Area 51 request filed in 2005, the CIA publicly acknowledged the existence of the base for the first time, declassifying documents detailing the history and purpose of Area 51. Area 51 is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, north-northwest of Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield. The site was acquired by the United States Air Force in 1955, primarily for the flight testing of the Lockheed U-2 aircraft. The area around Area 51, including the small town of Rachel on the "Extraterrestrial Highway", is
Minnesota State Highway 51 Highway 51 parallels State Highway 280 through Falcon Heights and the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. State Highway 51 was authorized in 1933. The route was paved by 1935. The original alignment on the south end of Highway 51 was from West 7th Street up Edgecumbe Road to Snelling Avenue. This section of Highway 51 was later rerouted to Montreal Avenue. From 1934 to 1935, the north end of Highway 51 previously followed Snelling Avenue northbound to County Road B in Roseville, then 51 turned westbound to Fairview Avenue and ran northbound along Fairview Avenue and New Brighton Road to