Visiting Area 51
Area 51 spans roughly 155km² of USAF territory in Nevada, located within Lincoln County. The site sits about 160km from the city of Las Vegas. Since the 1970s, it has served as the epicenter of UFO lore, capturing the imagination of ufologists worldwide eager to uncover its secrets.
History
Richard M. Bissell Jr. was a CIA officer tasked with overseeing the development of spy planes. While searching for a testing ground and pilot training facility, he spotted Area 51 in 1955. Because the area sat near an existing nuclear test site, it was transferred over without much trouble. Since the base partially occupied a dried-up lake bed named Groom Lake, that name stuck as well. Officially, the site operates as a secure development zone for new USAF aircraft prototypes.
It was not until August 2013 that newly declassified official reports mentioned Area 51 for the first time, along with the Lockheed U-2 aircraft testing that took place there.
Groom Lake Security
Numerous employees from the defense contractor EG&G are assigned to guard this off-limits zone. They wear uniforms and carry M-16 rifles in their vehicles. However, no violent incidents have ever been recorded. Trespassers are simply escorted off the property and handed over to the local sheriff.
Area 51 in the Spotlight
Area 51 is a legendary fixture in film and television. It has made notable appearances in Independence Day, Stargate SG1, The Simpsons, Transformers, Godzilla, Indiana Jones, and The X-Files. The examples are so numerous that cataloging them all would require a dedicated guide. When you add video games and comic books to the mix, it is easy to see why this location has stood as a pop culture icon for decades.
Public entry is strictly prohibited, but Las Vegas offers plenty of other ways to pass the time.
Of course we have all heard about the place. The American base in Roswell that supposedly recovered a spacecraft with aliens inside.
But Area 51 is much more than that, it is above all a setting worthy of the strangest movies from the 60s.
Out there, not a motel, not a restaurant, a garage or a movie theater that is not adorned with an alien or a flying saucer.
If you like weird places, this is one of the strangest spots you will be able to find in the USA.