Revisiting the Gunbelt: Demographics Changes near U.S. Domestic Military Bases

• In Event: 40821 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4. Environmental Justice & Climate Policy

Abstract

National militaries embody place through military installations. Conventional militarized landscapes range from war frontlines to “peaceful” domestic bases, and these places shape the spatial production and distribution of urban environments and industries. The gunbelt has geographic implications that shape the economy and community demographics. Despite the critical role militarism can have in our cities and towns, recent sociological research has overlooked the corresponding impacts of war and the military. Recently, areas neighboring military installations have risen in population growth and residential sprawl. These areas of growth are at risk of heightened toxic exposure because defense-related activities can carry many air, land, and water contaminants (such as industrial solvents or heavy metals). Moreover, there is an overrepresentation of Black and Latinx military personnel, it is likely those on the frontlines of service are more likely reside in and near military bases. This project uses historical data from the U.S. Census and Department of Defense to examine temporal trends of socio-demographic at domestic military bases. Preliminary results focus on California. Areas within 5-kilometers of a military installation report a 89.4% population increase from 1970-2020. This population growth is lower as compared to 117.8% population increase from 1970-2020 for areas within a neighboring military installation. However, areas near military installations have a higher growth of Black and Latinx residents as compared to areas without military bases. There is a 144.5% increase in Black residents near military bases as compared to the 88.0% Black resident growth rate for areas without a military installation. For Latinx residents, there is a 144.5% increase near military sites compared to the 17.4% increase for areas further away from military areas. Contaminants in water, soil, and buildings are common on bases because of industrial- and aviation-related activities. Therefore, the growth of Black and Latinx residents is placing these communities more at military-related risk. Future analysis will include all states.

Author

• Camila Huerta Alvarez, University of California-San Diego