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 CDP 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 Airport opened on April 8, 1956. K.I. Sawyer AFB officially opened on May 8, 1959. 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 accommodate the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 airplanes that would be landing and taking-off from the site. Until 1985, K.I. Sawyer was also host to an interceptor squadron called the "Red Bulls" whose mission was to intercept and destroy any incoming Soviet bomber aircraft coming over the Arctic Circle. For a short period of time in the 1970s, K.I. Sawyer also hosted FB-111 bomber aircraft normally assigned to Pease AFB in New Hampshire. K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base was closed by the federal government to save money on September 30, 1995. A portion of the air base has since been converted into Sawyer International Airport, which replaced Marquette County Airport as the Marquette area's main civil airport in 1999. In recent years, a group of local citizens interested in preserving the historical significance of the base have collected 6 aircraft of the types used actively at various times through the base's history to be displayed near the airport. The program is known as the "Sawyer 6" project.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP 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 were 1,443 people, 501 households, and 360 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 66.0/km² (171.0/mi²). There were 1,659 housing units at an average density of 75.9/km² (196.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the base was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 501 households out of which 55.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the CDP, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,550, and the median income for a family was $26,979. Males had a median income of $27,679 versus $18,333 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $10,029. 26.6% of the population and 24.4% of families were below the poverty line. 30.6% of those under the age of 18 and 31.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.