Bay Public Beach
- Fishing for bass, which are most active around the lake’s submerged gravel piles and steep drop-offs
Runaway Bay also has a public pool and a handful of small parks with playgrounds and sports facilities.
Commutes to nearby towns and cities
U.S. Route 380 cuts through Runaway Bay’s core and is the main way in and out of town. Drivers can reach Bridgeport in under 15 minutes, and Jacksboro and Decatur in less than half an hour. It also connects with other major highways leading to Fort Worth, which is just over an hour away.
Where kids go to school
Runway Bay is part of the Bridgeport Independent School District, which includes Bridgeport Elementary School, Bridgeport Intermediate School, Bridgeport Middle School and Bridgeport High School. High school students can follow Career & Technical Education pathways, ranging from animal science to automotive technology.
Shopping and dining in Runaway Bay
Runaway Bay is home to a few convenience stores and restaurants, including 1 Stop, a gas station and a burger joint on the lake. Camp QYB, a nearby glamping resort, has several on-site restaurants serving everything from pizza to street tacos. Most spots open toward the end of the week and naturally turn into community hangouts. “It’s kind of an unspoken tradition that a bunch of us will hop in our golf carts and head over there for dinner and drinks,” Fox says. For more shopping and dining, Bridgeport has grocery stores like Brookshires and a downtown district with craft cocktail bars, bakeries and boutiques.
