I guarantee that the intended similarities between the real life BM and the HL BM is the name and generic rocket testing, that’s it. I do not think Valve would have wasted the time investigating and researching the real BM facility (if even possible considering BM is a government, not public, facility) because, except for the individuals actually working there, no one would be able to confirm the differences between them.
Black Mesa just a fictional facility by Valve, but what about Balck Meas? 
Having lived in New Mexico almost my whole life(and Los Alamos for a good 10 years), I’m pretty sure that White Sands Missile Range is the only thing similar and even then its a testing ground, not a giant research facility such as Los Alamos National Labs or Sandia National Laboratory.
ok, i just thougt valve’s idea had something to do with the real facility in utah. if not, no prob 
I believe it wasn’t the czech republic. Somewhere else it was, but I can’t seem to find it.
they made the name up. They googled it after they learned the real Bm is a rock testing facility, they added it to the game
P.S. : If you understood what i’ve just said, you win a free cookie!
musical or natural?
Bulgaria. The home country of the art director.
don’t read only the last post -_- i’ve corrected myself and said Utah.
Said the guy that completely ignored the scan of the brainstorm paper where they’re trying to come with decent names for a facility (I prefer Diablo Mesa tbh).
And in case you didn’t know: that paper indicates that they were just trying to come up with cool names.
Lol, Black Butte XD
('Cause… 'Cause it kinda looks like butt… and it’s black… black butt… Dirty joke… 
)
Untrue.
@ MechUnit: Although it was pointed out already that the Black Mesa from Half-Life (at least the name) was actually thought up in a completely independent brainstorming process, I thought I’d provide some context, if you were curious (unless you’re already aware, in which case… disregard… :zip 
The scan of the brainstorming notes that xilef posted were actually from a book titled Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, and is accompanied by this text:
[code]Science fiction author Marc Laidlaw joined Valve in the
summer of 1997. Presented are Marc’s brainstorming
notes on the name of the research facility eventually
dubbed, “Black Mesa.”
“It’s great fun to invent names for our creations, and then
see them go out into the world and take on lives of their
own. But I am very glad that I decided to go with ‘Black
Mesa Research Facility’ rather than ‘Black Butte.’”
- Marc Laidlaw[/code]
As far as the actual construction and design of the facility is concerned, I’m pretty sure it was based more on science fiction novels and/or places like Area 51, than anything else. Half-Life’s Black Mesa doesn’t really have a single, definitive, real-life physical counterpart… if nothing else, it’s a culmination of a bunch of different real-life facilities or places, with a lot of extrapolation and imagination (and stickygibs) gluing it all together. :3
the inspiration for the original half life came from what “happened” during the montauk project.
scientists where experimenting with something, they opened a door to the “4th dimension” and a creature came out and killed everyone in the room.
I’ve been wanting to break into that place for years now. It’s just a little far for something that’ll probably just get me arrested.
lol, there are countless of places like that in the world. ridden with rumors and folklore.
As a kid I used to go visit an abandoned house. It had old electrical wiring from like early 1900s and the house was full of old items and cobwebs. It was very spooky. The house was eventually used as training site for firemen (they set it on fire and let firemen put out the fire). You can’t even see a trace of it today.
It is nice to have an imagination. Just don’t let it control you.
Muhb, I’ve actually been there. There IS a cave in there, that is pretty ominous, but alas, no secret facilities. I never would’ve thought to connect the two.