Fort Greely, Alaska
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Fort Greely is a census-designated place located in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 461.
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Geography
Fort Greely is located at 63°54'18" North, 145°33'16" West (63.905016, -145.554566)Template:GR.
Fort Greely is located 8 km (5 miles) south of Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 439.6 km² (169.7 mi²). 438.7 km² (169.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.21% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 461 people, 126 households, and 112 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 1.1/km² (2.7/mi²). There are 354 housing units at an average density of 0.8/km² (2.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 65.73% White, 19.74% Black or African American, 1.30% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 1.95% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 6.29% from two or more races. 15.40% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 126 households out of which 73.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.2% are married couples living together, 7.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 11.1% are non-families. 11.1% 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 3.25 and the average family size is 3.53.
In the CDP the population is spread out with 38.6% under the age of 18, 16.1% from 18 to 24, 43.4% from 25 to 44, 2.0% from 45 to 64, and 0.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 115.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 119.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP is $33,750, and the median income for a family is $32,969. Males have a median income of $26,544 versus $21,375 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $12,368. 10.4% of the population and 11.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.9% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
During World War II, the United States aided Russia against Germany and Japan by sending airplanes and supplies authorized by the Lend-lease act to Russia through Alaska into the Russian Far East. A highway, the Alaska Highway, was built to connect an existing road in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada with the Richardson Highway in Alaska, a distance of 2290 km (1423 miles). The Alaska Highway met the Richardson Highway at Delta Junction, 8 km (5 miles) north on the Richardson Highway from what is now Fort Greely. An air field, Allen Army Airfield, was constructed 6 km (4 miles) south of Delta Junction for use in sending supplies to Russia.
After World War II, Fort Greely was built south of the air field. The base and a huge tract of land around it were used for training soldiers for cold weather combat during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. In the 1980s, the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fort Greely was gradually closed.
In 1998, the United States government began work on a missile defense installation at Fort Greely.
Climate
As it is not near the ocean, this area is drier than coastal Alaska and experiences seasonal extremes typical of subarctic areas. The annual precipitation is only 305 mm (12 inches), including 94 cm (37 inches) of snow. The average low temperature in January is −23 °C (−11 °F). The average high during July is +20 °C (+69 °F). Temperature extremes have been recorded from −53 °C to +33 °C (−63 °F to +92 °F).
Ft. Greely is mostly sunny in the summer and split between clear and overcast days in the winter. On clear winter nights, the aurora borealis can often be seen dancing in the sky. Like all subarctic regions, the months from May to July in the summer have no night, only a twilight during the night hours. The months of November–January have little daylight.