The Military and Clay County, Florida

The military has played an important role in Clay County history. In 1939, Camp Blanding opened on Kingsley Lake in central Clay County. The Florida National Guard developed this 28,000 acre complex. During World War II, it trained over 90,000 troops and became the fourth largest 'city' in the state. At one time there was a prisoner of war camp for captured German soldiers on Camp Blanding.

In Green Cove Springs, Lee Field was a flight training center. After World War II, Lee Field became a base for the mothball fleet. Although Lee Field closed in the early 1960s, Camp Blanding continues to operate today, and is a major army reserve training ground. Clay County is also a popular choice of residence for military personnel who are stationed on bases in nearby Duval County (NAS Jacksonville, NS Mayport). Getting from place to place is fairly easy with a pretty good highway system.