Beale Air Force Base
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Beale Air Force Base is a base located in Yuba County, California. As of the 2000 census, the base had a total population of 5,115. In January 1966, the very first SR-71 Blackbird to enter into service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at the base.
It is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale.
Geography
Beale AFB is located at 39°6'22" North, 121°20'29" West (39.106035, -121.341484)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 26.1 km² (10.1 mi²). 26.1 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.10% is water.
In 1940, the "Camp Beale" area consisted of grassland and rolling hills and the abandoned mining town of Spenceville. Then Marysville City officials encouraged the Department of War to establish a military facility in the area. The U.S. government purchased 87,000 acres in 1942 for a training post for the 13th Armored Division, the only unit of its kind to be entirely trained in California. Camp Beale also held training facilities for the 81st and 96th Infantry Division, a 1,000-bed hospital, and a prisoner of war camp. Dredge materials from the area's abandoned gold mines were used to build streets at the Camp.
As a complete training environment, Camp Beale had tank maneuvers, mortar and rifle ranges, a bombardier-navigator training, and chemical warfare classes. During WWII, Camp Beale had 60,000 personnel.
In 1948, Camp Beale became Beale Air Force Base (AFB), its mission to train bombardier-navigators in radar techniques. The Base established six bombing ranges of 1,200 acres each. The U.S. Navy also used Beale AFB for training. From 1951 on, Beale trained navigation engineers and ran an Air Base Defense School. These additional activities led to rehabilitation of existing Base facilities and construction of rifle, mortar, demolition, and machine gun ranges. In 1958 the first runway was operational.
One year later, the installation stopped being used as a bombing range and the U.S. Government declared portions of Camp Beale/Beale AFB as excess, eventually transferring out 60,805 acres. On December 21, 1959, 40,592 acres on the eastern side of the Base were sold at auction. An additional 11,213 acres was transferred to the State of California between 1962 and 1964, and now comprise the Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area. In 1964-1965, another 9,000 acres were sold at auction. In deeds for the former Camp Beale property, the Federal Government recommended that the property have surface use only.[1] (http://www.campbeale.org/proj%5Fprofile/history/)
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 5,115 people, 1,463 households, and 1,357 families residing in the base. The population density is 195.9/km² (507.5/mi²). There are 1,662 housing units at an average density of 63.7/km² (164.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the base is 71.53% White, 10.73% African American, 1.13% Native American, 5.20% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 5.08% from other races, and 5.73% from two or more races. 11.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,463 households out of which 70.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.8% are married couples living together, 4.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 7.2% are non-families. 5.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 0.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.27 and the average family size is 3.38.
In the base the population is spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 19.7% from 18 to 24, 40.6% from 25 to 44, 1.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 117.2 males.
The median income for a household in the base is $33,944, and the median income for a family is $34,667. Males have a median income of $23,581 versus $18,839 for females. The per capita income for the base is $12,096. 6.7% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.9% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.