The Bel Aire Improvement District was established in 1955 by Mr. T.E. Devlin and Mr. T.N. Pearson. The District was formed to construct a water system to serve the area residents. These residents of the Improvement District signed a petition in 1980 expressing the desire to guide and determine their own destiny. The city of Bel Aire was "established by the will of its citizens" on November 26, 1980, as a Third Class City. In 1998, city officials applied for and received state recognition to become a City of the Second Class. Bel Aire is located in Sedwick County, Kansas.