Belleair’s post office opened in 1897, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #149 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Belleair was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Its Register listing is the Old Belleair Town Hall. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: the first Belleair post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Belleair’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Belleair is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #149 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Belleair’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’s 2.3 sits above most of its state (77% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
Belleair traces its origins to 1896 as a planned resort town with the construction of the Belleview Hotel by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant. Originally known as Belleair Heights, the community consisted of a few dozen homes, livestock stables, and a famed 200-seat coliseum where bicycle races and political rallies were held. Over 300 acres of land were cleared and streets platted. However, real estate development in the community did not meet expectations, and the population remained small.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Belleair post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Belleair rank for history?
Belleair is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #149 of 638 in Florida. 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.
What is on the National Register in Belleair?
One place: the Old Belleair Town Hall (listed 1994).
How old are the homes in Belleair?
2% of Belleair’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (17), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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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