We will be PCS ing to Fort Lewis eventually and would like to know anything and everything about it there, good and bad. Anything would be great to hear!

hello welcome to ft.lewis. Well it rains alot here alot of meth and sex offenders, so when you get to a check on line.seattleis like 45min away and its things to do there, then if you like the out doors you have mt,rainer

Ft Lewis is pretty decent if you can put up with the rain. The spring and summer months are beautiful, and there is plenty to do.

If are planning on living on post, see if you can square away yourself a spot on the waiting list early. I left there in July 07, and there were waiting lists anywhere from one month to one year for the different neighborhoods.

The previous post is right about meth and sex offenders, especially in the areas directly off post. It's not rampant, but definetly keeps your eyes open and watch carefully over your kids.

Seattle is close, and outdoor activities are limitless year round.

Hope you enjoy Washington!

rain, rain, snow, rain. cold.

and I was there for exactly 14 days.

quote:

Originally posted by TCAMARA:
hello welcome to Hawaii. Well it rains alot here alot of meth and sex offenders. Honolulu/Waikiki is like 30min away and its things to do there, then if you like the out doors you have beach and various hiking trails

There, Fort Lewis sounds a lot like Hawaii

quote:

Originally posted by MiltonBradley:

quote:

Originally posted by TCAMARA:
hello welcome to Hawaii. Well it rains alot here alot of meth and sex offenders. Honolulu/Waikiki is like 30min away and its things to do there, then if you like the out doors you have beach and various hiking trails

There, Fort Lewis sounds a lot like Hawaii

Hey now...I'm PCS'ing to Hawaii next month. Sounds just like home (Florida), lol.

My dad is at Fort Lewis right now...they seem to like it. Seattle is just a hop, skip and jump away, and Tacoma is apparently pretty cool. It all depends on what you like to do on your down time.

I've been stationed at Lewis for the last 6 years and I wish I could stay my whole career. The rain sucks, but at least it rarely gets below 25 degrees. The summers are unbeatabe. There is something for everyone nearby. Plenty of stuff to do if you like the outdoors, and Seattle Tacoma and Olympia are all nearby. Post what you like and I can give more info.

I've lived in base housing for the last year and like it. If you or your husband is an E4-E try to get into New Hillside or Discovery Village. Much of D Village is brand new, and New Hillside has all been redone. I've always had good service from the housing office there.

The cost of living here is high. Housing offbase can be a problem. I'm an E5 and my wife doesn't work, so we can't afford to buy a house within 45 minutes or more of the base, and can't afford or don't want to rent within 15 minutes of the base. When looking, don't even bother if it's in Tillicum. For off base housing, look in Lakewood or Dupont. Many Tillicum addresses are stated as Lakewood. If the directions include exit 122 or 123, don't consider living there. If you do live off base, traffic is a problem most mornings before PT.

There is a high crime rate in many areas off post, but other areas are nice or not so bad. Dupont is the nicest, but also expensive. There currently are no sex offenders living on post.

The PX and Commissary are both nice and large. McChord AFB is next door and has even nicer PX and Commissary.

If you fly in, SeaTac airport is about 45 minutes from the base. Go to the USO one level up from the ticket counters and they will help with anything you need. It's open 24/7. The base lodging just finished renovations, and there are several nice hotels within a few miles from base.

WA state has a lot of uninsured drivers, so your insurance might go up when you tell them you've moved. Also all cars in Lewis and WA need to be smog checked when registered, but check with the state and post before you do it.

Any other questions, just ask.

I just found out I am on assignment to Ft. Lewis. This is my first duty station outside TRADOC. Can anyone tell me what it is like for a single female soldier and what people and areas to watch out for? How are the barracks?

depends on what unit you are in. In my Infantry unit, SPC's and above live off post... don't know how it is for other units... just count on living in barracks

The barracks all depend on what unit you go to. Lewis has brand new barracks, and some left over from WWII.

Avoid leaving Union Ave in Tillicum.

Hey we have been her for a year and a half, we live in lacey, which is about 30 minutes from post which sucks, but this is the nicest place to live, if you go north of post, it starts to get a little trashy.

We will be going there too.. I was wondering if it is better to live on or off post. I was curious do you have to be there to be on the housing list because I have heard they are long?

I was in Ft Lewis for like 10 months then they moved my unit to germany but I loved it there even though it rained for a record (at the time) 32 days in a row but once u get over the rain its perfect and u get to see Mt Rainer in the background. Its expensive there but you get more then enough BAH. For me at E-2 (when I was there) I got 1109.00 and you cant tell me that u cant live some where nice for half that and if u cant then you are living beyond your means. But I stayed in lakewood which was nice u will love it there well I know me and my wife did Im trying to go back as we speak. Yes and Canada is only 2 hrs away and the ocean is 2 hours also and I found that theres a rain forest there so if u like that kind of thing the place is nice and I think its better to live off post because u can pocket the extra BAH if u wanted to I hope u all enjoy ur time there

I would reccomend living on post. The traffic really sucks here, but if you live on post you avoid most of it. I think whatever you save in BAH off post, you'd spend in gas and time.

I am hoping someone can tell me which EOD units are on Fort Lewis. I'm looking to PCS when we return from Iraq and need to get the networking going here pretty quick. Anything will help. Thanks