Many thanks to Esther for contributing this piece about why she loves living in 29 Palms! It's so cool to be able to learn about other duty stations! And for those of us who've been stationed at Twentynine Palms, we can certainly relate to her description. If you love where your family is stationed, please tell us about it and let us feature you in an upcoming edition of Macaroni Kid Military Family!
Esther Kim
Esther Kim
Twentynine Palms, CA
What do you like about living where you do?
We live off base in the town adjacent to Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley. We love the fact that in this city we're very central to lots of activities in both Southern California and Central California. We do a lot of driving, but my kids are used to it! We're an hour outside of Big Bear, less than an hour outside of Palm Springs, two hours from LA and San Diego, and about three hours out from Las Vegas.
There's a lot of support here. Homeschoolers, base families, and more-the community really tries to support each other. And if you like the outdoors, this is the place for you! With Joshua Tree National Park right outside base, camping, rock climbing, and hiking are all amazing. We're considered the High Desert. So, we're REALLY HOT during the summer, but since we're high up in elevation, we're nice during the winter. We even got snow last year during December-but it was all gone by 12pm!
What challenges are associated with living there?
Everything is a ways away. On average, the closest major city is 1.5 hours away. But if you like to drive, this is a convenient spot for lots of cities. Summers are super hot, so we try to leave the area during those 100+ degree days. It's a shock at first. Most people cry when first arriving. It's like nothing you've ever seen. If you like the idea of living on Tatooine from Star Wars, you will be in heaven!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Every place you move, there is something great about it. It may not seem that way at first, but you have to try. You have to have an open mindset that this place is going to be home, and for my sake, my spouse's sake, and my kid's sake I have to take on every move like an adventure I want to be on!
