Fort Benning Real Estate Information & Homes for Sale
Established in 1918, Fort Benning is a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command installation covering 182,000 acres southwest of Columbus, GA. As one of the Army's largest training centers, Fort Benning has an enormous impact on the surrounding areas, particularly the Columbus region. As the area's largest employer, it provides jobs for over 41,000 soldiers and civilians (this is expected to increase by 20,000 over the next 3 years).
Obviously, as Fort Benning goes, the impact is tremendous on the surrounding communities effecting Homes Sales and Jobs in our area.
Fort Benning has always maintained a community atmosphere. The installation feels far more like a town or city than a fort. This is not an accident the atmosphere was created as a part of the design decisions by the team that helped Fort Benning grow. The design of Fort Benning was based on the belief that people function and learn best in community settings, and that integrating the fort with the surrounding communities was in the best interests of everyone concerned. Fort Benning has always enjoyed excellent relationships with its civilian community neighbors. It is a part of the Tri-Community area, along with Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama.
History
Fort Benning was originally established in 1918, and named after Major General Henry L. Benning, a Confederate general in the Civil War. Established in response to the need for a training installation for soldiers departing to fight in World War I, the fort was nearly decommissioned in the aftermath of the war. It was the community response to the closing of the fort that is credited with saving Fort Benning. After Congress had voted to close the military installation, the story goes, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce intensely lobbied Georgia senator Hoke Smith to change his vote and reopen the issue. They were successful, though it was a hard-won battle. By 1922, when Brigadier General Briant H. Wells took over the post of commandant for Fort Benning, the installation enjoyed the support of the local community and the government.
It was Wells who designed the face of Fort Benning. His vision was of a community where soldiers were at home, and the Wells Plan including the building of permanent housing and quarters, landscaping and sound forest management. Recreation for troops stationed at Fort Benning was also high on his list of priorities. In the 1930s and 1940s, Fort Benning underwent a growth spurt thanks to various development and redevelopment projects. Today, Fort Benning is a military installation focused on training ‘the best infantry in the world. Wells mission to provide a homelike atmosphere for stationed troops continues. In 2005, the decision was made to privitize the homes at Fort Benning and Clark Pinnnacle took over the job to demolish over 4000 outdated homes and build nearly 4,500 new homes and renovate several hundred historic homes on the installation. In keeping with Wells vision, the development plan calls for eleven neighborhoods, and includes Village Centers, Neighborhood Centers, pools, basketball courts, tennis courts, play fields, picnic shelters, and nature/fitness trails.
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