One of the most challenging aspects of the military spouse life is preparing for an upcoming PCS or if you get the chance, potentially picking a new duty station. There is a lot of information out there, and it can be almost overwhelming.

We here at Army Wife Network want to take the some of the guesswork out of the need-to-knows about duty stations around the globe. Hence, our Post With the Most series. In this particular blog, we will be showcasing information related to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord (or JBLM to the locals) is a joint Army and Air Force Base that boasts being the fourth largest in the world, with more than 200,000 folks living and working on it. It has three main areas: Lewis Main, Lewis North, and McChord Airbase, and also the Yakima Training Center in Eastern Washington. This PWTM will focus on the Army side of the installation. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

JBLM is home to the following Army units:

• 1 Corps
• 7th Infantry Division
• 189th Infantry Brigade
• 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
• 1st Special Forces Group
• 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
• 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade
• 6th Military Police Group
• 8th Brigade, US Army Cadet Command
• 66th Theater Aviation Command
• 404th Army Field Support Brigade
• 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command
• Washington Regional Flight Center
• Western Regional Medical Command
  

Surrounding Cities:

• Lakewood (6 miles)
• DuPont (8 miles)
• Steilacoom (8 miles)
• Tacoma (14 miles)
• Puyallup (16 miles)
• Lacey (17 miles)
• Olympia (22 miles)
• Kent (29 miles)
• Seattle (41 miles)
• Bremerton (45 miles)

Dupont and Lacey are cute little towns with coffee shops, restaurants, and great parks, and honestly, both will feel like you’re living on post because you’ll be surrounded by other military families. If you’re choosing to live there, however, they might be close in miles, but in the morning trying to head on post, and then again in the evening trying to get off, it is a pretty big traffic snarl. —Amanda B.

Closest MAJOR City: Seattle is 41 miles north of Ft. Lewis, and is the largest city in the state.

Names of Area Colleges:

• Brandman University on Fort Lewis
• Central Texas College on Fort Lewis
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Fort Lewis
• St. Martin’s University on Fort Lewis
• University of Maryland on Fort Lewis
• Pierce College with locations at Fort Lewis, Steilacoom, and Pullayup
• University of Washington with locations in Tacoma and Seattle
• Tacoma Community College in Tacoma
• Pacific Lutheran University. in Tacoma
• Evergreen State College in Olympia

Weather: As many people know, it rains a lot—close to nine months out of the year. But, all that rain lends credence to the state’s nickname: The Evergreen State. Overall, Ft. Lewis’s weather would best be described as mild. There are only a handful of days that would be considered “cold,” and only a couple that would be “hot.” In the winter, the weather stays between 40-50 degrees and in the summer, between 50-70 degrees.

Always bring a raincoat, don’t wear suede, and don’t worry about a nice hairdo. It will rain. And true Washitonians don’t use umbrellas! —Amanda B.

Time Zone: Pacific Time Zone

SPECIFIC POST INFORMATION 

To access the JBLM website, click here.

Map of the area

HISTORICAL FACTS/LANDMARKS:

• The Lewis Army Museum and Cannon Gift Shop: The only certified US Army Museum on the west coast. It’s located in the old Red Shield Inn, and dates back to the First World War. 
• The 91st Division Monument is a historic landmark at the edge of the parade grounds, surrounded by the Senior Officer Quarters of Fort Lewis (think Commanding General).
• There is a cemetery on Fort Lewis Main Post that dates back to 1917.

HOUSING

On-post Housing is managed by Lincoln Military Housing.

Major realty companies in the area: 

• Blue Summit Realty
• Phil Sharp Homes 
• DuPont Realty and Management 

SCHOOLS

School Liaison Officer 

On-Post Schools:

• Elementary: Beachwood Elementary School, Meriwether Elementary School, Rainier Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, and Evergreen Elementary School. 
• Middle School: Woodbrook Middle School
• High School:  There are no high schools on post, but students living on post will attend Clover Park High School or Lakes High School.

Off-Post Schools: 

There are hundreds of schools in the surrounding areas. Here are the districts that you most likely would be living in:

• Clover Park/Lakewood School District
• DuPont School District
• Steilacoom School District
• Tacoma School District
• North Thurston School District for Lacey and Olympia area
• You can find a list of charter schools here.
• You can find area private schools here.
• For homeschool families, you can find more information here.

