On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bel-Ridge is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bel-Ridge’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bel-Ridge’s 1,965 sits above most of its state (100% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 478 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±8.2 points).
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-Ridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 5,346 in 1970; 2,132 people lived here in 2020.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bel-Ridge’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Bel-Ridge, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bel-Ridge yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bel-Ridge is a suburban city in northern St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,132 at the 2020 census. Bel-Ridge is part of the Normandy Schools Collaborative. Bel-Ridge became a city in 2015 by a vote of the voters.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,737 to 2,132 (-22%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Bel-Ridge is more historic than 98% 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.
What is on the National Register in Bel-Ridge?
One place: the Pasadena Hills Historic District (listed 2004).
How old are the homes in Bel-Ridge?
26% of Bel-Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.2 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1954.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2016
2004
