Bellaire is a city in southwestern Harris County, Texas, United States, located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, Bellaire had a population of 17,202. The city is bordered by Houston and West University Place. Bellaire is known as the "City of Homes" because most of its area is residential, but it also has offices near the I-610 Loop inside the city. Bellaire includes two public elementary schools, one public middle school, one public high school, one public library, and three private K-12 schools within its limits. The city also has a bus transit center and several public bus routes. Previously, Bellaire was part of a streetcar system.

History

Bellaire was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, who was the president of the South End Land Company. Baldwin, born in Iowa, was also the vice president of the Burlington Railroad. Bellaire was created on part of William Marsh Rice’s 9,449-acre (38.24 km²) ranch. Baldwin divided the eastern 1,000-acre (4.0 km²) section of the ranch into small farms called "Westmoreland Farms." He built Bellaire in the center of these farms to serve as a place for people to live and a center for buying and selling farm products. The South End Land Company advertised to farmers in the Midwestern United States. Baldwin said the town was named "Bellaire," meaning "Good Air" because of the fresh breezes. Bellaire may have been named after Bellaire, Ohio, a town connected to one of Baldwin’s rail lines.

Six miles of prairie land separated Houston and Bellaire. The town was originally bounded by Palmetto, First, Jessamine, and Sixth (now Ferris) Streets. In 1910, Edward Teas, a plant expert, moved his nursery to Bellaire from Missouri to help with a landscaping plan. Bellaire became an official city in 1918, 10 years after its founding. At that time, the population was 200. Because of this, Houston did not include Bellaire’s land in its city limits but added nearby areas that were not yet part of a city.

By 1940, Bellaire’s population had grown to 1,124. After 1940, the city experienced rapid population growth during the post-World War II building boom. On December 31, 1948, Houston took over the land around Bellaire, stopping the city’s expansion. Bellaire stayed independent and adopted a new government system in April 1949. By 1950, the city had 10,173 residents and 3,186 homes. Each of the next two years, 600 to 700 new homes were built. Because of the growing population, several schools, including Bellaire High School, Marian High School, and two elementary schools, were built. Condit Elementary received a new addition. In the 1960s, 250 homes were demolished to make space for the I-610 Loop highway, which cut through the city.

A Bellaire resident said in the Houston Post that before 1992, the city’s tax base was shrinking. After a nearby city, West University Place, relaxed rules for developers, new homes were built there, increasing its tax base. Bellaire also changed its rules to allow more development. When land prices in West University Place reached about $20 per square foot, buyers began to consider Bellaire, where homes averaged $10–12 per square foot. A real estate manager said Bellaire had "comparable" features to West University Place, such as independent fire and police departments, good schools, and parks. A real estate president called Bellaire a "bargain" because it was affordable, had good services, and had excellent schools. Wealthier families began moving to Bellaire, and home prices rose from $75,000 to $500,000 between 1986 and 2006.

In 2002, the city of Bellaire tried to buy part of the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Teas Nursery, the oldest business in Bellaire and the oldest nursery in Greater Houston, to turn it into a park. The nursery company opposed the city’s plan. That year, the nursery sold 5 acres (2.0 ha) to a home developer. The owner of the developer said he had the option to buy the remaining 5 acres. When the city denied a request to change the land’s use, the nursery sued the city and its zoning commission in 2002. The lawsuit was settled in 2005.

During Hurricane Rita, a bus carrying residents from a nursing home in Bellaire caught fire and exploded in Wilmer, killing 24 of the 38 people on board. A lawsuit from the incident was settled in 2009. In 2008, a tour bus carrying a Tejano singer crashed in Bellaire. By 2008, many homes in Bellaire sold for over $1,000,000.

On December 31, 2008, Bellaire police officers shot Robbie Tolan, the son of a former baseball player, in the chest after suspecting him of stealing a vehicle in his driveway. Tolan was hospitalized with injuries to his lung and liver. The incident led to claims of racial profiling. In 2002, José Cruz Jr., the son of a baseball player, was arrested by Bellaire police for missing a license plate. A newspaper said the arrest was a mistake. In 2009, Cruz accused the police of racial profiling. The mayor said she was unaware of such claims and announced an investigation. A local civil rights group said it would help people report police misconduct if they did not want to contact the city. However, no civil rights violations had been reported.

In 2009, a grand jury charged a police officer with aggravated assault. If convicted, the officer could face life in prison. The officer was found not guilty in 2010.

