K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
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K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base located in Marquette County, Michigan. The county airport, Sawyer International Airport, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled airline flights and significant general aviation activity. It is a census-designated place (CDP) used for statistical purposes. As of the 2000 census, the base had a total population of 1,443. The former base is located in the southeast corner of Sands Township, with small portions in West Branch Township and Forsyth Township.
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History
K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base was opened on April 8, 1956. The main purpose of the base was to act as a defense from Russia if they were to invade through Canada during the Cold War. Large runways were built, extending 12,300 feet (3,750 m) long to accomidate the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 airplanes would would be landing and taking-off from the site. K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base was closed by the federal government to save money on September 30, 1995.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 21.9 km² (8.5 mi²). 21.9 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.24% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,443 people, 501 households, and 360 families residing in the base. The population density is 66.0/km² (171.0/mi²). There are 1,659 housing units at an average density of 75.9/km² (196.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the base is 90.23% White, 0.69% African American, 3.47% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 4.09% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 501 households out of which 55.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% are married couples living together, 19.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% are non-families. 17.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 2.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.88 and the average family size is 3.27.
In the base the population is spread out with 38.5% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 37.8% from 25 to 44, 9.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years. For every 100 females there are 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the base is $26,550, and the median income for a family is $26,979. Males have a median income of $27,679 versus $18,333 for females. The per capita income for the base is $10,029. 26.6% of the population and 24.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.6% of those under the age of 18 and 31.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
References
- Sawyer Airport (http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSAW)
- K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base (http://members.fortunecity.com/kisawyer/)
External links
- Sawyer International Airport (http://www.sawyerairport.com/)