McChord AFB - On and Off Base Information

McChord AFB Housing Information

McChord Air Force Base (AFB) Housing and Information:

Location: Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest on the Puget Sound, in Western Washington, JBLM is near the city of Lakewood, 10 minutes from Tacoma, 35 minutes from Seattle and 20 minutes from Olympia the state capital. Although we are a Joint Base, we are not contiguous. 7.9 miles separate Lewis-Main and McChord Fld. Both Lewis and McChord are situated in a key location along Interstate 5, allowing easy access to Sea-Tac Airport and to the deep water ports of Tacoma and Seattle. On a clear day, majestic Mount Rainier looms on the horizon, towering over the other peaks of the Cascade Range.

Yakima Training Center - is used for maneuver training, land warrior system testing and live fire area, located in the south central portion of WA. It is bounded on the west by Interstate 82, on the south by the city of Yakima. It comprises 327,000 acres of land. It is one of the largest areas of shrub-steppe habitat remaining in Washington. JBLM uses the facility for maneuver and live fire training. Vagabond Army Airfield and Selah Airstrip are located on the Yakima Training Center. 

Base operator: Lewis Main - (253) 967-1110 or DSN: (312) 357-1110;  McChord Field - (253) 982-1110 or DSN (312) 382-1110

Cost of Living: 1.35% higher than the U.S. average

Area Population: McChord Field - 13,773, JBLM - 105,940

Schools: JBLM students that reside on Joint Base Lewis McChord are served by the Clover Park School District. There are six newly built elementary schools on the base. Five on the Lewis Main and Lewis North locations and one on McChord Field. The middle and high school students living on base are bused to either Mann Middle or Woodbrook Middle schools (grades 6-8) and Lakes High School, Clover Park High School (both grades 9-12) or Harrison Preparatory (grades 6-12).

On-Post Housing: Is available to all ranks. Family housing units on JBLM are divided into housing areas and broken down by rank and bedroom requirements. Call (253) 912-2150 or
visit jblmc.com.

Base Location

552 Barnes Blvd
McChord AFB, WA 98438

Blog Posts

Lucky you! You’re on your way to one of the most requested assignments the military has! Joint Base Lewis-McChord has so much to offer, that the majority of military families have to squeeze in every must-see tourist outing before it’s time to PCS once more. No doubt you’ve heard about the rain. And more rain. But, consider this, the average rainfall for the area is close to the national average. The rain just spreads thinly via drizzle over a longer amount of days. Washouts aren’t common, so the local population just goes with the rain flow and carries on with their planned activities. Speak... read more

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