Bellville is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Austin County. The city's population was 4,097 at the 2010 census. Bellville was named for Thomas B. Bell, one of Stephen F. Austin's earliest colonists, after he and his brother donated land for the new county seat established by voters in 1846. San Felipe had been the county seat before the war for independence. State Highway 36 and State Highway 159 intersect at Bellville, as do FM 529, FM 1456, and FM 242.
Geography
Bellville is located in southern Austin County at . Sealy, along Interstate 10, is to the south, Hempstead is to the northeast, and Brenham is to the northwest. Downtown Houston is to the southeast via Sealy and Interstate 10. According to the United States Census Bureau, Bellville has a total area of, all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,794 people, 1,425 households, and 966 families living in the city. The population density was 1,452.0 people per square mile. There were 1,566 housing units at an average density of 599.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 81.89% White, 11.68% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 3.95% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.97% of the population. There were 1,425 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,806, and the median income for a family was $49,730. Males had a median income of $36,719 versus $21,685 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,671. About 4.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation Cfa.
