The City of Bellaire is the best place in the nation to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, according to a national study by ZipRealty Inc., an online residential realty brokerage firm.
With a population of more than 17,000, Bellaire — an independent municipality with its own mayor — is located along Loop 610, south of the Galleria and north of Beechnut Street.
Bellaire’s walkability and high home prices that suggest affluence compared to other parts of Houston lifted it to the top of the national study, the Emeryville, Calif.-based ZipRealty reports.
Bellaire, founded in 1908, has the motto “City of Homes.”
"Selecting the top cities for trick-or-treating is a great place for families to start, but cities are massive areas with several distinct and dynamic neighborhoods," says Jamie Wilson, senior vice president of technology for ZipRealty. "So we've fine-tuned our list to uncover the best neighborhoods for trick-or-treating based on a much more micro level, using zip-code specific housing data."
According to Money magazine, Bellaire has a median household income of $197,770 and a median home price of $620,000. By comparison, the median home price for the Greater Houston area is $181,570, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.
Bellaire has been a prime site for “tear-down” activity as old homes built in the 1950s have been torn down and replaced with new homes, many of which are priced at more than $1 million. Bellaire, founded in 1908, has the motto “City of Homes.”
The No. 2 community in the nation for trick-or-treating was Wellesley and Wellesley Hills in Boston. But Bellaire's not alone in giving the Houston area Halloween honor. Spring Branch East, Spring Valley Village and Hilshire Village — zip code 77055 — came in at No. 6 in the Top 15.
Full Disclosure: Ralph Bivins grew up in Bellaire and trick-of-treated there every fall.
Sante's Garden Room is decorated with two olive trees.
Photo by Chris Furia