Second in a four-part series

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Imagine losing an entire city in an instant.

It could happen here.

This city known as Hill Air Force Base is one of roughly 400 military installations awaiting its fate in the upcoming round of base closures.

"We've got everything you could ever need, all right here," said Marilu Trainor, public affairs director at the Ogden Air Logistics Center. "We're just another small town."

Hill is just like any other city in America — plus barbed wire fence surrounding its borders and the armed guards as you cross city lines.

Grab a bite to eat at the local burger joint, check out a book at the library or cash a check at one of the many credit unions — it's all here at Hill.

Sure, everything might seem normal. But underneath that cool demeanor is a growing fear that everything could be gone in the blink of an eye.

That fear is brewing as the latest round of base closures looms.

"It better not close," said Brandon Millis, who was recently hired as a machinist at the base. "A lot of people could lose their jobs."

Economic devastation

Hill Air Force Base is the largest employer in Utah, with nearly 24,000 workers.

Losing that alone would be devastating, considering Hill salaries are almost double the average salary in the state, said Rick Mayfield, executive director of the Utah Defense Alliance.

Then consider the $2.8 billion impact the base has on the state economy.

"It would be a Great Depression for Davis County, Weber County, northern Utah and even for the entire state of Utah," said Wilf Sommerkorn, Davis County's director of community and economic development. "That would be a pretty big hit to the state economy."

A 2004 study by the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research details the potential aftershocks of closing Hill:

• 31,000 fewer people would live in Utah.

• Since the earnings of civilians working at Hill are almost double the state average, it would take almost 68,000 new jobs to offset the loss of $2.35 billion in earnings. Utah has not experienced that rate of job growth since the mid-'90s.

• Utah's per-capita personal income would decrease by $542 statewide and $2,600 in Davis County.

• During the first year of a three-year phased closing of Hill, employment and population in Davis County would decline. The losses would be so large that the county would not return to 2005 employment levels until 2014.

"As one of Utah's largest employers, Hill clearly makes a significant contribution to the state and has an even greater impact on those communities in close proximity to the base," the study says. "The loss of Hill AFB translates to lost jobs and income for Utah workers, reduces the number of households that can be supported and permanently changes the structure and size of the Utah economy."