Pecos Research and Testing Center, Texas

One of a few large automotive testing facilities in West Texas, this 5,800-acre site opened in the early 1960s, and was the primary testing grounds for BF Goodrich. In 2005 it was taken over by a consortium of private and state organizations, including Texas A&M, and is now called the Pecos Research and Testing Center. Onsite are nine separate test tracks, including a circular track that is nine miles in circumference, making it one of the largest in the country. Activities now seem to be related mostly to security testing and training, and the site’s primary asset seems to be its remoteness. Recent tests have involved large-scale explosive-related testing conducted by the Rocky Mountain Scientific Lab and Applied Research Associates.