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About Bellaire
 Bellaire is located in Harris County, Texas within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place. Bellaire is known as "City of Homes" as the city is mostly residential; the city mainly functions as a bedroom community for upper-middle class families. Bellaire is the 27th wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income.
Bellaire living offers the perfect combination of quiet, small town America, with the convenience of big city attractions. Originally one of Houston's first suburbs, Bellaire grew from a small farming community to a booming residential neighborhood. Its growth spurred on by Houston's original trolley system. You can still find a trolley car from that era that graces Paso Park on the esplanade of Bellaire Boulevard, that reminds residents of the historical roots of the city.
One of Houston's premier residential areas, the 6,000 homes in Bellaire are a mixture of 1950's and 1960's two - and three - bedroom ranch styles and brand-new Georgian brick and Mediterranean stucco mansions. The practice of "tear-downs" - replacing old frame and brick bungalows with new, larger construction - is common in Bellaire. The average home price is $500,000 while the houses range from $200,000 to $300,000.
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Population |
Median Household Income |
Median Family Income |
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15,642 |
$89,775 |
$104,200 |
History of Bellaire
Bellaire was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, who was the president of the South End Land Company. Baldwin, a native of Iowa, was well know as the vice president of the Burlington Railroad. Bellaire was founded on what was part of William Marsh Rice's 9,449 acre ranch. Baldwin surveyed the eastern 1,000 acres of the ranch into small truck farms. He named those farms "Westmoreland Farms". Baldwin started Bellaire in the middle of "Westmoreland Farms" to serve as a residential neighborhood and an agricultural trading center. South End Land Company advertised to farmers in the Midwestern United States. Baldwin stated that the town was named "Bellaire", or "Good Air" for its breezes. Bellaire may have been named after Bellaire, Ohio, a town served by one of Baldwin's rail lines.
Bellaire Boulevard and a street car line connected Bellaire to Houston. The street car line, which ran a four mile stretch from central Bellaire to Houston's Main Street, started construction in 1909. The streetcar line consisted of one railway track and an overhead electric wire. A waiting pavilion and a turnaround loop were located at the terminus in Bellaire. The Houston Electric Company had simultaneously constructed a south end line from Eagle Avenue to what is now Fanning Street to connect to the Bellaire Boulevard line. Service, with one required transfer at Eagle Avenue, began on December 28, 1910. The streetcar was nicknamed the "Toonerville Trolley". Bellaire was incorporated as a city with a general charter in 1918, ten years after its founding. Bellaire had a population of 200 at the time.
Known for Quality Education
Bellaire is well known for its schools. Bellaire High School, is a flagship of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). An HISD magnet school for foreign languages and the Internation Baccalaureate Program, Bellaire High School is well known for consistently producing the highest number of National Merit Finalists of any high school in HISD, in addition to regularly producing state champion baseball teams.
Students who live in Bellaire inside of the 610 loop are zoned to Horn Academy for elementary school, while students in Bellaire outside of the 610 loop are zoned to either Condit Elementary School or Lovett Elementary School, the latter of which is in Houston. In addition, all Bellaire students are zoned to Pershing Middle School in the Braeswood Place neighborhood of Houston and Bellaire High School in Bellaire. In addition, a middle school called Pin Oak Middle School, which was built in 2002, is located in Bellaire. Students zoned to Johnston, Long, and Pershing Middle Schools may choose to attend Pin Oak instead; therefore Bellaire students may attend Pin Oak.
Two early childhood centers, Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center, and Las Americas Early Childhood Development (both of which are in Houston's Gulfton neighborhood), are closest to the city of Bellaire. Most residents rely on private preschools for the best education of their children. Students who are eligible for HISD's preschools may attend any Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD.
Two independent (private) schools, including Episcopal High School and the Post Oak Montessori School, are located in Bellaire. Nearby Independent schools include St. Marks Episcopal School in the city of West University Place, Holy Ghost Catholic School in Houston, and St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School in Houston.
The city of Bellaire also operates its own library.
Subdivisions in Bellaire
Bellaire is made up of enclaves. They include Bellaire Place, Bellaire Courts, Bellaire Oaks, Sylvania Courts, Southdale, Teas Geardens, Westmoreland Farms, Braeburn Hollow, Blume Acres, Tenbrook Plaza, Elmburt, Hollyview, Post Oak Terrace, Carroll, Evergreen Plaza, Mulberry Manor, Turrintine, Pin Oak Estates, Cranford Place, Braeburn Gardens, Oak Terrace, West Post Oak, Cedar Oaks, Twin Oaks, Bellview, Peaceful Valley, Oakdale, Teasdale, Richmond Plaza, Aband Alley, Evergreen Court, Vaughn Estates, Loveland Terrace, Georgian Terrace, Spruce Lane Place, Beechmont, Heart of Bellaire, Normanor, Willow Lane Place, La Mont, Frank L. Holton, Braeburn Gardens, and Braeburn Country Club Estates.
The Government of Bellaire
Bellaire currently has a city manager style of government. The city council is made up of the mayor and six city council members. All are elected at large. The mayor is elected for two-year terms, while each city council member is elected for four-year terms. The mayor may not serve for more than four terms in that position. A council member may have no more than two terms as a city council member. Bellaire is in Texas's 7th congressional district.
Transportation in Bellaire
Bellaire is a member city of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). The city is served by bus lines 2 (Bellaire), 17, 33 (Post Oak Crosstown), 49 (Chimney Rock Crosstown), and 65 (Bissonnet). Bellaire is the site of the Bellaire Transit Center, which has four lines (2, 33, 49, 65).
The 610 loop, the inner loop of the Houston area, runs through the city of Bellaire. Commuters get onto the 610 loop and then U.S. Highway 59 to get to work in Downtown Houston.
Community Information
The closest YMCA is the Weekly Family YMCA in the Braeswood Place neighborhood in Houston. The closest mainstream movie theater to Bellaire is the AMC Theaters Meyer Park 16 in the Meyer Park Shopping Center in Houston. Bellaire has a little league team called the Bellaire Little League which is famous for getting into the little league playoffs.
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