New Residents

Welcome!

Welcome to Bowie! We are glad that you have decided to make Bowie your home.

Here's some information that we thought would be helpful to know as you settle into your new community:

Neighborhoods

Today's Bowie has evolved out of an initial patchwork of farms and villages into a vibrant city of almost 60,000. 

Neighborhoods come in all sizes and with different types of offerings. There are single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and senior living facilities. 

Many Bowieites identify themselves by their neighborhood (sometimes called a section). Services like trash collection, recycling pickup, and leaf collection are scheduled by neighborhood, so it's important to know which neighborhood you live in. 

View our neighborhood map (PDF) or enter your address in our Lookup Tool to see what your neighborhood is called. 

Trash & Recycling Collection

Trash is picked up twice a week in the City of Bowie and recycling is collected weekly. The City provides a recycling cart to new residents (call 301-809-2344 if you don't have one), but it does not provide trash receptacles. 

Tires and metal items require a special pickup appointment. Other bulky items are collected with regular trash, but some restrictions apply. Read about all of Public Works' collection services.

Utilities Serving Bowie

Electricity - BGE
Natural Gas - Washington Gas
Water - Provided by City of Bowie or WSSC Water, depending on where you live.

Comcast and Verizon have been awarded franchises to provide cable services in the City.

Recreation

Bowieites enjoy a variety of recreational pursuits. There is a lighted skate park, an indoor Ice Arena, 70+ miles of bike trails, tennis courts, 100+ athletic fields, and several parks. Residents can become members of the Bowie Gymnasium or the Bowie Senior Center. Bowie operates the Belair Mansion and Stable Museum, the Bowie Railroad Museum, and the Old Town Bowie Welcome Center. 

Other museums in Bowie include the Prince George’s Genealogical Library and the National Capital Radio and Television Museum. Both operate in cooperation with the City museums. Bowie also has a golf course, which is owned by the City and operated by a private contractor.

Just outside our borders are Prince George’s Stadium, home of the Bowie Baysox, an AA minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and Six Flags Theme Park. Bowie State University and the US Fish & Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Visitor's Center are located just north of Bowie on MD 197 (Laurel-Bowie Road). 

Green Bowie

We’re serious about protecting the local environment. Green Bowie is the phrase we use to sum up all of our sustainability efforts, initiatives, and programs that are aimed at making Bowie a healthier, greener place to live. 

The success of Green Bowie can be measured not only in how much we can reduce our carbon footprint, but in how much the community is involved in these efforts. Involvement is as simple as reusing or recycling items, following best practices in lawn care, installing a rain barrel at your home, or volunteering with the Green Team. 

Get Involved & Stay Informed

Civic involvement is a way of life in Bowie. There are clubs, committees, fraternal organizations, and sports clubs to suit every interest and there are dozens of houses of worship in our City.

We share information about  City-sponsored events and programs via Alert Bowie (a text and email alerting system), social media, various newsletters, and this website. Visit the Keep Connected page for details.

Annual Celebrations

We love to celebrate here in Bowie. There's a parade during Memorial Day weekend, Bowiefest is on the first Saturday in June and Juneteenth is usually two weeks later. The Old Town Bowie Celebrates! Festival happens each October, and there are several holiday events that take place throughout the month of December.