Most of Belleair Beach was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Belleair Beach is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Belleair Beach’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Belleair Beach’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Belleair Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the 1940s, the current city limits on Sand Key where Belleair Beach is located was uninhabited land without any settlers. The then deserted part of the island where the city now sits was temporarily used as a bombing range by the US military during WWII by military pilots from MacDill Field & other air bases used by the US Army Air Forces that now function as Tampa International Airport (formerly Drew Army Airfield) and St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (formerly Pinellas Army Air Field). After the war ended, major development of the land began to be platted around 1946 through 1947. The City of Bellair Beach was officially incorporated as a municipality on March 16, 1950.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Belleair Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Clearwater sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Belleair Beach.
People over time
Belleair Beach, census by census
Between 563 and 2,070 people in every census since 1960.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Belleair Beach’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Belleair Beach
Nobody well known was born in Belleair Beach itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1950, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 563 people here.
How does Belleair Beach rank for history?
Belleair Beach is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Belleair Beach?
0.4% of Belleair Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1976.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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