Most of Bel Aire was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bel Aire’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bel Aire is among the newest 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 Bel Aire’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bel Aire’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas 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 still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1955.
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 Bel Aire’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bel Aire was founded in January 1955 when a group of local residents petitioned the county government to create it as an improvement district for water.
On November 26, 1980, Bel Aire formally incorporated as a city, despite a two-year legal dispute with the Wichita city government over whether or not it had the right to do so. The case ultimately went to the Kansas Supreme Court, which ruled in Bel Aire's favor.
In 1955, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1990 counted 3,695 people here.
How does Bel Aire rank for history?
Bel Aire is among the newest 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 Bel Aire?
0.0% of Bel Aire’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (3), 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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