Governmental Accounting

After reviewing the different characteristics of both cities, it is clear to say that the city of Huntsville and the city of Bellaire are vastly different communities. Huntsville is a city of its own and relies solely on its own businesses. Most of the residents in Huntsville are employed at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system or Sam Houston State University (CAFR). Comparatively, Bellaire is mainly a residential community and most of the residents work in Houston as professionals including physicians, surgeons, and lawyers (CAFR).

The city of Huntsville has a current population of 35,078, which includes inmates in the TDCJ system, and has only slightly increased in the past ten years (CAFR). In contrast, The City of Bellaire has a current population of only 15,642 and has had a greater increase than Huntsville over the past ten years (CAFR).

The 2005 median household income in Huntsville was $29,400 while Bellaire's was $92,700. While there is a huge discrepancy between these two numbers, both of the cities median household income had increased by about $2,000 since the year 2000 (Census Bureau). According to the CAFR, Huntsville's income per capita in 2005 was $19,660 compared to Bellaire's of $46,674 (Census Bureau). The total appraised value of property in Huntsville was $916,559,997 and Bellaire's was $2,189,129,810(CAFR). Both of these numbers have been a steady increase in the past ten years. Clearly, the city of Bellaire is much wealthier than the city of Huntsville.

The City of Huntsville's median age is 28.3 years and consists of 60.5% males and 39.5% females (City Data). The City of Bellaire's median age is 39.8 years and consists of 48.1% males and 51.9% females. Huntsville's median age is ten years lower than Bellaire's because of the large population of college students that reside in Huntsville. The city of Huntsville's education level is also immensely different than that of the city of Bellaire's. Huntsville's population that has completed high school or higher is 72.2% compared to Bellaire's of 95.4%. Huntsville's population that has a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.4% compared to Bellaire's of 66.6%. The segment of the population of Huntsville that has a graduate or professional degree is 9.2% while Bellaire's is 32.1%. The unemployment rate of Huntsville is 12% and Bellaire's is