Bonham, Texas

One of Texas's oldest cities, Bonham dates to 1837, when Bailey Inglish built a two-story blockhouse, named Fort Inglish, about {{convert|2|mi|0}} from the current downtown. Inglish and other acquaintances settled there in the summer of 1837, and the settlement was named "Bois d'Arc". The Congress of the Republic of Texas named the city Bloomington in 1843, but renamed it Bonham in honor of James Butler Bonham, a defender of the Alamo. On February 2, 1848, Bonham was incorporated as a city. A 1936 statue of Bonham by Texas sculptor Allie Tennant is on the courthouse grounds.Little, Carol Morris, A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996 p. 100

After connecting to the Texas and Pacific Railway the city began to grow, and by 1885, the city had six churches, three colleges, two public schools, three weekly newspapers, a sawmill, two grain mills, a power plant, and about 2,300 inhabitants. In 1890, streetcars and an ice plant wee added, and the Texas Power and Light Company, the area's utility provider, began service. In 1925, the city was connected to natural gas lines.

In 1898, 1911–1914, and 1921–1922, Bonham hosted minor league baseball. The Bonham Boosters and other Bonham teams played as members of the Class D Texas-Oklahoma League (1911–1914, 1921–1922) and the Independent Southwestern League (1898). Bonham teams featured a different moniker each season. Baseball Hall of Fame member Kid Nichols was the manager of the 1914 Bonham Sliders.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Register Team Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=TXOK&class=D|title=Texas-Oklahoma League (D) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

During the Second World War, a training camp and an aviation school for the United States Army Air Forces were in the vicinity of Bonham, as was a prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers. Parts of the camp, about 0.5 miles north of US 82, can still be visited today.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bonham has a total area of {{convert|25.3|km2|order=flip}}, all land.

Bonham's climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Bonham has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=329014&cityname=Bonham,+Texas,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Bonham, Texas Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Bonham, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present)

