President Bush is spending his last Thanksgiving as President quietly at Camp David. I must have heard the name “Camp David” several hundred times in my life, but I never knew what it really was. So here’s the scoop:

Camp David is the official retreat for Presidents of the United States. It’s a government facility, and it comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from an official facility for the President. It is believed to be one of the most secure locations in the world.

The US Navy runs Camp David and operations are overseen by a Naval Commander. Security is provided by the Marines.

The camp was built during the Great Depression and is a product of the WPA (Works Progress Administration). It was originally planned as a camp for use by federal employees. FDR was the first President to use it as an official getaway, and it has been used by every President since then.

FDR originally named the camp Shangri-La, but Dwight Eisenhower renamed it Camp David to honor his grandson.

The camp is located about 60 miles north of Washington, in a National Park in Maryland.

Source: wiki and this poorly written article