ON-POST SERVICES

• Child and Youth Services
• Directorate of Personnel and Family Readiness (known as ACS to Army families)
• PX
• Commissary
• Grandstaff Library
• Madigan Army Medical Center
• MWR
• Fort Lewis Community Spouses’ Club
• Chaplain & Religious Services/Organizations

OFF-POST INFORMATION 

Health Care:

• Hospitals: Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Providence St. Peter in Olympia, and Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle
• Urgent Care: Multicare Lakewood Urgent Care in Lakewood, Concentra Urgent Care in Lacey, and Indigo Urgent Care in Olympia
• Dentist: Lakewood Family Dental Clinic in Lakewood, Devoted Family Dentistry in DuPont, and We Love Smiles in Lacey
• Vision: Madigan Optometry Clinic or Fort Lewis, Eye Care Tacoma in Lakewood, Dupont Family Vision Clinic in DuPont, and Hawk’s Prairie Vision Clinic in Lacey

Best place for beauty services: 

• Jewel Salon and Beauty in Lakewood
• Pure Elegance Salon and Barber in DuPont
• Forever Young Beauty Salon in Lacey (360-459-1442)
• Lacey Beauty Salon in Lacey (360-455-0065
•  Jack & Jill’s in Lacey (children’s salon)

Shopping Malls:

• Lakewood Town Center in Lakewood
• Tacoma Mall in Tacoma
• Hawk’s Prairie Village Mall in Lacey

RESTAURANTS

Lakewood/Steilacoom:

• K&C Burkie 
• Galloping Gertie’s Bar and Grill
• Bruno’s European Restaurant
• OSJ International Restaurant

DuPont:

• McNamara’s Pub and Eatery
• Bruceski’s Stone Oven Pizza 
• Farrelli’s Pizza

Lacey:

• Curry Corner
• Ricardo’s Kitchen and Bar

Olympia:

• Wagner’s Bakery

Seattle:

• Ivar’s Clam Chowder

MUST DO

For the hikers: There is plenty of hiking in the area to keep you happy.

• Snoqualmie Tunnel Hike: You’ll need a headlamp as its 2.3 miles in the dark.
• Mount Rainier National Park
• Mount St. Helens
• Ring Of Fire: Difficult terrain with ropes

Ring of Fire is an old movie set! In 1961, the movie Ring of Fire was shot from Tacoma to Shelton, throughout the forest. Disaster strikes when a train gets stuck on a huge wooden trestle, and producers decided to burn the entire thing to ground and add dynamite for special effect. The trestle and train debris are still at the bottom of the gorge for the brave to go explore. —Amanda B. 

Fort Lewis:

• American Lake
• Shoreline Park

Lakewood:

• The Ram Restaurant and Brewery

Steilacoom:

• Fort Steilacoom Park
• Steilacoom Farmers Market
• Nathanel Orr Pioneer Home and Wagon Making

Tacoma:

• Chihuly Glass Museum
• Buffalo Soldiers Museum
• Watch the Tacoma Rainiers take on another minor league baseball team
• Choose from a number of events at the Tacoma Dome
• LeMay Car Museum
• Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Point Defiance is also a great place for hiking and seeing the sights, the entire drive is full of pull-offs for pictures. It’s also full of cherry blossoms in the Spring, so bring your camera! —Amanda B.

Olympia:

• Hands On Children’s Museum
• Olympia Farmer’s Market

Kent:

• Watch the Seattle Thunderbirds, a minor league hockey team, at the Showare Center

Seattle:

• Seattle Aquarium
• Ride Seattle’s Great Wheel
• Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
• Pike Place Market
• The Original Starbucks
• Gum Wall
• Space Needle
• Pacific Science Center
• Museum of Pop Culture, formerly known as the Experience Music Project
• Fremont Troll
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Catch a Seattle Seahawks or Seattle Mariners game

Bremerton:

• Catch the ferry to downtown Seattle

Snoqualmie:

• Snoqualmie Falls

Leavenworth:

• Tour the town, which is a Bavarian-style village
• Attend an Oktoberfest
• Nutcracker Museum

Cape Disappointment:

• Lewis and Clark Interpretive Museum
• Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
• Fort Canby

SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS

Army Wife Network does not promote or endorse these groups; however, we know they can be helpful in learning about various duty stations, so they are provided for your convenience. 

Installation Pages: Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Military Spouse Groups: 

• Lewis Community Spouses’ Club
• Fort Lewis Spouse Network 2.0
• Fort Lewis Military Wives

Buy/Sell/Trade Pages: 

• JBLM Buy Sell Trade
• JBLM Buy, Sell, and Trade

Religious services: 

• Lewis PWOC