Bel Aire is a city in Sedgwick County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States, and a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,262.

History

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 The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

, which ruled in Bel Aire's favor.

Geography

Bel Aire lies on the north side of the East Fork of Chisholm Creek, roughly northeast of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

in the Wellington-McPherson Lowlands region of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

. Located on the south side of K-254 in south-central Kansas, Bel Aire is within the

Wichita metropolitan area The Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of four counties in south central Kansas, its only principal city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita and its only c ...

, bordered by Wichita to the south and west and bordered by Kechi to the north. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

Bel Aire is part of the

Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area The Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of four counties in south central Kansas, its only principal city is Wichita and its only central county i ...

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 8,262 people, 3,080 households, and 2,234 families in Bel Aire. The population density was 1,221.5 per square mile (471.6/km). There were 3,258 housing units at an average density of 481.7 per square mile (186.0/km). The racial makeup was 74.27% (6,136)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(72.25%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 9.92% (820)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.5% (41) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 4.56% (377) Asian, 0.04% (3)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 2.01% (166) from other races, and 8.7% (719) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 7.6% (628) of the population. Of the 3,080 households, 32.5% had children under the age of 18; 59.3% were married couples living together; 22.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 22.6% of households consisted of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.3. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 36.4% of the population. 23.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 110.9 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $84,605 (with a margin of error of +/- $20,847) and the median family income was $98,750 (+/- $21,163). Males had a median income of $44,161 (+/- $5,434) versus $33,880 (+/- $3,945) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $38,015 (+/- $7,931). Approximately, 4.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were 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 ...

, including 12.6% of those under the age of 18 and 1.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 6,769 people, 2,465 households, and 1,854 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 8.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population. There were 2,465 households, of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age in the city was 36 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

Education

The city is served by Wichita USD 259 and

Circle USD 375 Circle USD 375 is a public unified school district headquartered in Towanda, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Towanda, Benton, Greenwich, Midian, western El Dorado, eastern Bel Aire, and nearby rural areas. S ...

public school districts. Bel Aire has two private schools as well: Sunrise Christian Academy (Pre-K to 12) and Resurrection Catholic School (Pre-K to 5). The Northeast Magnet High School, operated by Wichita USD 259 public school district, is located in Bel Aire.

References

External links

City of Bel Aire

Bel Aire - Directory of Public Officials
{{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Sedgwick County, Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1955 1955 establishments in Kansas