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HISTORY OF NORTH HIGHLANDS

The inception of the McClellan Air Force Base on September 8,1936 became the catalyst for the development of the North Highlands community. With the development of the airforce base, North Highlands began emerging into a rapidly developing community. Within a short period of time, the North Highlands community continued to develop into the community we know today. To learn more about the history of North Highlands, please click here.

In 1995, the County announced that McClellan Air Force Base (AFB) would close. In the base realignment and closure process, McClellan AFB employed approximately 10,500 civilian employees and 3,000 military members at the time of the closure announcement. In addition, the McClellan community includes 34,000 retired military personnel and 50,000 retiree dependents. The Base has historically played a major role in the economy of the region as the second largest employer in the County after the State of California. In 1995, McClellan AFB was estimated to provide a $1.5 billion annual economic impact to the regional economy. The tremendous negative fiscal and social impact that the closure had on the North Highlands community spurred the redevelopment process of North Highlands, and the closure also initiated the creation of the business park, McClellan Business Park and the Streetscape Master Plan.

• North Highlands History, Volume 1, 1951-1975 ( 71MB )
• North Highlands History, Volume 2, 1976-1999 ( 62MB )