Teas Nursery closed in 2010, and the owner planned to redevelop the land for homes. The Rubenstein family bought the property and planned to give it to the city for public use. The property has two historic buildings. The mayor said she was happy to preserve a piece of Bellaire’s history.

In 2010, the mayor said she would oppose a plan to build a permanent stadium for the Houston Dynamo near Bellaire. The stadium, now called BBVA Compass Stadium, was later built at a different location.

Geography and climate

Bellaire is located at 29°42′12″N 95°28′6″W (29.70333°N 95.46833°W). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 square kilometers), all of which is land. The city is surrounded by Houston, West University Place, and Southside Place.

Bellaire’s housing lots are 75 feet (23 meters) by 130 feet (40 meters), allowing for larger homes than those typically built on smaller lots in West University Place, which are 50 feet (15 meters) by 120 feet (37 meters). A Bellaire lot can fit a house with a detached garage and a swimming pool, while a typical West University Place lot could only fit a newly built Georgian-style house described as "lot-hugging." The larger and more affordable lots in Bellaire made the area more appealing to people looking for homes.

The original homes in Bellaire were usually three-bedroom, one-bathroom houses built after World War II. These homes were described as "smallish." Because of this, developers often tore them down to build new homes. Some residents chose to renovate their homes instead. However, as land values increased, some people changed their minds and decided to sell or move. In some areas, the land was worth more than the homes built on it. Larger homes were found in subdivisions like Carroll, south of Bellaire Boulevard, and Braeburn Country Club Estates, between Chimney Rock and Rice. Many of these homes were built in the 1950s and early 1960s on lots that were about 0.5 acres (0.20 hectares). Karl Lewis, a real estate manager, said many of these homes were still "quite attractive" and similar to larger homes in Tanglewood. In 1992, smaller lots in Bellaire cost about $50,000 (equivalent to $100,000 in 2024), while larger lots cost between $300,000 and $500,000 (equivalent to $600,000 and $1 million in 2024).

In a 2007 article, journalist John Nova Lomax described parts of Bellaire’s downtown as having "a certain 1950s charm," such as the Bellaire Broiler Burger, but called the area "boring." In 2008, Lomax said that Bellaire and other similar neighborhoods in Houston were "little more than glorified neighborhoods" due to the city’s growth.

Many streets in Bellaire, such as "Holly," "Holt," "Maple," and "Pine," are named after trees. The word "Holt" means a small grove or group of trees.

One community in Bellaire, Southdale, was developed by William G. Farmington, the same developer of Tanglewood. Southdale was built in the late 1940s with two-bedroom homes marketed to World War II veterans. These homes cost about $25,000 each (equivalent to $260,000 in 2024). Another subdivision in Bellaire is named "Broad Acres."

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Bellaire had a population of 17,202 people, with 5,847 households and 5,627 families living in the city. The average age of residents was 43.2 years. Twenty-seven point four percent of residents were younger than 18 years old, and sixteen point seven percent were 65 years old or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 93.3 males aged 18 or older.

All residents lived in urban areas, and no residents lived in rural areas.

There were 5,847 households in Bellaire. Forty-three point six percent of these households had children younger than 18 living in them. Of all households, 73.1% were married-couple households, 8.9% were households with a male head and no spouse or partner, and 15.7% were households with a female head and no spouse or partner. About 15.2% of all households included only one person, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

There were 6,325 housing units in Bellaire, of which 7.6% were unoccupied. Of the occupied housing units, 88.0% were owned by residents, and 12.0% were rented. The vacancy rate for owner-occupied homes was 2.4%, and the vacancy rate for rented homes was 13.6%.

According to the 2019 American Community Survey, the average household size was 2.78 people. Around 2020, the median household income was $201,629, and the average life expectancy was 87.4 years. In 2019, the average income per person was $101,097, and 2.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

The Holy Ghost Church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is located within the city limits of Houston, one city block away from Bellaire. In 2006, the church had about 4,000 regular members. It held services in both English and Spanish, with three masses each week for each language. In 2006, the pastor could speak both English and Spanish. A group of volunteers created stained-glass windows for the church, which were completed by 2008. This project began around 1983.

Bellaire also has St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, which is one of three Coptic Orthodox churches in the Houston area.

