Bel Air, MD (CDP)

Bel Air is the Harford County seat in northeastern Maryland, set between Baltimore's northern suburbs and the rural roads of the county. The town's 2020 census population was 10,661. Its center grew from Aquilla Scott's 1780 plan on land he called Scott's Old Fields, and the Courthouse Historic District still keeps the county-seat story in the middle of town. Main Street, North Hickory Avenue, and the Armory form a compact civic and event core. The county courthouse and town offices keep weekday government visible downtown.

Bel Air's current calendar fills that core with the farmers market, First Fridays, summer concerts, the Festival for the Arts, the Maryland State BBQ Bash, and seasonal parades. The town's Arts & Entertainment District covers most of downtown, while the historic Bel Air Armory provides an indoor venue. Harford County Public Schools serve local students. Bel Air is a county-seat town where court and county functions share streets with arts programming and recurring gatherings, giving downtown a role beyond weekday government.