Soldiers from Schofield Barracks began clearing land to make a aircraft landing strip in February 1922. On Nov. 11 of that year, the resulting airfield was named in honor of Major Sheldon H. Wheeler, former commander of Luke Field on Ford Island. Wheeler Field was the site of several major historic aviation events prior to December 7, 1941, including the first nonstop Mainland-Hawai'i flight in 1927; the great Dole Derby air race from California to Hawai'i; the first trans-Pacific flight from the U.S. to Australia in 1928, and the first Hawai'i-to-Mainland solo flight in 1935 by Amelia Earhart.
Today, Wheeler Army Airfield is comprised of approximately 1,389 acres of land returned to the Department of the Army on Nov. 1, 1991. As of the 2000 Census, the base had a total population of 2,829 military personnel and families.
The U.S. postal code for Wheeler Army Airfield is 96786.
Geography
Wheeler AFB is located at 21°28'56" North, 158°2'24" West (21.482216, -158.039959)1. The Wheeler Main Gate is located on Kamehameha Highway (State Rte 99) running north to Wahiawā (becoming State Rte. 80) and connecting westward to Wilikina Road (State Rte. 99) and Schofield Barracks. Proceeding south on Kamehameha Hwy. provides access to Interstate H-2 and Milillani Town. The Wheeler Kunia Gate is off Kunia Road almost across from the Schofield Lyman Gate. Kunia Road (State Rte. 750) continues south to Kunia, and eventually Waipahu.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²). 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the 2000 Census, there were 2,829 people, 739 households, and 724 families residing on the base. The population density was 477.0/km² (1,235.6/mi²). There were 855 housing units at an average density of 144.2/km² (373.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the base was 57.02% White, 21.60% African American, 1.10% Native American, 3.99% Asian, 1.87% Pacific Islander, 6.33% from other races, and 8.09% from two or more races. 13.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 739 households out of which 77.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.7% are married couples living together, 6.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 2.0% are non-families. 1.9% 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 3.36 and the average family size is 3.38.
In the base the population is spread out with 36.8% under the age of 18, 20.9% from 18 to 24, 40.9% from 25 to 44, 1.3% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 119.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 127.8 males.
The median income for a household in the base is $32,485, and the median income for a family is $32,264. Males have a median income of $22,961 versus $22,151 for females. The per capita income for the base is $12,364. 7.9% of the population and 5.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.9% are under the age of 18 and 0.0% are 65 or older.
External Links and References