| Jan record high F = 82

| Feb record high F = 92

| Mar record high F = 96

| Apr record high F = 98

| May record high F = 104

| Jun record high F = 108

| Jul record high F = 112

| Aug record high F = 115

| Sep record high F = 109

| Oct record high F = 103

| Nov record high F = 89

| Dec record high F = 86

| year record high F =

| Jan high F = 52.9

| Feb high F = 57.3

| Mar high F = 65.2

| Apr high F = 73.4

| May high F = 80.6

| Jun high F = 88.9

| Jul high F = 93.6

| Aug high F = 93.8

| Sep high F = 86.9

| Oct high F = 76.5

| Nov high F = 64.5

| Dec high F = 54.9

| year high F = 74.0

| Jan mean F = 42.8

| Feb mean F = 46.7

| Mar mean F = 54.4

| Apr mean F = 62.4

| May mean F = 71.0

| Jun mean F = 79.3

| Jul mean F = 83.5

| Aug mean F = 83.1

| Sep mean F = 75.8

| Oct mean F = 64.8

| Nov mean F = 53.4

| Dec mean F = 44.8

| year mean F = 63.5

| Jan low F = 32.7

| Feb low F = 36.0

| Mar low F = 43.6

| Apr low F = 51.4

| May low F = 61.4

| Jun low F = 69.6

| Jul low F = 73.4

| Aug low F = 72.4

| Sep low F = 64.8

| Oct low F = 53.2

| Nov low F = 42.3

| Dec low F = 34.8

| year low F = 53.0

| Jan record low F = -5

| Feb record low F = -5

| Mar record low F = 9

| Apr record low F = 22

| May record low F = 32

| Jun record low F = 48

| Jul record low F = 52

| Aug record low F = 52

| Sep record low F = 34

| Oct record low F = 19

| Nov record low F = 8

| Dec record low F = -4

| year record low F =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 2.81

| Feb precipitation inch = 3.10

| Mar precipitation inch = 4.30

| Apr precipitation inch = 4.01

| May precipitation inch = 4.94

| Jun precipitation inch = 4.46

| Jul precipitation inch = 3.21

| Aug precipitation inch = 2.89

| Sep precipitation inch = 4.07

| Oct precipitation inch = 4.58

| Nov precipitation inch = 3.48

| Dec precipitation inch = 3.66

| year precipitation inch = 45.51

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 6.1

| Feb precipitation days = 6.9

| Mar precipitation days = 7.9

| Apr precipitation days = 6.8

| May precipitation days = 8.4

| Jun precipitation days = 6.8

| Jul precipitation days = 4.9

| Aug precipitation days = 4.7

| Sep precipitation days = 5.5

| Oct precipitation days = 6.1

| Nov precipitation days = 5.5

| Dec precipitation days = 6.0

| year precipitation days = 75.6

| Jan snow inch = 0.3

| Feb snow inch = 0.5

| Mar snow inch = 0.0

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| 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 = 0.0

| Dec snow inch = 0.3

| year snow inch = 1.1

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 0.1

| Feb snow days = 0.2

| Mar snow days = 0.0

| 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 = 0.1

| year snow days = 0.4

| source = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=fwd

|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = November 8, 2023}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00410923&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = November 8, 2023}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1850= 211

|1860= 477

|1870= 928

|1880= 1889

|1890= 3361

|1900= 5042

|1910= 4844

|1920= 6008

|1930= 5655

|1940= 6349

|1950= 7049

|1960= 7357

|1970= 7698

|1980= 7338

|1990= 6686

|2000= 9990

|2010= 10127

|2020= 10408

|estref=

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the 2020 United States census, 10,408 people, 2,963 households, and 1,696 families resided in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,067.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, with 3,400 housing units. Of the2,963 households, 28.8% had children under 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37% were not families. About32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 32.3% had someone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the age distribution was 21.0% under 18, 9.o% from 28 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. The median income for a household in the city was $43,793, and for a family was $52,334. Males had a median income of $26,035 versus $21,897 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,874. About 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

File:Bonham July 2016 35 (Bonham High School).jpg]]

The city is served by the Bonham Independent School District. The city's high school is Bonham High School.

Grayson County College operated a branch campus in Bonham until 2012.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/Fannin_Countys_only_college_campus_to_close_125780528.html|title=Fannin County's only college campus to close|last=Staff|first=KXII-TV|website=www.kxii.com|access-date=2016-06-10}}

Highways in the Bonham area include U.S. Route 82, Texas State Highway 78, Texas State Highway 56, and Texas State Highway 121.

• Homer Blankenship, Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher of 1920s
• Ted Blankenship, MLB pitcher of 1920s
• Charlie Christian, pioneering jazz guitarist
• Charlie Cole, photojournalist, known for his photo of the Tank Man during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3026967/tiananmen-square-tank-man-photographer-charlie-cole-dies-bali|title=Tiananmen Square Tank Man photographer Charlie Cole dies in Bali|date=Sep 13, 2019|website=South China Morning Post|accessdate=Mar 16, 2021}}
• Roberta Dodd Crawford, lyric soprano and voice instructor
• Danny Darwin, MLB pitcher
• Karen Dalton, folk blues singer
• John Wesley Hardin, well-known outlaw and gunfighter in late 19th-century Texas
• Durwood Keeton, American football player
• Kenny Marchant, congressman, Texas 24th District
• Joe Melson, BMI Award-winning songwriter for Roy Orbison
• Tom McBride, MLB outfielder
• Roy McMillan, Cincinnati Reds All-Star shortstop
• Jerry Moore, former head coach of Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
• Joe Morgan, Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman
• Sam Rayburn, politician, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
• James Tague, writer and a key witness to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
• B. A. Wilson, NASCAR driver

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.cityofbonham.org City of Bonham official website]
• {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bonham}}

{{Fannin County, Texas}}

{{Texas county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Texas

Category:Cities in Fannin County, Texas

Category:County seats in Texas

Category:Micropolitan areas of Texas

Category:Populated places established in 1837

Category:1837 establishments in the Republic of Texas