Looks like that is where I am headed this summer...

Looking for suggestions on:

housing (on or off post) areas, crime, commute, etc...

Schools (I'll have a 6th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader)

Hunting/fishing...  Gun laws and CCW

Anything else I should know.....


Thanks

great hunting and fishing, no "machine guns",but sbr's and cans are legal. You can now hunt with a can.  Open carry with no CCW.  CCW requires mental and criminal back ground check, they do recognize a few states but not many.  No class required. GO SEAHAWKS!  If during rush hour expect to wait on the ferry. VIsit Pike Street market (there multiple floors).  About 20 feet past the fish tossing place and across the street is a window that sells Chinese food. The steamed bbq pork buns and the pot stickers are to die for, best ever! Grandma, Grandpa, kids, and there offspring all work there.

DuPont is a nice place to live.

I drove past it a couple times on my way from PDX to Bangor for a gun shoot. Traffic sux. Thats about it.

Cannot be repeated enough.

I-5 is pretty special pretty much all the time.

When I played army out there a long time ago ('81), I learned one thing:  Those aren't tree stumps, they're anthills.  By the time you figure this out, it's much too late.  Also, don't mess with the anthills.  They will tear you up over the freaking anthills.  Endangered species or something like that.

Yelm.  Live there.  Drive isn't terrible and it's pretty quiet.  I loved that place and would live there again in a heartbeat.

Didn't WA just pass that moronic transfer law?

I recommend Roy. It is closer to east gate and will cut about 10 minutes from your commute.

CCW is easy, if you live in thruston county just roll over to the Olympia PD, fill out the application and check our mail in 3 weeks. Open carry is legal, and feasible if you live south of I-5.

The kids in Yelm walk around all the time, they look like a mix of good military kids and grungy meth head offspring.

Dupont is expensive but I think it would have better schools then Yelm.

I, unfortunately, have not gotten to go hunting here yet.

got buddies who live in Dupont. I absolutely wish I'd moved there. the houses can be costly but all they have to do to get home is drive out the south gate and across the bridge. I get to sit in traffic on I5 for HOURS.
Try to stay off the I5 corridor. Lewis is inbetween 2 choke points.
Dupont and Steillicoom are the easiest to get to to the west. Yelm and Lacey are the easiest in the south but they are subject to some blockages. Olympia is really cool if you can live around hippies, but is on the other side of a big I-5 choke point. Tacoma has some really kick ass bars, and some good neighborhoods, as does Puyallup, but those are on the north side of the Tacoma Superdome choke point, which is ALWAYS a slowdown or stop spot when I go home.

Aside from that, Lewis is a really awesome spot. If you like outdoors stuff like hiking, climbing, fishing, there's not too many places better aside from  maybe Carson.
Gun laws in WA are pretty chill. The local tin hat crew is upset that now you have to present the same ID at a gun show as you do at the gun store, and somehow that translates into them taking your guns away and throwing you into a concentration camp full of FEMA CHU's. Whatever. There's no mag cap, AR's abound. Ammo is about a dollar more per box than in North Carolina (not expensive) But good luck getting an elk ticket. CCW is super easy for Military in Pierce county (Dupont, Tacoma)



South of I-5? Like in Mexico?

Dude, fix your quote. I didn't say that.

Don't be intentionally obtuse. I know it runs north to south, but it turns east to west above JBLM.

love it

Base wise I mean McChord... I forgot about Lewis.