Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
Encyclopedia
The town of Bel Air is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Harford County
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...

, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. 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
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, 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
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...

, and several miles north of Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...

. 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
Maryland Route 24
Maryland Route 24 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from an entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood north to the Pennsylvania state line near Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania. MD 24 is the main north–south highway of Harford County...

 (at Edgewood
Edgewood, Maryland
Edgewood is a census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 23,378 at the 2000 census.-History:Pooles Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.-Geography:...

) and Maryland Route 543
Maryland Route 543
Maryland Route 543 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 40 in Riverside north to MD 165 in Pylesville. MD 543 is a north–south highway through central Harford County that connects the communities of Creswell, Fountain Green, Hickory and...

 (at Riverside).

In the mid 20th century the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad
Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad
The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad , familiarly known as the "Ma and Pa", was an American short-line railroad between York and Hanover, Pennsylvania, formerly operating passenger and freight trains on its original line between York and Baltimore, Maryland, from 1901 until the 1950s...

 ("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
Ma and Pa Trail
The Ma and Pa Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail that follows the path of the old Ma and Pa Railroad through Harford County, Maryland. It contains three linked trails, one unconnected, with plans to bridge the gap in the middle, bringing the total length to...

, 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 .

Bel Air Police Department

Bel Air's primary law enforcement agency is the Bel Air Police Department
Bel Air Police Department
The Bel Air Police Department is a full-service agency servicing the incorporated Municipality of Bel Air, Maryland. The department is located in the Harford County Seat of Bel Air at 39 North Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, Maryland 21014...

 which was established in 1874. Its headquarters is located at 39 N. Hickory Avenue.

Demographics

The census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 of 2000 reports that there were 10,080 people, 4,235 households, and 2,511 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 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

Age Distribution

The median age was 39 years.

Sex Distribution

Income

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
H. Rap Brown
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin , also known as H. Rap Brown, was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and during a short lived alliance between SNCC , later the Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party...

, a member of the Black Panthers, was charged with instigating a riot after a rally in Cambridge
Cambridge, Maryland
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality...

; 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
    John Archer (Maryland)
    John Archer was a U.S. Congressman from Maryland, representing the sixth district for three terms from 1801–1807...

    , 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
    University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
    The Perelman School of Medicine , formerly the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was founded in 1765, making it the oldest American medical school. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, it is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is widely...

    ; 1741 – 1810.
  • Edwin Thomas Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth
    John Wilkes Booth
    John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...

     and son of Junius Brutus Booth
    Junius Brutus Booth
    Junius Brutus Booth was an English actor. He was the father of John Wilkes Booth , Edwin Booth , and Junius Brutus Booth, Jr., an actor and theatre manager...

    . Considered one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 1800s.
  • John Wilkes Booth
    John Wilkes Booth
    John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...

    , American stage actor and assassin of President Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

    .
  • Augustus Bradford
    Augustus Bradford
    Augustus Williamson Bradford , a Democrat, was the 32nd Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1862 to 1866. He served as governor during the Civil War and paid a heavy price for his devotion to the Union.-Biography:...

    , 32nd Governor of Maryland, 1862 – 1866.
  • Cigar
    Cigar (horse)
    Cigar , is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown winner, Citation did so in 1948 and 1950...

    , champion racehorse
  • Kimmie Meissner
    Kimmie Meissner
    Kimberly Claire "Kimmie" Meissner is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 World Champion, the 2007 U.S. National Champion, and the 2007 Four Continents Champion...

    , figure skating Olympian, 2006 World Champion and 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Champion
  • Melvin Mora
    Melvin Mora
    Melvin Mora , affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent...

    , former Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

     player
  • Herman Stump
    Herman Stump
    Herman Stump was an American politician.Stump was born on Oakington farm in Harford County, Maryland. He pursued the study of classics and law, was admitted to the bar in 1856, and commenced practice in Bel Air, Maryland...

    , Congressman; U.S. Commissioner-General of Immigration under President Grover Cleveland
    Grover Cleveland
    Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...

  • Jay Witasick
    Jay Witasick
    Gerald Alphonse "Jay" Witasick, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his major league debut on July 7, as a member of the A's versus the California Angels...

    , former pitcher for Tampa Bay Rays
    Tampa Bay Rays
    The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

  • Pat Healey
    Pat Healey
    Pat Healey is an American soccer player currently playing for Crystal Palace Baltimore in the USSF Division 2 Professional League.-College:...

    , Midfielder for Crystal Palace Baltimore, and Baltimore Blast
    Baltimore Blast
    The name Baltimore Blast has been used by two different indoor soccer teams:*Baltimore Blast , the original team that played in the first Major Indoor Soccer League...


Colleges and universities

  • Harford Community College
    Harford Community College
    Harford Community College is a community college in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. The college was founded in 1957. The campus occupies , and has 21 buildings totaling over .-Background:...

  • Eastern Christian College
    Eastern Christian College
    Eastern Christian College or ECC is a defunct co-educational, private Christian college that was located in Bel Air, Maryland, United States. It was supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ, which is part of the Restoration Movement.- History :...

     closed in 2005

Public Schools

The Harford County Public Schools
Harford County Public Schools
Harford County Public Schools is an American public school system serving the residents of Harford County, Maryland.-Elementary schools:There are thirty-two elementary schools in Harford County...

 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
Bel Air Middle School
Bel Air Middle School is located in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, USA. This school sits next to the site of its parent high school, Bel Air High.-Awards and recognition:...

, Southampton Middle School, Patterson Mill Middle School
High schools

Bel Air High School, C. Milton Wright High School
C. Milton Wright High School
C. Milton Wright High School is a public secondary school Located in Bel Air, Maryland. It was founded in 1980 with Robert Garbacik as its first principal. The school is named after former Harford County Public Schools superintendent, C...

, Harford Technical High School
Harford Technical High School
Harford Technical High School is a four-year vocational/technical public high school in Bel Air in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The school is located near the center of the county across the street from Harford Community College and next to the John Archer School.The school was opened...

, Patterson Mill High School

Private schools

  • St. Margaret's School
  • John Carroll School
    The John Carroll School
    The John Carroll School, established in 1964, is a private, independent, college-preparatory, co-educational Catholic school for grades 9–12, located on in Bel Air, Maryland...

  • Harford Day School
  • Bel Forest Academy
    Bel Forest Academy
    Bel Forest Christian Academy is located in Bel Air, Maryland, United States. It is a relatively small school, with an enrollment of approximately 100 students. The school goes from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade....

  • New Covenant Christian School

Small airports

The two small plane airports in the metropolitan area are:
  • Forest Hill
  • Fallston Airport
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