Aberdeen Proving Ground
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Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army proving ground located in Harford County, Maryland at Aberdeen, Maryland. It is the Army’s oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917, six months after the United States entered World War I, It was established there so that design and testing of ordnance matériel can be carried out in close proximity to the nation’s industrial and shipping centers at the time. The first gun was fired on January 2 1918. It was created as a successor to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, which was too small for some of the larger weapons being tested. At the peak of World War II, Aberdeen Proving Ground had billeting space for 2,348 Officers, and 24,189 Enlisted Personnel.
Aberdeen Proving Ground occupies 72,962 acres (295.27 km²). Its northernmost point is marked by the confluence of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. On the south it is bordered by the Gunpowder River.
The installation is organized into two areas, separated by the Bush River. The northern area is known as the Aberdeen Area, and the southern sector, formerly Edgewood Arsenal, is the Edgewood Area, the location of the former U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM). Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical weapons depot located here. Elimination of the chemicals held here was put on an accelerated schedule after 9/11 and all chemical weapons were scheduled to be destroyed by 2004.
Other parts of the proving ground not attached to the main installation includes the Churchville Test Site in Harford County and Carroll Island and Graces Quarters in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Demographics
The United States Census has defined a census-designated place (CDP) called Aberdeen Proving Ground which is a subset of the Army installation. As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,116 people, 805 households, and 763 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 105.8/km² (274.1/mi²). There were 902 housing units at an average density of 30.6/km² (79.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 50.48% White, 34.60% African American, 0.64% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 1.25% Pacific Islander, 5.68% from other races, and 4.24% from two or more races. 11.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 805 households in the CDP, of which 78.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.2% were non-families. 4.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.63.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 40.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 44.9% from 25 to 44, 4.4% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 113.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,875, and the median income for a family was $40,306. Males had a median income of $26,943 versus $26,194 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,808. 5.6% of the population and 4.2% of families were below the poverty line. 6.4% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.