A City-Planner's
Dream Come True
The dcanosl. most spiM-ioii*. most
«•ffieient city, also has a recreation
program unmatched hv any town in
.\'orth Carolina.
А Сйу-рЬапгт‘*
ilre.im come I rue
— that'* Camp Lcjeunc. Spacious,
bcauiilul. efficient. Mimulating. safe—
(he qualities all buighcrs loaf for. and
m* leu pet in considerable degree
they arc here in a modern city built
on the bank* of a river in the heart
of
л
swamp.
Few North Carolinians have ever
ventured into this city, though they
may do so. If they do, they will have
their eye* opened.
Л
modern four-lane,
divided boulevard conveys cars to in¬
dustrial. shopping, recreation, working,
and residential areas, all cunningly
spaced and separated. The shoulders
and bonks along the road are grassed
and groomed and kept spk and span
Expert landscaping ha* turned the oc¬
cupied areas into gardens of azaleas,
rose», nil, holly, and pine
Along the •streets" are seen hun¬
dred* ol marines, some busy, some off
duty Also hundreds of civilian em¬
ployes, going to and from their work.
Marine* and civilians work in the "in-
duMrics" which include a big power
plant, bakery, garages, ice cream plant,
laundries, and similar enterprises.
Others arc at "school."
to
The
plctc and eaten site — central heating
stations, railway», incinerators, water
works, hospital, sewage treatment
plants, well*, schools for Marine chil¬
dren. service club*, hostess houses,
swimming pools, theatres, gymnasi¬
ums, and ninny more.
For the grimmer end of the business
there are miles of area set aside for
training in combat — everything from
helicopter fields to artillery ranges and
malarial control laboratories.
How many people live on the base
now- may not be revealed, but in 1949
there was a barracks capacity for
52.000 men. and in 1948 the military
personnel totalled 15.096. with an an¬
nual payroll of $16.139.253.
In the same year <I948> 2,353 civil¬
ians were employed, with an annual
payroll of S5.249.7S6. Today the an¬
nual combined payroll is estimated
at $65.000.000.
Few counties can match such a con¬
centration of spending power.
Unmarried marines all live on the
base in barracks. Married military per¬
sonnel may live on nr off the base
according to choice. Housing facilities
for married marines include 1,163
units at Midway Park and 426 units
at Paradise Point, both inside the mili¬
tary reservation, but in appearance and
routine much like any clean, modern
American suburb On the base obo
are two modern trailer parks contain¬
ing 1.360 trailers
Abo available are 1.054 units each
at Tarawa
Тсттасс
I and II. 1,100
units at Midway Park. 862 units at
New Riser, and 150 unit* at Nor¬
woods Homes. These units include var¬
ious two-story homes and bungalows
in various sizes — all new and up to
date.
All of this grew from a lent city
pushed up in 1941 as the Marine* ex¬
panded to meet the certainty of war.
The site and the site of the air base
at Cherry Point were picked for the
very good reason that it was the only
place on the Eastern Seaboard which
offered varying surf and beach condi¬
tion» for training, access to deep-water
ports, large isolated space, favorable
climatic conditions, and a strategic
continental location. Anyone reading
those requirements would almost have
to put his finger on Onslow and
Carteret. Over 1 1 5.000 acre* of the
county has now been taken into thr
base, stretching from Jacksonville to
the ocean, and including the greater
part of New River.
This military city, constructed of
brick in the colonial style, is .■ miracle
in comparison with the crude camps
of other days and has been made as
attractive as ingenious experts cun
make it. The recreational program
and equipment are far beyond any¬
thing offered by any other North
Carolina city.
The riser, itself, b widely used,
with hundreds of boats — canoe», rail-
boat». motor boats — free for the
marines. On the bare are tremendous
dance halls, theatre*, gymnasiums, ath¬
letic fields, chib» offering indoor sports
and entertainment All of Onslow
Beach belongs to the Marine*, with
hath houses, pavilions, and mile* of
beach — a well-used attraction for
young people, and especially fascinat¬
ing to the recruits from inland areas.
THE STATE.
МЛЯСМ
26. 1001