Bridgeport, Texas

Bridgeport's history began in February 1860 when William H. Hunt was granted a charter from the West Fork Bridge Company to build a bridge across the West Fork of the Trinity River. The bridge was located approximately one mile southwest of the present townsite. A Texas State Historical Marker alongside Farm To Market Road 920 denotes the spot of the original bridge today. The wooden bridge was used for a portion of the Butterfield Overland Mail stage route used for only a few months between August 1860 and March 1861. After the American Civil War began, the mail route was no longer used and the original wooden bridge was abandoned, deteriorated and collapsed into the river. In 1873 a new iron bridge was built and a post office established, thus formally creating the city of Bridgeport, TX. Its future was assured in 1882 when Charles Cates discovered a vein of bituminous coal while drilling for water. The Wise County Coal Company was formed and was a leading producer of coal for the state until competition from natural gas and petroleum closed the coal mines in 1929. A catholic congregation was served by Rev. J.J O'Riordan from Henrietta, the first Catholic Church in Wise County, the St. John the Baptizer Catholic Church was constructed in 1926. In 1893 the Rock Island Railroad established a line east of the town, so the town moved approximately one mile east to its present site. In 1913 the town was incorporated. Gas and Oil production became a local industry prior to 1917. The 1920s census showed a town of 1,872. During the 1920s, limestone quarries that produced aggregate for road construction and a brick factory were established. In 1931, a dam was constructed approximately three miles west of town on the West Fork of the Trinity River, creating Lake Bridgeport. The lake was a local center for recreation and remains so today. During the latter half of the 20th century, Bridgeport's oil, gas, and limestone industries continued to flourish and the town became the second largest town in Wise County. These industries continue to be the local economic leaders. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bridgeport has a total area of , all land. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Bridgeport has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps. {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed = yes | single line = yes | location = Bridgeport, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1935–2020) | Jan record high F = 92 | Feb record high F = 96 | Mar record high F = 96 | Apr record high F = 101 | May record high F = 106 | Jun record high F = 115 | Jul record high F = 114 | Aug record high F = 115 | Sep record high F = 111 | Oct record high F = 105 | Nov record high F = 93 | Dec record high F = 90 | year record high F = | Jan high F = 56.1 | Feb high F = 60.0 | Mar high F = 67.5 | Apr high F = 75.6 | May high F = 82.8 | Jun high F = 90.8 | Jul high F = 95.6 | Aug high F = 95.9 | Sep high F = 88.4 | Oct high F = 78.2 | Nov high F = 66.5 | Dec high F = 57.8 | year high F = 76.3 | Jan mean F = 43.5 | Feb mean F = 47.3 | Mar mean F = 54.8 | Apr mean F = 63.3 | May mean F = 71.8 | Jun mean F = 80.0 | Jul mean F = 83.9 | Aug mean F = 83.5 | Sep mean F = 76.2 | Oct mean F = 65.2 | Nov mean F = 53.9 | Dec mean F = 45.3 | year mean F = 64.1 | Jan low F = 30.9 | Feb low F = 34.6 | Mar low F = 42.1 | Apr low F = 50.9 | May low F = 60.8 | Jun low F = 69.2 | Jul low F = 72.1 | Aug low F = 71.1 | Sep low F = 63.9 | Oct low F = 52.1 | Nov low F = 41.2 | Dec low F = 32.8 | year low F = 51.8 | Jan record low F = 1 | Feb record low F = 1 | Mar record low F = 9 | Apr record low F = 24 | May record low F = 34 | Jun record low F = 48 | Jul record low F = 53 | Aug record low F = 52 | Sep record low F = 33 | Oct record low F = 21 | Nov record low F = 10 | Dec record low F = -8 | year record low F = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 1.67 | Feb precipitation inch = 2.21 | Mar precipitation inch = 2.84 | Apr precipitation inch = 3.04 | May precipitation inch = 4.55 | Jun precipitation inch = 3.73 | Jul precipitation inch = 2.07 | Aug precipitation inch = 2.18 | Sep precipitation inch = 3.04 | Oct precipitation inch = 3.91 | Nov precipitation inch = 2.19 | Dec precipitation inch = 1.91 | year precipitation inch = 33.34 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 4.5 | Feb precipitation days = 4.8 | Mar precipitation days = 5.4 | Apr precipitation days = 5.4 | May precipitation days = 7.8 | Jun precipitation days = 6.3 | Jul precipitation days = 4.1 | Aug precipitation days = 4.5 | Sep precipitation days = 5.1 | Oct precipitation days = 5.6 | Nov precipitation days = 4.4 | Dec precipitation days = 4.2 | year precipitation days = 62.1 | Jan snow inch = 0.6 | Feb snow inch = 0.5 | Mar snow inch = 0.0 | Apr snow inch = 0.2 | May snow inch = 0.0 | Jun snow inch = 0.0 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 0.0 | Nov snow inch = 0.3 | Dec snow inch = 0.2 | year snow inch = 1.8 | unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days = 0.2 | Feb snow days = 0.1 | Mar snow days = 0.1 | Apr snow days = 0.0 | May snow days = 0.0 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 0.0 | Nov snow days = 0.0 | Dec snow days = 0.2 | year snow days = 0.6 | source = NOAA ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 5,923 people, 1,767 households, and 1,322 families residing in the city. The median age was 33.7 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 118.2 males age 18 and over. 0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,767 households in Bridgeport, of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 14.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,937 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.3% were owner-occupied and 37.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%. ==Education==

Bridgeport is served by the Bridgeport Independent School District. ==Transportation==

Bridgeport is served by the Bridgeport Municipal Airport. ==Highways==

Lake Bridgeport is located west of the city and offers recreational boating and watersports, as well as freshwater fishing. Bridgeport Falls is also located to the south, on the West Fork of the Trinity River. The City operates Northwest OHV Park on the north of the city limits. This is a 300-acre park for motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, and Jeeps to roam over trails through varied terrain. ==Banking==

For almost 100 years, Bridgeport was served by the First National Bank of Bridgeport. The bank was purchased in the late 1900s by primary investors Billie C. Green, W.W. "Wilson" Ray, and M.L. Manoushagian. It, however, was sold in December 2005 to First Financial Bank (Texas) (stock symbol FFIN) based in Abilene and became part of a six branch bank consisting of institutions in Bridgeport, Boyd, Decatur, Keller, and Trophy Club. The Community Bank opened the doors for business in June 2007. It is the only locally owned and independently operated bank in Bridgeport, Texas. Every year, the bank donates thousands of dollars and numerous hours of community service to the school district and local charities. The Community Bank is guided by officers Theresa East, Jamie Cook and Joe Murphy. ==Notable people==

• Kyle Clifton, formerly of the NFL New York Jets, graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1980 • Colin Jones (American football), NFL safety for the Carolina Panthers ==References==