I am going to tell you ten good things about living at Naval Air Station Lemoore.
Just joking, I could only come up with five.
However, these five things can help you get the most out of living in a town that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. When you tell people you are moving to California, their eyes will light up. They’re thinking L.A., San Diego, San Francisco. Shops, food, beaches, ocean surfing, adventure.
Where exactly in California? They will eventually ask.
When you answer Lemoore, a confused look will come over their faces. Lemoore? They’ve never heard of such a place. You mention that it’s near Fresno. That sounds familiar. If you take a look at this map, you will be living in the “nobody cares” region.
Top 5 Things About NAS Lemoore
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Base Housing
Base housing is run by Lincoln Military Housing. There are six neighborhoods for enlisted families and two for officer families. Houses range from two bedrooms to four bedrooms. Sidewalks are everywhere as well as playgrounds.
Playgrounds are perfect for meeting new people and setting up playgroups. During my first time living on base, I met many friends by just walking around my neighborhood and playing at the parks with my kids. My street had many kids in the same age range, and we were easily able to form playgroups. While our spouses were deployed, we would set up playgroups which included potluck dinners. We put our kids in pajamas, let them play their energy out, walked them home and put them straight to bed. Seriously, this was a momma life saver!
These relationships are easier to form in base housing. Through the principle of proximity, we have the tendency to make friends with those who are close by. When you live on base, you have the privilege of living near people who share and understand the military lifestyle.
Other than playgrounds, there are two pools and two small workout rooms available to housing residents only. There are two other pools on base open to all service members and their families, one of which has two water slides. The base gym offers updated equipment as well as a variety of workout classes and an outside track. Located within base housing are two elementary schools and a middle school.
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Base Community
With any large group of people, it will always be easy to find the negatives or the drama. Thankfully I have not been a part of any drama, but let’s just all admit that we’ve taken part in grabbing popcorn and scrolling.
You know what I’m talking about — on those boring evenings when the spouse is gone and the kids are asleep and you come across a post on Facebook that has reached 100 plus comments in five minutes. You click it, start at the top, and with disbelief, you just can’t stop reading as you think, what is wrong with “these” people?
Well, if those moments get your heart racing, I promise Lemoore does not disappoint.
However, more often than “those” posts, there are posts full of helpful and caring people. My current neighborhood has its own group, and when someone needs anything, we are all quick to respond and help out. I think it’s the best thing about Lemoore.
If you are coming to NAS Lemoore, here are a few helpful Facebook groups you will want to be a part of: NAS Lemoore Family Information (this is the page with the most accurate information), Naval Air Station Lemoore Spouses, NAS Lemoore Officer Spouses, NAS Lemoore Lets Explore, NAS Lemoore Sitters (to be or find a babysitter), NAS Lemoore Buy/Sell/Trade/Wanted. These pages will get you started in the Lemoore base community.
There are more selling/buying pages, a painted rocks page, and an adult sports pages. Another thing I love about this base is the women’s sports they offer. There are regular base leagues that practice and have games throughout the seasons, including, softball, volleyball, soccer, and basketball. There are base sports leagues for the children, too, including a youth swim team.
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Local Community
Lemoore itself is not full of adventurous things to do. Many days the play area in Burger King was the highlight of my kid’s life. However, there are local community events that will help you enjoy and possibly even love this duty station. Let me introduce another town to you called Hanford, the town next to Lemoore. It’s about a 15 minute drive from base. Hanford is where the mall, restaurants and all major stores are like Target, Hobby Lobby, and Costco.
Maybe the best event to take part in is the Thursday night farmers market. Located in downtown Hanford, it runs from May through September. It’s set up with live music, food vendors, local farmers selling their produce, informational booths of local businesses, carousel rides, and pony rides. The No. 1 thing I look forward to at these markets is the grilled sweet corn with all the toppings; you have to get it slathered in butter, mayo, Parmesan cheese and chili powder. Trust me, try it. Don’t worry about the calories because you’re walking while eating.
Also, Lemoore and Hanford have a good amount of antique and thrift stores to check out in their downtown areas. Hanford also offers a Monday flea market, the sign reads Alma’s Flea Market, and the locals call it the Mexican Market. Whatever you want to call it, it is worth checking out — it’s open every Monday and has a wide variety.
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Proximity to Adventure
One of the first things most people are told when moving to Lemoore, is that it is two to three hours away from a lot of things. Here is your list of proximity to adventure:
Bass Lake: 1.5 hour drive
Lake Tahoe: 5 hour drive
Los Angeles: 3.5 hour drive
Las Vegas: 5 hour drive
Mountains (Sequoia National Park and Yosemite): 2 hour drive
Ocean/Beaches (Morro Bay, Pismo): 2 hour drive
Paso Robles (Vineyards): 2 hour drive
San Diego: 5-6 hour drive
San Francisco: 3 hour drive
That’s all. Yea, sorry I could only come up with four good things. But hopefully it was enough for you to be a little more encouraged with your orders to NAS Lemoore. As with any new place, it is what you make of it. As the saying goes, bloom where you are planted. Make it good, and welcome to Lemoore.
