Greetings Washington...relocating to Fort Lewis (Yakima, Olympia: rental, new home, neighborhood)

[kept woman]

Hi there. My husband and I will be making our way toward Washington later this year in August. He has been playing military for the past 14 years and this will be our first move ever...to Fort Lewis. We are trying to figure out housing and to say the least, are overwhelmed. I have read through numerous posts and have started formulating a list of possibilities (University Place, Dupont, Roy, Lacey) but I am not sure if that is the right direction or about others (Yelm, Graham, Spanaway, Puyallup). I am also wondering how the recent heavy rains (end of last year) affected the areas around Lewis. Are there areas to avoid due to the flooding near 5?

Here is some information that may aid in giving us some suggestions.

He is a W-1 rank wise but receives E-8 BAH

We do not have any kids...schools are not a concern

We have several dogs..would like a smidge of land for them to at least stretch daily. Most of them are getting old and perfer sleep these days anyway.

Willing to buy or rent (prepared to offer large pet deposit for rental situations)

Desire a larger house (2200+ sqft)

Both have 4x4 vehicles for less habited areas (we grew up in Pennsylvania) in case they exist out there

Newer construction for better energy use

Thank you in advance for any input you are willing to provide.

[jjjmr02]

Hello! We are technically stationed at FT Lewis, although we've been attached to the training base in Yakima for a year now. I personally like the areas south of base, in the Lacey and Olympia area. It seemed to fit our families style and pace a bit better than the hustle and bustle of the cities closer to base. One area you might look into is Yelm. We looked at several houses in a gated community there, called Clearwood. Very nice, very private areas, the commute to base was easier than dealing with I-5 and the area is just gorgeous. Here's a link to the housing development. Many soldiers and their families live in this area. Good luck.
Located on Bald Hill Road

[FoxyKnox]

Yelm would probably suit you very well. Not too densely populated, and you'd be able to find some space for you dogs to run around. Lacey and Dupont also, but they are a little more neighborhood-like. You'll definately find new construction in Dupont. I'd stay away from Spanaway, most of it is pretty seedy. Graham is actually fairly far away from the base, and the traffic through Puyallup to 512 is horrendous.

You asked about I-5 flooding around the base. None has ever occured that I am aware of. If you heard about I-5 being closed for a few days in December due to flooding, you are correct. But this occured about 75 miles south of the base in the Chehalis area.

[Ultrarunner]

I would check the area South of Fort Lewis...

You will not have any trouble finding a new home or nearly new home to rent in Lacey/Dupont. Several new communities have sprouted, with about 500 new homes still on track to be completed this year.

[mthomson]

Yelm and Roy are your best bets if you like a bit of land and off the beaten path. No flooding to worry about. 2200+ sq ft, newer, can run you between $350k-$450k to buy, depending on where you land.

[Sandy Nelson]

Kept Woman,
Congratulations on your move to Ft. Lewis. On your husband's Warrant Officer pay, you should have no problem renting or buying a 2200sq.ft.+ home with a nice sized yard for your dogs. Although Dupont is conveniently located near Ft. Lewis, I wouldn't recommend it to someone requiring a large yard. Most of the homes in Dupont are on small lots. The community has an extensive net of walking trails, but that would require you to take the dogs out on a leash, versus them playing in the yard.
I would recommend finding a home in Lacey or Yelm. Houses in yelm will be cheaper and more rural than in Lacey, but the commute time to Ft. Lewis is longer. None of those areas have been affected by flooding.
Good luck with your move. I hope you'll keep us posted where you'll end up buying or renting.

Sandy

[kept woman]

Hello to all. Thanks for the wonderful start. Do any of you happen to know the commute times in regards to living in Yelm, Roy, Lacey??? We currently live 30-40 min. from Fort Bragg and have been making that commute for 10+ years, so it wouldn't be a shock if they were to be the same length out there. Thanks.

[Macanudo]

From Roy and Yelm, you can enter the "back" gates and only be 20-30 minutes from post. But that is all dependent on where you are in relation to that gate and where you're hubby will work at Ft. Lewis.

We're north of the Fort off of Bridgeport. I can skirt the Sound and be at the back gate of North Ft. Lewis in 15-20 minutes. But then it can be another 10-15 minutes from the gate to Madigan (the hospital) or the P/X and commissary, depending on traffic.

[Sandy Nelson]

kept woman,

Like Macanudo said, Yelm and Roy commute times should be 20-30 minutes. If you choose the Clearwood community in Yelm, that was mentioned earlier in this thread, then your need to add another 15 minutes on top of that. Lacey is a fairly spread-out community and depending on how close you live to the I-5 corridor, the commutes vary as well. I would say commute times from Lacey to Ft. Lewis are 10-25 minutes.

Sandy

[Jer-B]

I currently live in Clearwood. I am not in the military, but there are many military families in the community. I would guess at least 30% of the people here are connected to Ft. Lewis in some way. I drive past the East Gate of Ft. Lewis every morning. It's about 20 to 25 minutes from my house. If you love big trees, fishing and quiet and don't mind having to drive 10 miles to the grocery store.. you'll like it here.