Government and infrastructure

Bellaire currently uses a city manager style of government. This system was created on April 2, 1949, and replaced the general law form of government. The city council includes the mayor and six council members. All are elected by all voters in the city. The mayor is elected for two-year terms and may not serve more than four terms. Each city council member is elected for four-year terms and may not serve more than two terms. Bellaire has zoning rules that determine what types of buildings and activities are allowed in different areas of the city. City hall is located on blocks 31 and 32 of the original Bellaire town site.

The Bellaire Fire Department is located at 5101 Jessamine Street. The fire station has two fire engines, two medic units, a commander vehicle, vehicles for the chief and assistant chief, a cascade unit, and a hazardous materials trailer. The fire department offers a program called the Citizens Fire Academy, which teaches fire and life safety skills to Bellaire residents on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The old fire station was demolished on December 4, 2009, with work continuing on Monday, December 7, 2009. During this time, the fire department temporarily used the Chevron building. A new fire station was planned for the old site, and the groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 17, 2009.

The Bellaire Police Department is located at 5110 Jessamine Street. As of 2008, Byron Holloway was the chief of police. The patrol division, the largest part of the department, includes patrol, detention, motorcycle, and bicycle units. The support services division includes court, records, and communications teams. The police department offers a program called the "House Watch Program," where residents allow officers to check their homes when they are away on vacation. In 2019, voters approved the creation of a new emergency medical services unit.

Zoning and land use issues have caused controversy in Bellaire throughout its history. These issues led to the 1977 recall of the mayor and three council members. On January 15, 2007, Bellaire voters rejected a proposal to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. Mayor Cindy Siegel and council member Pat McLaughlan supported the ban, while the other five council members, including Peggy Faulk, opposed it. The National Restaurant Association encouraged Bellaire to consider a smoking ban similar to one passed in Houston in 2005. In December 2009, Bellaire voters approved a ban on texting while driving. This ban was passed in Bellaire and West University Place, Texas, at nearly the same time. In 2010, Bellaire voters approved a 5–2 vote to ban feeding cats on public property and required permission from private property owners to feed cats on private property. The city received negative email feedback from places like Switzerland.

In 2011, Phil Nauert was elected as Bellaire’s new mayor. In 2014, long-time City Manager Bernie Satterwhite retired and was replaced by Paul Hofmann. In 2011, Bellaire High School principal Tim Salem tried to revoke the city government’s operating license of a popular food cart vendor who was liked by students.

Bellaire is in Harris County Precinct 3. As of 2008, Steve Radack was the commissioner of that precinct. The city is also in Constable Precinct One, led by Jack Abercia as of 2008. The nearest public health clinic is the Valbona Health Center, operated by Harris Health System, located in Greater Sharpstown. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Bellaire is in District 134 of the Texas House of Representatives. As of 2011, Sarah Davis represented the district. The city is also in District 17 of the Texas Senate. Bellaire is in Texas’s 7th congressional district. As of 2018, Lizzie Fletcher was the representative. The Bellaire Post Office, located along Bellaire Boulevard, is the designated United States Postal Service office for the city. Bellaire first had a post office in 1911.

Economy

The City of Bellaire has areas zoned for light industrial, commercial, and mixed-use residential and commercial purposes. Bellaire includes some high-rise office buildings near Interstate 610. Frost Bank’s Houston-area offices are located in Bellaire. AT&T Inc. operates its Houston-area headquarters in an office building at 6500 West Loop South in Bellaire. This building was previously used by SBC Corporation before it merged with AT&T. The Houston Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, formerly known as the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce, supports economic activity in Bellaire. The main offices of the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce were once located in Bellaire. Additionally, South Texas Dental has its corporate headquarters in Bellaire.

Chevron owns a 28.14-acre (113,900 m²) campus at 4800 Fournace Place in Bellaire. This site serves as the headquarters for the Chevron Pipe Line Company and other business units. S.I. Morris Architects built the building in 1977. The campus includes an 11-story building with 502,000 square feet (46,600 m²) of space. The building was originally constructed for Texaco in 1963 after the company requested the city to rezone land for a laboratory. The land was owned by Texaco before its merger with Chevron. The street where the building is located was renamed from Gulfton Drive to Fournace Place in honor of Bellaire resident J.J. Fournace. Texaco made this change to avoid having a street name similar to Gulf Oil, a competitor. In 2016, 900 employees worked at the site, including those in Chevron’s pipeline division and other departments. The land was the only part of Bellaire zoned as a "Technical Research Park" (TRP). In 2016, Chevron announced plans to move employees to Downtown Houston and sell the building. Employees were expected to leave by the end of 2017. Officials from the Houston Independent School District (HISD) considered purchasing the property to build a new Bellaire High School there.

