Belleair

History

Belleair traces its origins to 1896 as a planned resort town with the construction of the Belleview Hotel by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant. Originally known as Belleair Heights, the village consisted of a few dozen homes, livestock stables, and a famed 200-seat coliseum where bicycle races and political rallies were held. Over 300 acres of land were cleared and streets platted. However, real estate development in the community did not meet expectations, and the population remained small. The former village of Belleair Heights fizzled out in the mid-20th century as urban sprawl blurred the lines between communities; the area stopped being referred to as Belleair Heights during the 1930s. Following the acquisition of the hotel by the John McEntee Bowman's Biltmore corporation in 1919, management began purchasing large tracts of land south of the resort. The Florida Land Boom was in full swing in 1924, when the company's vice president and hotel manager Earl E. Carley announced a new real estate venture of Belleair Estates. Belleair Estates was designed by famed landscape architect John Nolen and was intended as Florida's most exclusive winter residential colony. The town initially incorporated in late 1924, though was re-incorporated in 1925 under the current name of Belleair. Development continued until the real estate bubble burst in 1926, which subsequently aided in the national Great Depression three years later. Following World War II, Belleair began to develop in earnest, with over two-thirds of the town's residences built after 1950. The Eagles Nest Japanese Gardens was a tourist attraction in the town located on the private estate of Dean Alvord. It opened in 1933 and closed in 1952.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (36.30%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• LARGO HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LARGO · 2,055 students · 22.6:1 ratio
• PINELLAS PARK HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LARGO · 1,919 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• DIXIE M. HOLLINS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · KENNETH CITY · 1,822 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CLEARWATER · 1,741 students · 21:1 ratio
• OSCEOLA FUNDAMENTAL HIGH
  High · SEMINOLE · 1,715 students · 22.6:1 ratio
• CLEARWATER HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CLEARWATER · 1,664 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• SEMINOLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SEMINOLE · 1,546 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• MADEIRA BEACH FUNDAMENTAL K-8
  Elementary · MADEIRA BEACH · 1,343 students · 19.2:1 ratio