Fort George G. Meade is an active Army base and is located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The fort was established in 1917 and is named for General George Gordon Meade, a Union Army general in the American Civil War. It currently occupies 5,067 acres of land. Fort Meade was first constructed as a training camp and was first named Camp Annapolis Junction. Fort Meade was used as a prisoner of war camp during World War II. By the 1950s, the post was headquarters to the National Security Agency, which aided in keeping the fort open when it was scheduled to close in the 1990s. Because of its proximity to Washington D.C., it is used by military tenants such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Defense Information School, and headquarters of the Defense Courier Service. With parcels of land being put up for lease, Fort Meade expects to gain about 5,700 jobs and an increase of thousands for local businesses.

Weather in the Fort Meade area tends to be hot in the summer with temperatures in the 80s and very cold in the winter with the temperatures in the 30s. Annual rainfall in the area is 43 inches with the wettest month being May. July is the warmest month, and January is the coldest. Local housing options are available nearby in cities such as Baltimore, Odenton and Washington D.C. In August 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection agency ordered the Army to assess the extent of contamination from the rapid expansion of the surrounding area. Some facilities under scrutiny are a disposal area, a closed sanitary landfill, and a waste dump. Nearby the Fort is the Fort George G. Meade Museum which contains many uniforms, tanks, photographs, and a multitude of artifacts about the history of the base.