Fort Bragg military relocation just the tip of the iceberg

While residents near Fayetteville, North Carolina, are preparing for the influx of roughly 3,000 soldiers and military contractors over the coming months as part of the ongoing Base Realignment and Closure relocation plan, the News & Observer reports that those workers are just the beginning of a surge in people moving to the area.

Many of those workers will be showing up at their new homes with their spouses and children, unpacking their moving pods and bringing many salaries that will be funneled back into the local economy. But at the same time, the base will also have more than $30 billion in annual contracts - money that will encourage other companies to move closer to the base, bringing their employees and families as well.

Overall, the paper says that the increased economic activity could create up to 19,000 new full-time jobs, and bring roughly 50,000 people into the area.

The BRAC plan aims to consolidate U.S. military bases in an effort to reduce infrastructure costs. Fort Bragg will absorb much of the resources from Georgia's Mort McPherson - along with other bases - as the plan moves forward. The burgeoning size of Fort Bragg has earned it the nickname Pentagon South.