Bel-Nor is a northwestern suburban city of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in St. Louis County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States. The population was 1,499 as of the 2010 census. The events that were the basis for the 1971 novel and 1973 movie ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

'' have a connection to the village of Bel-Nor. In April 2015, the residents of Bel-Nor voted to become a city.

Geography

Bel-Nor is located at (38.704001, -90.317353). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,499 people, 668 households, and 412 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 702 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 48.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 46.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.3% of the population. There were 668 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.3% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the village was 47.4 years. 16.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,598 people, 667 households, and 474 families living in the village. The

was 2,555.5 people per square mile (979.4 per km²). There were 689 housing units at an average density of 1,101.8 per square mile (422.3 per km²). The racial makeup of the village was 57.20%

, 39.61%

, 0.94%

, 0.25% from

, and 2.00% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.88% of the population. There were 667 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.81. In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $57,857, and the median income for a family was $77,917. Males had a median income of $46,369 versus $32,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $46,534. There were 0.3% of families and 1.0% of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.0% of under eighteens and 3.4% of those over 64.

Overview

Bel-Nor incorporated in November 1937 and uses a village form of government with five elected trustees. Bel-Nor provides police service, street maintenance and snow plowing. The

University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Bel ...

is partially within Bel-Nor. Bel-Nor is also home to Incarnate Word Academy. The Normandie Golf Club, which claims to be the oldest public

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, is adjacent to the city. It was created in 1901 as the Normandy Country Club. Recently, village residents have been fighting in court to stop a planned redevelopment of Normandie Golf Course into residential housing.

Police

The Bel-Nor Police Department (BNPD) is responsible for enforcing the Missouri Law and the Municipal Law for the City of Bel-Nor. It consists of a small number of trained officers that come with several years of combined law enforcement experience, and a fleet of two patrol SUV's as well as one patrol car. Bel-Nor officers are known for strict speed enforcement on Natural Bridge Road and are known to assist officers from surrounding agencies including the St. John Police Department, the Breckenridge Hills Police Department, the Woodson Terrace Police Department and the Normandy Police Department on several calls for service due to a mutual aid agreement made with said departments. Bel-Nor officers can also be seen regularly on the UMSL campus, as a section of this campus lies within Bel-Nor. The Bel-Nor Police Department is contracted with the Saint Louis County Police Department for dispatching services.

Film

The film ''The Exorcist'' was based on an

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

that happened within the village of Bel-Nor in 1949.

Notable people

This list may include persons born in the community, past residents, and current residents. *

Mickey Carroll Mickey Carroll (born Michael Finocchiaro; July 8, 1919 – May 7, 2009) was an American actor who worked in radio and film, and was one of the last surviving actors who portrayed a Munchkin in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Early l ...

, dwarf actor who portrayed a

munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in O ...

in '' The Wizard of Oz'' *

Richard Eastham Richard Eastham (born Dickinson Swift Eastham; June 22, 1916 – July 10, 2005) was an American actor of stage, film, and television, a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice, and an inventor. Early years Eastham's birth name was ...

, buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, Bel-Nor *

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

, buried at Lake Charles Cemetery, Bel-Nor * George A. Killenberg, Executive Editor of the

St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper. Orig ...

Napheesa Collier Napheesa Collier (born September 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing college basketball for the UConn Huskies women's basketball, Uni ...

, UConn women's basketball player

References

{{authority control Villages in St. Louis County, Missouri Villages in Missouri