5 of Bel Air North’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #109 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Bel Air North was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bel Air North is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #109 of 261 in Maryland. 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 Bel Air North’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bel Air North’s 6.4 sits near the middle of its state (65% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Air North’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bel Air North. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Belair sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bel Air North.
The story so far
Bel Air North, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bel Air North yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bel Air North is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated immediately north of (and excludes) the incorporated town of Bel Air. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 30,568, up from 25,798 in 2000.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 30,568 to 31,841 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Bel Air North, 1862 to 1923
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Bel Air North is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #109 of 261 in Maryland. 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 Bel Air North?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Tudor Hall (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the Heighe House, with 4 contributing buildings. 20 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Bel Air North?
2% of Bel Air North’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
