Base Closure and Realignment Commission

When Lowry Air Force base closed in 1994, the surrounding area not only lost a major employer (which supplied some 7,000 people with jobs) but it also took a big chunk out of the area's population -- and threatened its economy.

The U.S. will close 20 major bases by September 2011. What happens then depends on the base's location. But the ripple effect is always felt throughout the surrounding area. Often, families lose neighbors, businesses lose customers and workers lose jobs.