Why on earth is it called “Area 51”? Good question!
It’s generally thought to come from some Atomic Energy Commission numbering system. Yup, Area 51 isn’t even part of that system; it’s next to Area 15. Genius, right?
Apparently, the CIA preferred fancy names like “Homey Airport” or “Groom Lake”, but stuck in a Vietnam War doc was the now-famous “Area 51.” Then there’s “Dreamland” and “Paradise Ranch.” Oh, and let’s not forget “Watertown,” a nod to CIA Director Allen Dulles’s birthplace, or maybe just because the lakebed flooded sometimes. Because, y’know, why not?
To top off this naming smorgasbord, the US Air Force likes to call the place an “operating location near Groom Dry Lake.” Seriously, all this fanfare for a restricted chunk of desert.