In 1953, the Consulate-General of Sweden moved to Bellaire. At one time, the Consulate-General of Honduras in Houston was located in Suite 360 at 6700 West Loop South in Bellaire. As of 2009, the Honduran Consulate-General and the Swedish Honorary Consulate are located in Houston.

According to the 2000 Census, Bellaire had 8,120 employed civilians, including 3,835 females. Of these workers, 5,368 (66.1%) were private, for-profit wage and salary workers. Of these, 689 (8.5% of the total civilian workforce) were employees of their own corporations; 952 (11.7%) were private, non-profit wage and salary workers; 446 (5.5%) worked for local governments; 479 (5.9%) were state government workers; 111 (1.4%) were federal workers; 754 (9.3%) were self-employed; none worked in agriculture, forestry, fishing, or hunting; and 10 (0.1%) were unpaid family workers.

Parks and recreation

Evelyn's Park, which was once part of the Teas Nursery, covers an area of 5 acres (2.0 hectares). The ceremony where the park was officially named took place on June 25, 2011. Construction began in June 2015, and the park was planned to open on April 22, 2017. The Yellow House includes restaurants; it was home to the Ivy & James restaurant until the end of June 2018.

As of 1996, Bellaire banned smoking in public parks and prohibited dogs in all non-dog public parks. Smoking in public parks at that time resulted in a fine of $500. This rule was approved by a vote of 4 to 3 in 1996.

Bellaire hosts annual Fourth of July parades and annual Christmas celebrations called "'snow' in the park."

Bellaire's Little League baseball team competed in the Little League World Series in 2000. The team lost to the team from Maracaibo, Venezuela. In 2002, Bellaire's Little League team was placed in the same league as the team from West University Place. Before that, the teams played in separate leagues.

The Weekley YMCA in Houston includes Bellaire in its service area. It opened in 1951 as the Southwest YMCA in West University Place. The current facility in Braeswood Place, Houston, started construction in 2001.

Education

The city of Bellaire is part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Bellaire is located in Trustee District V.

Students who live in Bellaire inside the 610 Loop are assigned to Paul W. Horn Academy for elementary school. Students who live in Bellaire outside the 610 Loop are assigned to either Al J. Condit Elementary School or Lovett Elementary School. Lovett Elementary is located in Houston. Condit Elementary is on blocks 29–30 of the original Bellaire townsite.

All Bellaire students are assigned to Pershing Middle School in the Braeswood Place neighborhood of Houston and to Bellaire High School. A middle school called Pin Oak Middle School, which opened in 2002, is located in Bellaire. Students who are assigned to Johnston, Long, or Pershing Middle Schools may choose to attend Pin Oak instead. Pin Oak was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008.

In 2014, HISD built a new campus for Condit Elementary School. Designed by VLK Architects, the new school has space for 750 students. It has 33 classrooms and 83,000 square feet of space. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on November 10, 2014, and the school opened in 2016.

Bellaire’s first school opened in 1909. It moved to a new location in 1914, and an addition opened in 1927. When the addition opened, the school was renamed "Condit." Horn Elementary opened in 1949, and Bellaire High School opened in 1955. Condit Elementary received a new wing with 12 classrooms in the 1950s. Pin Oak Middle School opened in 2002. The current Horn and Lovett buildings opened in August 2011. The rebuilds of Horn, Lovett, and Herod Elementary Schools in Houston cost $49 million and were part of a $1 billion bond program approved by HISD voters in 2007.

Maud W. Gordon Elementary School in Bellaire did not have a specific zoning boundary. Before 2012, it accepted students from apartments in Houston west of Bellaire to help other schools in that area. From its opening in 1953 until 1983, Gordon was a neighborhood school. After it closed, the building temporarily housed the Post Oak School and later served as administrative offices. It reopened in 1988 to help Elrod and Cunningham schools. At that time, 80% of the students received free or reduced-price lunches, and 96% were from ethnic minority backgrounds. In 2012, HISD opened the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School in the former Gordon Elementary building. It was the first Chinese immersion school in HISD. The school was scheduled to move to the St. George Place area of Houston and open in August 2016. In 2017, HISD announced plans to demolish the Gordon/former MIMS campus so Bellaire High School’s baseball practice field could be relocated there, allowing the high school’s main campus to be rebuilt.

