Much of Myrtle
Beach used to be a huge military facility: Myrtle Beach Air Force
Base. First built in 1940, the airbase was the former home of the
354th Tactical Fighter Wing (currently in Eielson Air Force Base,
AL), and was an Air Force training facility. It also served as one of
the bases protecting the Eastern Seaboard during the Cold War.
It's not unusual for the military to
close bases--they had a lot of them during the tense times of the
Cold War. Instead of leaving them to be reclaimed by Mother Nature,
however, they hand the premises over to the local government for
civilian use. Among the few remnants of the airbase today is the
runway, which has now become part of the Myrtle Beach International
Airport.
The rows of homes that dot what is
now a true suburban area stand on land once used for military
training. Someone unfamiliar with the place’s history will hardly
have any clue on its military past, what with its current features
and amenities that include an aerospace and technology business park,
a booming commercial district teeming with upscale shops and
establishments, and facilities for higher education.
The community that Myrtle Beach has
become is now being touted as an exemplary showcase of how abandoned
military facilities can be successfully converted into civilian use.
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