Bel Aire

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, 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 in the Wellington-McPherson Lowlands region of the Great Plains. Located on the south side of K-254 in south-central Kansas, Bel Aire is within the Wichita metropolitan area, bordered by Wichita to the south and west and bordered by Kechi to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• East High
  High · Wichita · 2,295 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Southeast High
  High · Wichita · 2,189 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• North High
  High · Wichita · 2,074 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• West High
  High · Wichita · 1,370 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Heights High
  High · Wichita · 1,292 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Valley Center High
  High · Valley Center · 995 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Christa McAuliffe Academy
  Elementary · Wichita · 863 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Curtis Middle School
  Middle · Wichita · 828 students · 12.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-07-31
  5 km SW of Hope, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-12-13
  6 km NW of Ramona, Kansas
• M 3.7 — 2025-12-09
  10 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-11-30
  5 km WSW of Danville, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-09-30
  9 km SW of Gypsum, Kansas
• M 2.5 — 2025-08-23
  6 km SSE of Spivey, Kansas