Three private schools are located in Bellaire: Episcopal High School (grades 9–12), The Post Oak School (Montessori K–8), and Veritas Christian Academy (K–8). Episcopal High School opened in the fall of 1984. Its campus previously housed Marion High School and a Roman Catholic school operated by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. The Post Oak School’s current campus opened in 1986. It had previously been located in the Gordon Elementary School building.

Holy Ghost School, a Catholic private K–8 school, is located in Houston near Bellaire. Another nearby Catholic K–8 school is St. Vincent de Paul School.

Other private schools near Bellaire in Houston include Saint Agnes Academy, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, and St. Thomas’ Episcopal School. As of 2019, The Village School in the Energy Corridor area provides bus service to an area along Westpark, via Royal Oaks Country Club. This bus stop serves students living in Bellaire.

The Texas Legislature designated the Houston Community College System (HCC) to serve Houston ISD, including Bellaire.

The HCCS Gulfton Center, located at 5407 Gulfton Drive in the Gulfton area of Houston, opened in 1990. It is a 35,100-square-foot campus building that HCCS purchased for $700,000 (equivalent to $1.48 million in 2024 dollars). The West Loop Center, an HCCS-owned campus at 5601 West Loop South, opened in Spring 1999. It is located in Houston and near Bellaire. Both the Gulfton and West Loop campuses are part of the district’s Southwest College.

The city of Bellaire operates its own library, the Bellaire City Library, at 5111 Jessamine Street. It opened in 1951, and initially, the sole librarian worked part-time. The Friends of the Bellaire Library, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established that year to support the city’s library.

Media

The Houston Chronicle is the main newspaper for the region. Residents receive a local section that covers Bellaire, West U, River Oaks, and Meyerland.

The Village News and Southwest News is the oldest local newspaper still being published in Bellaire. Its offices are located at 5160 Spruce Street. The Bellaire Examiner is a newspaper given to residents for free. The Bellaire Buzz, one of four magazines made by Buzz Magazines, is a monthly publication that covers people, products, and services in the community. It is mailed to all residents free of charge during the first week of each month. BellaireConnect.com is a website for Bellaire and its nearby neighborhoods. Bellaire•West University Essentials is an informational magazine that is delivered monthly to all homes in the city.

During the mid-20th century, the community newspaper Southwestern Times served Bellaire and nearby areas. The paper was located in Rice Village and acted as the official newspaper of the city.

The Bellaire Texan, which served the community during the mid-20th century, was located in Bellaire and published by the Texan Publishing Corporation. It was the official newspaper of the city. By 1975, it was renamed the Bellaire & Southwestern Texan and published by the Preston Publishing Company. At that time, it was located in Houston. Jack Gurwell started the newspaper in 1954. Lynn McBee from the Bellaire Examiner described him as "a Damon Runyonesque character."

Transportation

Bellaire is a member city of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). The city is served by several bus lines: 2 (Bellaire), 9 (Gulfton/Holman), 20 (Canal/Memorial), 49 (Chimney Rock/S Post Oak), 65 (Bissonnet), 309 (Gulfton Circulator), and 402 (Bellaire Quickline). The Bellaire Transit Center, located at 5100 Bellaire Boulevard near South Rice Avenue, serves six bus lines: 2, 20, 49, 65, 309, and 402. In 2010, METRO proposed building the Bellaire Station as part of the METRORail University Line.

In Bellaire’s early history, Bellaire Boulevard and a historic streetcar line connected the city to Houston. The streetcar line, which stretched four miles (6 kilometers) from central Bellaire to Houston’s Main Street, began construction in 1909. The line included one railway track and an overhead electric wire. At the Bellaire end, a waiting pavilion and a turnaround loop were built. The Houston Electric Company also built a separate line from Eagle Avenue to Fannin Street to connect with the Bellaire Boulevard line. Service started on December 28, 1910, with a required transfer at Eagle Avenue. The streetcar was nicknamed the "Toonerville Trolley." On September 26, 1927, the trolley line was abandoned and replaced by a bus line. This change happened because the track became worn and caused frequent derailments, and cars became more common. In 1985, a similar streetcar from Portugal was brought to Bellaire for permanent display.

Notable people

• Jon Bass
• Ezra Charles
• Bubba Crosby
• José Cruz Jr., former MLB outfielder and coach
• Richard Linklater
• Emeka Okafor, former college and NBA player
• Dennis Quaid
• Randy Quaid
• Brent Spiner
• Jaylen Waddle
• Josh Wolf (born in 2000), baseball player for the Cleveland Indians and Team Israel