PCSing to Fort Lewis - 51st ESB. What experiences do you have to share, such as the area (do's and don'ts), housing, unit?

So we just moved here. Traffic is a beast! More so in the afternoon. Personally i would say live in Lacey area. We live here. We looked at Spanaway and Puyallup also but the afternoon trafffic northbound is way worse plus there are back roads to Lacey from Lewis Main. It’s beautiful here and so much to do without a doubt. People from here say expect to live in the rain from Oct-May and it doesn’t really snow that much here. But we have also been told it might rain a little bit and then be clear. It will snow but shouldn’t stick around. The base is pretty nice. Plenty of restaurants to eat at. Plenty of Gas station/shopettes as well. Inprocessing will be one week for you once u make the cut to start inprocessing. Other than that u will come to pt. formation and assuming ur marrried they will have you do some classes perhaps but that’s about it until actual inprocessing days. Also, it’s pretty expensive here so keep that in mind when deciding where to live. Would highly recommend a membership to Costco just for gas. Won’t find it cheaper. I drive a Tundra so it’s a necessity. Now if you are planning on living on base your good to go. The housing is decent on post. For me it was a 24 mo wait but your enlisted so may be faster. Not sure if your unit is part of 593rd but i have a friend over there i could put u in contact with. If u are a part of 593rd, they are in the field until 11 Oct. welcome to JBLM.

Finding a rental unit is competitive during the summer months. You have to view the rental in person before signing the papers. If you see a rental you like, print and complete the application (or do it online) and have it on-hand to provide the property management people as soon as you get in the door. They usually have open houses for units they have listed. You won’t be the only one showing up so don’t make friends with the people who are also there to view the unit. Everyone has their own situation and I felt bad for some of them because they’re scrambling to find a place. It’s easier to just not have that information so you can just posture yourself to “win” and take the unit. Traffic patterns were a deciding factor where I decided to live. I chose university place. It’s nice and if you hug the water you can get in n out going out the back of north fort. It’s a scenic drive that cuts through the trees and handrails the water to chambers golf course. 30 mins in traffic on the freeway vs 30 mins scoping the views.

This is my second time here at JBLM, and I was in 51st Signal last time. I have a lot of knowledge on the area and the unit.

Housing - There is a lot of housing available to you around the base. Last time I was here I lived off-base and the traffic was a major factor- I live on base now and I love the community and 6 minute commute to work.

51st Signal is a great organization with an updated facility. The Motorpool is located within walking distance on the CO and BN and you can expect to go to the field and on missions fairly frequently.

Do’s - get outside, especially during the Summer, the weather is great and there is a to to do. Lots of hiking, Kayaking, and city visiting with Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver Canada writing driving distance.

Don’t- beware of off-post establishments, marijuana is legal here, and there are pockets of criminal activity areas that you should avoid.

Feel free to contact me anytime as I can offer you a lot of additional and specific information if you have any questions.