Fort Carson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Carson |
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| El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties near Colorado Springs, Colorado |
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 One of the entrance signs at Fort Carson.         
Shoulder sleeve insignia of units stationed at
Fort Carson. |
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| Type | U.S. Army post |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | January 31, 1942 |
| In use | 1942–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 4th Infantry Division 10th Special Forces Group 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade |
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Fort Carson, Colorado
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Location of the Fort Carson CDP in El Paso County, Colorado.
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 Fort Carson
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | El Paso County |
| Named for | Kit Carson |
| Government | |
| • Type | unincorporated community |
| Area | |
| • Total | 27.998 sq mi (72.515 km2) |
| • Land | 27.969 sq mi (72.440 km2) |
| • Water | 0.029 sq mi (0.075 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,814 ft (1,772 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 191 |
| • Density | 1,280/sq mi (494/km2) |
| 13,813 | |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code |
80902 & 80913
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| Area code(s) | 719 |
| GNIS feature | Fort Carson CDP |
Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs in El Paso County.
Fort Carson is the home of the 4th Infantry Division, the 10th Special Forces Group, the 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), the 440th Civil Affairs Battalion (USAR), the 71st Ordnance Group (EOD), the 4th Engineer Battalion, the 759th Military Police Battalion, the 10th Combat Support Hospital, the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, the Army Field Support Battalion-Fort Carson, the 423rd Transportation Company (USAR) and the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron of the United States Air Force. The post also hosts units of the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve and the Colorado Army National Guard. Fort Carson was also home to the 5th Infantry Division, known as the Red Devils.
History
Fort Carson was designated from Camp Carson in 1954 and in the 1960s, mechanized units were assigned to the fort and it was expanded to the present 137,000 acres (55,000 ha). Butts Army Air Field at the fort was constructed between 1963 and 1966 with a 4,573-foot (1,394 m) runway for light fixed-wing aircraft (cf. USAF C-130s at the nearby Peterson AFB.)
Throughout its history Fort Carson has been home to nine divisions. An additional training area, comprising 235,000 acres (959 km²), was purchased in September 1983. Named the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, this training area is located approximately 150 miles (240 km) road miles to the southeast, and is used for large force-on-force maneuver training. Comprehensive maneuver and live fire training also occurs downrange at Fort Carson.
Exercises and deployments continually hone the skills of Fort Carson soldiers. When not deployed, soldiers train annually at Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site and the National Training Center near Barstow, California. Additionally, units participate in joint exercises around the world, including Central and South Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia. In 2003, most Fort Carson units were deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Troops from the 984th Military Police CO, 759th Military Police BN were also sent in support of the guard mission at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. President George W. Bush addressed soldiers and family members at the post on November 24, 2003, in praise of the soldiers' determination and the sacrifices their families have made.
Fort Carson's beautiful scenery has made it one of the most requested duty stations in the U.S. Army. It is considered the second most popular CONUS duty station, after Fort Lewis, Washington, and adopted "Best Hometown in the Army" as its motto in 2007.
Construction in 2007 and 2008 preceded the return of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) from Fort Hood after their 2008 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment (~5,000 additional soldiers).
Location
Fort Carson is located at 38°44'45" North, 104°47'6" West (38.745744, −104.784907). It is located in Pueblo County, El Paso County, and Fremont County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km2), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,566 people, 1,679 households, and 1,620 families residing in the CDP (the number increased to 13,183 by 2010). The population density was 1,126.8 people per square mile (434.9/km²). There were 2,664 housing units at an average density of 196.8 per square mile (75.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 62.8% White, 20.0% African American, 2.1% Asian, 1.7% Native American, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 7.9% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.4% of the population.
There were 1,679 households out of which 84.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3.5% were non-families. 3.2% of all households were made up of individuals, none of whom were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.70 and the average family size was 3.74.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 37.1% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 1.2% 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 195.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 251.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,883, and the median income for a family was $34,385. Males had a median income of $19,865 versus $17,582 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,772. About 7.8% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.
Notable former Fort Carson soldiers
- Andrew Maynard, Gold medalist boxer (1988 Summer Olympics)
Dean Byrne
- Bernard W. Rogers, Chief of Staff of the Army, and later NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander in Chief, US European Command
- Boyd Melson, boxer
- Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State
- Dennis Reimer, Chief of Staff of US Army
- Wesley Clark, Supreme Allied Commander Europe
- Lionel Rivera, mayor of Colorado Springs
- John William Vessey, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Richard Otto, wildlife & landscape photographer
- John William Vessey, Jr., He was a United States Army general, and also served as the tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from June 18, 1982, to September 30, 1985.
Images for kids
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Training on a 37mm anti-tank gun at Camp Carson.
See also
In Spanish: Fort Carson (Colorado) para niños
