Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland

Bel Air, Maryland
—  Town  —
South Main Street
Location of Bel Air, Maryland
Coordinates: 39°32′12″N 76°20′54″W
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Harford
Founded	1856
Incorporated	1945
Government
• Chairman of Board of Commissioners	Edward Hopkins
Area
• Total	2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Land	2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Population (2000)
• Total	10,080
• Density	3,587/sq mi (1,385.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	24-05825

The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2000 census the population of the town was 10,080. In 2009 the town's estimated population was 10,368. It is the center of the Bel Air-Abingdon, Maryland Micropolitan Area.

Geography

Bel Air is located at 39°32′12″N 76°20′54″W (39.536707, -76.348280).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.

Transportation

Bel Air is located on U.S. Route 1, and several miles north of Interstate 95. Route 1 has both a bypass around Bel Air and Hickory, and a business route snaking through downtown. Both are connected to I-95 by Maryland Route 24 (at Edgewood) and Maryland Route 543 (at Riverside).

In the mid 20th century the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad ("Ma and Pa") ran through town, but the tracks were dismantled in 1958. The station was located (at milepost 26.5) on Rockspring Ave. between Broadway and Ellendale St. Much of the railroad's former route in and around Bel Air is now the Ma and Pa walking trail, which cuts through various wooded sections of town in and around Heavenly Waters Park.

A six-level parking garage is located on Hickory Avenue downtown, and there are plans to build a second parking garage elsewhere in town^{[citation needed]}.

Bel Air Police Department

Bel Air's primary law enforcement agency is the Bel Air Police Department which was established in 1874. Its headquarters is located at 39 N. Hickory Avenue.

Demographics

The census of 2000 reports that there were 10,080 people, 4,235 households, and 2,511 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,583.7 people per square mile (1,385.0/km²). There were 4,444 housing units at an average density of 1,580.0 per square mile (610.6/km²).

There were 4,235 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94.

Racial Makeup

White	92.8%
African American	4.4%
Asian	1.4%
Native American	0.2%
Pacific Islander	< 0.1%
Other	0.3%
Two or more races	0.9%
TOTAL	100.0%
(Hispanic or Latino, any race	1.2%)

Age Distribution

Under 18 years		22.1%
18-24		8.2%
25-44		30.5%
45-64		21.8%
65 or over		17.4%

The median age was 39 years.

Sex Distribution

Age Group		Females	Males
All ages		51.5%	48.5%
18 years or over		52.3%	47.7%

Income

Per capita	$23,737
Median household	$44,135
Median family	$58,299
Median male	$42,412
Median female	$29,207

6.4% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the individuals living in poverty, 7.6% were under the age of 18 and 6.5% were 65 or older.

History

Bel Air's identity has gone through several incarnations since 1780. Aquilla Scott, who had inherited land known as "Scott's Improvement Enlarged," planned the town on a portion that he called "Scott's Old Fields." Four years later, the town had expanded as local politicians, merchants and innkeepers purchased lots from Scott, and the county commissioners decided to change its name to the more appealing "Belle Aire." In his deeds, Scott dropped one letter, renaming the town, "Bell Aire." Around 1798, court records dropped two more letters, and "Bel Air" was born.

During this period, Bel Air began to rise in prominence. In 1782, just two years after its founding, it became Harford's county seat, and Daniel Scott (Aquilla's son) started building a courthouse on Main Street. Although the town limits in the late 18th century encompassed nothing more than the two sides of Main Street, the days following the Civil War saw a building and land-development boom that remains in full swing to this day.

In the early 20th century, several fires swept through the downtown area, notably in 1900 and 1942. In 1972, another fire struck, decimating the east side of Main Street and causing $2 million in damage.

In 1970, the notorious H. Rap Brown, a member of the Black Panthers, was charged with instigating a riot after a rally in Cambridge; a change in venue brought his trial to Bel Air. In an attempt to assassinate Brown, radicals drove to Bel Air in a car laden with plastic explosives, intending to take down the courthouse. The car exploded prematurely, about a mile from the courthouse, and left a crater in the road . The trial was eventually moved again.

Into the 1950s, Bel Air boasted a regionally featured horse track, which stood where the Harford Mall is today.

Notable natives and residents

• John Archer, United States representative and physician—recipient of the first medical diploma issued in the United States, from what is now the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; 1741 – 1810.
• Edwin Thomas Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth and son of Junius Brutus Booth. Considered one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 1800s.
• John Wilkes Booth, American stage actor and assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
• Augustus Bradford, 32nd Governor of Maryland, 1862 – 1866.
• Cigar, champion racehorse
• Kimmie Meissner, figure skating Olympian, 2006 World Champion and 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Champion
• Melvin Mora, former Baltimore Orioles player
• Herman Stump, Congressman; U.S. Commissioner-General of Immigration under President Grover Cleveland
• Jay Witasick, former pitcher for Tampa Bay Rays
• Pat Healey, Midfielder for Crystal Palace Baltimore, and Baltimore Blast

Schools

Colleges and universities

• Harford Community College
• Eastern Christian College closed in 2005

Primary and secondary schools

Public Schools

The Harford County Public Schools serve Bel Air, in addition to the rest of the county.

Elementary schools

Bel Air Elementary School, Fountain Green Elementary School, Hickory Elementary School, Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School, John Archer School, Prospect Mill Elementary School, Ring Factory Elementary School, Forest Lakes Elementary School, William S James Elementary School, Emmorton Elementary

Middle schools

Bel Air Middle School, Southampton Middle School, Patterson Mill Middle School

High schools

Bel Air High School, C. Milton Wright High School, Harford Technical High School, Patterson Mill High School

Private schools

• St. Margaret's School
• John Carroll School
• Harford Day School
• Bel Forest Academy
• New Covenant Christian School

Small airports

The two small plane airports in the metropolitan area are:

• Forest Hill
• Fallston Airport