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Grand Forks Air Force Base (Grand Forks AFB or GFAFB) (IATA: RDR, ICAO: KRDR) is a base of the United States Air Force located in Grand Forks County, North Dakota 15 miles (24 km) west of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota on U.S. Highway 2. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". As of the 2000 census, the base CDP had a total population of 4,832. It is the home of the 319th Air Refueling Wing, which consists of the KC-135 Stratotanker. It is under the Air Mobility Command.
HistoryDue to the continuance of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Grand Forks AFB was built as an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base. The site for the base was chosen in 1954 and the land was paid for by the citizens of Grand Forks, the site was located 15 miles (24 km) west of the city. The beginning of the 5,400-acre (22 km²) air base started in 1956 with the construction of a 12,300-foot (3,700 m) runway. In 1957, the air base brought the 478th Fighter Group into service. Between 1957 and 1959, the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector of NORAD and SAGE became operational, which was able to cover three U.S. states and one Canadian province. In 1958, the 4133rd Strategic Wing was activated, which would soon add both tankers and bombers to its unit. 1960 was an important year for GFAFB when the 905th Air Refueling Squadron, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, and the 478th Fighter Wing (which replaced the 478th Fighter Group) were all activated. In 1962, GFAFB accepted the 30th Bombardment Squadron with B-52Gs from Homestead AFB in Florida, and incorporated it into the 4133d Strategic Wing. In 1963, the 319th Bombardment Wing was activated, replacing the inactived 4133rd Strategic Wing. In the same year, the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector and the 478th Fighter Wing were also deactivated, as the base's host switched to the Strategic Air Command (SAC). In 1971 the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit. The 804th Combat Support group was soon inactivated in 1972, and in 1973 the upgrade of the Minuteman III missiles to 321st SMW was completed. In 1974, although the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron won first place at the William Tell Air-to-Air Competition in Florida, it was inactivated due to the restructuring of the air defense system in GFAFB. In 1986, the B-52Gs permanently departed GFAFB, replaced by the B-1B Lancer in 1987. A change in the host unit occurred again, when in 1988, the 42nd Air Division was assigned for base support in place of the 321st SMW. The next decade would bring some of the biggest changes to GFAFB. In 1991, the the 42nd Air Division was deactivated. SAC was officially discontinued on June 1, 1992, and the base became part of the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC). Base realignment, 2005In May of 2005, The Pentagon recommended to the BRAC commission that GFAFB should be realigned. This would prevent the base from being closed, but would result in a significant loss in personnel levels as well as a loss of the tanker mission. To make up for these losses, the Air Force has proposed that a new family of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions be located at the base as well as "emerging missions" in homeland security. Also, there have been some signs that the tanker mission might be retained with a new fleet of planes replacing the older ones. Geography Grand Forks AFB is located at (47.947341, -97.358877).[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²), all land. DemographicsAs of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,832 people, 1,279 households, and 1,230 families residing on the base. The population density was 590.5 people per square mile (228.1/km²). There were 1,516 housing units at an average density of 185.2/sq mi (71.6/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 80.86% White, 8.40% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 2.42% Asian, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 2.67% from other races, and 4.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.98% of the population. There were 1,279 households out of which 77.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 88.5% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3.8% were non-families. 3.0% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.41 and the average family size was 3.48. On the base the population was spread out with 38.4% under the age of 18, 20.4% from 18 to 24, 39.4% from 25 to 44, 1.7% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age Was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 115.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.9 males. The median income for a household on the base was $36,414, and the median income for a family was $36,104. Males had a median income of $24,413 versus $17,750 for females. The per capita income for the base was $11,503. About 4.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older. Timeline
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