Page Contents for Fort Lewis, Washington

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Schools.

Miscellany

---

Statistics & Facts

The Washington state capital is Olympia.
The population of Fort Lewis is approximately 19,089 (2000), 11046 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 3,533 (1990), 2717 (2010).
The amount of land area in Fort Lewis is 37.117 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Fort Lewis is 15.3 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 1.548 sq kilometers.
The distance from Fort Lewis to Washington DC is 2474 miles.
The distance to the Washington state capital is 16 miles. (as the crow flies)
Fort Lewis is positioned 47.10 degrees north of the equator and 122.58 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Fort Lewis median income is $ 32,384 (2000).
The Fort Lewis median home price is $ 90,800 (2000).
Fort Lewis average annual precipitation is 43.3 inches peryear.
Fort Lewis average annual snowfall is 16.7 inches per year.
The average winter temperature is 39.7 degrees F.
The average spring temperature is 49.6 degrees F.
The average summer temperature is 64.4 degrees F.
The average fall temperature is 51.7 degrees F.

Location

in the general Tacoma area. Other nearby communities include Lakewood, Steilacoom, McChort AFB, DuPont, University Place, Roy, Fircrest and Parkland.
Return to Index

History & History Related Items

In 1917, the citizens of the county voted to support a bond to purchase land to donate to the federal government for a military base here. Camp Lewis was the first base created through this process. It was named for Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which group traveled in 1804-1806 to find a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. Construction on the Camp began rapidly in July 1917. In just three months, most structures, roads and other buildings were under construction. The main gate was funded by the workers and still stands today, though moved during the 1950’s. After WWI, military spending was greatly reduced and Camp Lewis went somewhat in need of repair. The local people, who had donated the land, were not happy and told the government to return the land if they weren’t going to take care of it. By 1926, a funding bill passed congress and Camp Lewis was to be revitalized. Camp Lewis was renamed a Fort in September 1927. When WWII began to escalate, the Fort increased its population with over 37,000 troops. More housing was built at this time. After Pearl Harbor, soldiers from Fort Lewis helped to secure all the military installations in the Pacific Northwest. War brought more people and more responsibility to the Fort.

For more history information, see this history page
Return to Index

Attractions

Fort Lewis houses the I Corps, the 4th ROTC Region Headquarters, Madigan Army Medical Center, and other tenant and support units. The Fort itself has over 25,000 soldiers and civilian workers. It also supports over 120,000 retirees in the area and more than 29,000 family members living on and off the post. The combined payroll of military, civilian and retirees is $ 1.2 billion. The Fort contains 86,000 acres of land.

For more information about Fort Lewis, please contact the Public Affairs office at 253-967-0156.

The Fort Lewis Military Museum
The museum has a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia about the Fort's history and of the Army in the Pacific Northwest area. You can see not only uniforms and weapons, but also tanks, cannons and other vehicles. The former Red Shield Inn, built during World War I, houses the museum.
For more information on the museum, please call 253-967-7206

Learn more about Fort Lewis at this informative site.
Return to Index

---

Fort Lewis Schools

Beachwood Elementary School
8583 American Lake Ave
Fort Lewis, WA 98433-1333
Phone: 253-589-7690

---

Clarkmoor Elementary School
S Divison St & Liggett St
Fort Lewis, WA 98433
Phone: 253-589-7745

---

Evergreen Elementary School
9010 Blaine St
Fort Lewis, WA 98433-1219
Phone: 253-589-7870

---

Greenwood Elementary School
5190 N Division St
Fort Lewis, WA 98433-1105
Phone: 253-589-7760

---

Hillside Elementary School
6399 Magnolia Blvd
Fort Lewis, WA 98433-1235
Phone: 253-589-7770 Fort Lewis

Miscellany

The population of Fort Lewis was:
1999 - 25,000
2000 - 19,089