History
Bellaire was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, who was the president of the South End Land Company. Baldwin, a native of Iowa, was well known as the vice president of the Burlington Railroad. Bellaire was founded on what was part of William Marsh Rice's 9,449 acre (38 km²) ranch. Baldwin surveyed the eastern 1,000 acres (4 km²) of the ranch into small truck farms. He named those farms "Westmoreland Farms". Baldwin started Bellaire in the middle of "Westmoreland Farms" to serve as a residential neighborhood and an agricultural trading center. South End Land Company advertised to farmers in the Midwestern United States. Baldwin stated that the town as named "Bellaire", or "Good Air" for its breezes". Bellaire may have been named after Bellaire, Ohio, a town served by one of Baldwin's rail lines.

Six miles of prairie was a buffer zone between Houston and Bellaire. Originally the town was bounded by Palmetto, First, Jessamine, and Sixth (now Ferris) Streets.

Bellaire Boulevard and a street car line connected Bellaire to Houston. The street car line, which ran a four mile stretch from central Bellaire to Houston's Main Street, started construction in 1909. The streetcar line consisted of one railway track and an overhead electric wire. A waiting pavilion and a turnaround loop were located at the terminus in Bellaire. The Houston Electric Company had simultaneously constructed a south end line from Eagle Avenue to what is now Fannin Street to connect to the Bellaire Boulevard line. Service, with one required transfer at Eagle Avenue, began on December 28, 1910. The streetcar was nicknamed the "Toonerville Trolley". Bellaire was incorporated as a city with a general charter in 1918, ten years after its founding. Bellaire had a population of 200 at the time.

On September 26, 1927 the trolley line was abandoned and replaced by a bus line. This was due to frequent derailments caused by a worn-out track and the advent of the automobile.

Bellaire's population had reached 1,124 in 1940. After 1940, Bellaire had a rapid population explosion in the post-World War II building boom. On December 31, 1948, the city of Houston had annexed the land around the city of Bellaire, stopping the city of Bellaire's land growth.

Bellaire remained independent of Houston; Bellaire adopted a home rule charter with a council-manager government in April 1949. By 1950 the city's residents had numbered 10,150. In 1953, the Swedish general consulate moved to Bellaire. Bellaire High School was established in 1955.

During the Hurricane Rita evacuation, a bus filled with residents from Brighton Gardens, a nursing home in Bellaire, caught on fire and exploded in the city of Wilmer. The September 23, 2005 explosion killed 24 people out of the 38 residents and employees in the bus.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,642 people, 6,019 households, and 4,321 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,319.0 people per square mile (1,668.3/km²). There were 6,315 housing units at an average density of 1,743.7/sq mi (673.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.11% White, 0.84% African American, 0.27% Native American, 6.35% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.85% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.81% of the population.

There were 6,019 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.5% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $89,775, and the median income for a family was $104,200. Males had a median income of $72,295 versus $49,766 for females. The per capita income for the city was $46,674. About 1.9% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Houston's energy industry is recognized worldwide—particularly for oil—and biomedical research, aeronautics, and the ship channel are also large parts of its economic base. The area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment. Much of Houston's success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston. The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world. Unlike most places, where high oil and gasoline prices are seen as harmful to the economy, they are generally seen as beneficial for Houston as many are employed in the energy industry.

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion, slightly larger than Austria’s, Poland’s or Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). When comparing Houston's economy to a national economy, only 21 countries other than the United States have a gross domestic product exceeding Houston's regional gross area product. Mining, which in Houston is almost entirely exploration and production of oil and gas, accounts for 11% of Houston's GAP; this is down from 21% in 1985. The reduced role of oil and gas in Houston's GAP reflects the rapid growth of other sectors, such as engineering services, health services, and manufacturing.

Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S. In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area ranked first in Texas and third in the U.S. within the category of "Best Places for Business and Careers" by Forbes magazine. Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations. Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.

Attractions
The closest YMCA is the Weekley Family YMCA in the Braeswood Place neighborhood in Houston.

The closest mainstream movie theater to Bellaire is the Edwards Grand Palace theater in Houston.

Prior to the 2007 closing of the AMC Theatres Meyer Park 16 in the Meyer Park Shopping Center in Houston, that theater was the closest. Meyer Park 16 was not popular with Bellaire residents because the theater had no stadium seating. In addition, residents felt that the theater is not safe and is not maintained.

Bellaire has a little league team called the Bellaire Little League. The little league is famous winning the National Tournament of the 2000 Little League World Series, before losing in the Championship to Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Education
Public schools
The city is served by Houston Independent School District and the Houston Community College System.

Pupils who live in Bellaire inside of the 610 Loop are zoned to Horn Academy for elementary school, while students in Bellaire outside of the 610 Loop are zoned to either Condit Elementary School or Lovett Elementary School, the latter of which is in Houston. In addition, all Bellaire pupils are zoned to Pershing Middle School in the Braeswood Place neighborhood of Houston and Bellaire High School in Bellaire. In addition, a middle school called Pin Oak Middle School, which was built in 2002, is located in Bellaire. Students zoned to Johnston, Long, and Pershing Middle Schools may choose to attend Pin Oak instead; therefore Bellaire students may attend Pin Oak.

Maud W. Gordon Elementary School in Bellaire does not have a zoning boundary, it draws excess students from apartments west of Bellaire, in Houston, to relieve other schools in Houston west of Bellaire such as Benavidez, Cunningham, Elrod, and Milne.

Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center is the closest public early childhood center to the city of Bellaire. Since only economically-disadvantaged students, homeless students, students who are not proficient in English, or children of active-duty members of the U.S. military or whose parent has been killed, injured, or missing in action while on active duty, may be enrolled in HISD preschools tuition-free, and since this is perceived negatively by many local residents, many Bellaire residents rely on private preschools. Students who are eligible for HISD's preschools may attend any Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD for free.

Private schools
Three independent (private) schools, including Episcopal High School (9-12), the Post Oak Montessori School (K-8), and the Veritas Christian Academy (K-8), are located in Bellaire.

Nearby independent schools include St. Marks Episcopal School in the city of West University Place, Holy Ghost Catholic School in Houston, and St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School in Houston.

Faith Lutheran Day School (Pre-Kindergarten - Kindergarten) is a private preschool.

Colleges and universities
Bellaire is served by the Houston Community College System.

Transportation
Bellaire is a member city of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). The city is served by bus lines 2 (Bellaire), 17, 33 (Post Oak Crosstown), 49 (Chimney Rock Crosstown), and 65 (Bissonnet). Bellaire is the site of the Bellaire Transit Center, which has four lines (2, 33, 49, 65).

The 610 Loop, the inner loop of the Houston area, runs through the city of Bellaire. Commuters get onto the 610 Loop and then U.S. Highway 59 to get to work in Downtown Houston.