Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a large United States Army installation , located in Cumberland , Hoke , Harnett and Moore counties , North Carolina , mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake . It was also a census - designated place in the 2010 Census , during which a population of 39 , 457 was identified . The fort is named for Confederate general Braxton Bragg . It covers over . It is the home of the US Army airborne forces and Special Forces , as well as U . S . Army Forces Command and U . S . Army Reserve Command . History . World War I . Camp Bragg was established in 1918 , as an artillery training ground . The aim was for six artillery brigades to be stationed there and $ 6 , 000 , 000 was spent on the land and cantonments . There was an airfield on the camp used by aircraft and balloons for artillery spotters which was named Pope Field on April 1 , 1919 in honor of First Lieutenant Harley H . Pope an airman who was killed while flying nearby . The work on the camp was finished on November 1 , 1919 . It was named to honor a native North Carolinian , Gen . Braxton Bragg , who commanded Confederate States Army forces in the Civil War . The original plan for six brigades was abandoned after World War I ended and once demobilisation had started . The artillery men , their equipment and material from Camp McClellan , Alabama were moved over to Fort Bragg and testing began on long range weapons that were a product of the war . The six artillery brigades were reduced to two containments and a garrison was to be built for Army troops as well as a National Guard training center . In early 1921 two field artillery units the 13th and 17th Field Artillery Brigades began training at Camp Bragg . Due to the post war cutbacks the camp was nearly closed for good when the War department issued orders to close the camp on August 7 , 1921 . General Albert J . Bowley was commander at the camp and after much campaigning , and getting the Secretary of War to visit the camp , the closing order was cancelled on September 16 , 1921 . The Field Artillery Board was transferred to Fort Bragg on February 1 , 1922 . Camp Bragg was renamed Fort Bragg , to signify becoming a permanent Army post , on September 30 , 1922 . From 1923 to 1924 , permanent structures were constructed on Fort Bragg , including four barracks , which still stand today . World War II . By 1940 , the population of Fort Bragg had reached 5 , 400 ; However , in the following year , that number ballooned to 67 , 000 . Various units trained at Fort Bragg during World War II , including the 9th Infantry Division , 2nd Armored Division , 82nd Airborne Division , 100th Infantry Division , and various field artillery groups . The population reached a peak of 159 , 000 during the war years . Cold War . Following World War II , the 82nd Airborne Division was permanently stationed at Fort Bragg , the only large unit there for some time . In July 1951 , the XVIII Airborne Corps was reactivated at Fort Bragg . Fort Bragg became a center for unconventional warfare , with the creation of the Psychological Warfare Center in April 1952 , followed by the 10th Special Forces Group . In 1961 , the 5th Special Forces Group ( Airborne ) was activated at Fort Bragg , with the mission of training counter - insurgency forces in Southeast Asia . Also in 1961 , the " Iron Mike " statue , a tribute to all Airborne soldiers , past , present and future , was dedicated . More than 200 , 000 young men underwent basic combat training here during the period 1966 – 70 . At the peak of the Vietnam War in 1968 , Fort Bragg ' s military population rose to 57 , 840 . In June 1972 , the 1st Corps Support Command arrived at Fort Bragg . In the 1980s , there was a series of deployments of tenant units to the Caribbean , first to Grenada in 1983 , Honduras in 1986 , and to Panama in 1989 . The 5th Special Forces Group departed Fort Bragg in the late 1980s . Southwest Asia wars . In 1990 , the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . In the mid and late 1990s , there was increased modernization of the facilities in Fort Bragg . The World War II wooden barracks were largely removed , a new main post exchange was built , and Devers Elementary School was opened , along with several other projects . As a result of campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq , the units on Fort Bragg have seen a sizeable increase to their operations tempo ( OPTEMPO ) , with units conducting two , three , or even four or more deployments to combat zones . As directed by law , and in accordance with the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission , Fort McPherson , Ga . , closed and U . S . Army Forces Command and U . S . Army Reserve Command relocated to Fort Bragg , N . C . A new FORSCOM / U . S . Army Reserve Command Headquarters facility completed construction at Fort Bragg , N . C . , in June 2011 . Forces Command hosted June 24 , 2011 an Army " casing of colors ceremony " on Fort McPherson , Ga . , and an " uncasing of colors ceremony " Aug 1 , 2011 on Fort Bragg , N . C . On March 1 , 2011 , Pope Field , the former Pope Air Force Base was absorbed into Fort Bragg . Tenant units . Several airborne units of the U . S . Army are stationed at Fort Bragg , notably the XVIII Airborne Corps HQ , the 82nd Airborne Division , and the United States Army Special Operations Command ( USASOC ) . Other units stationed at Fort Bragg include the : Geography and ecology . Fort Bragg is at 35°8 ' 21 " North , 78°59 ' 57 " West ( 35 . 139064 , −78 . 999143 ) . According to the United States Census Bureau , the post has a total area of 19 . 0 square miles ( 49 . 2 km² ) , of which , 19 . 0 square miles ( 49 . 1 km² ) of it is land and 0 . 1 square miles ( 0 . 2 km² ) of it is water . The total area is 0 . 32 % water . International security website Globalsecurity . org reports that Fort Bragg occupies approximately Ft . Bragg is the only locality where the endangered Saint Francis ' Satyr butterfly ( " Neonympha mitchellii francisci " ) is known to occur . St . Francis ’ satyr is found in wetland habitat dominated by graminoids and sedges such as abandoned beaver dams or along streams with active beaver complexes . " Fort Bragg fever " , a bacterial zoonotic disease , has been named after it . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there are 29 , 183 people , 4 , 315 households , and 4 , 215 families residing on the base . The population density is 1 , 540 . 0 people per square mile ( 594 . 6 / km² ) . There are 4 , 420 housing units at an average density of 233 . 3 / sq mi ( 90 . 1 / km² ) . Racial makeup . The racial makeup of the base is 58 . 1 % Caucasian , 25 . 3 % African - American , 1 . 2 % Native American , 1 . 8 % Asian , 0 . 9 % Pacific Islander , 8 . 3 % from other races , and 4 . 6 % from two or more races . 15 . 8 % of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race . Households . There are 4 , 315 households out of which 85 . 3 % have children under the age of 18 living with them , 88 . 9 % are married couples living together , 7 . 2 % have a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 3 % are non - families . 2 . 1 % of all households are made up of individuals and 0 . 0 % have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older . The average household size is 3 . 72 and the average family size is 3 . 74 . Ages . The age distribution is 25 . 8 % under the age of 18 , 40 . 9 % from 18 to 24 , 32 . 3 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 1 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who are 65 years of age or older . The median age is 22 years . For every 100 females there are 217 . 1 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there are 293 . 5 males . All of these statistics are typical for military bases . Income . The median income for a household on the base is $ 30 , 106 , and the median income for a family is $ 29 , 836 . 10 . 0 % of the population and 9 . 6 % of families are below the poverty line . Out of the total population , 11 . 4 % of those under the age of 18 and 0 . 0 % of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line . Burials . Actress Martha Raye is buried on Fort Bragg in commemoration of her work with the USO during World War II and Vietnam .