Q: I do not want to be too close to base so I have been looking at houses around Bonney Lake, Roy, and Pullayup. Places a little off the beaten path but not too far that I have to drive an hour to get to Fort Lewis. Plus schools and crime rate are a factor.
 A: While I work the entire perimeter of the bases, I sell many more homes in Thurston County than in Pierce.
When I PCS’s to Lewis (with teenagers), everyone I spoke with recommended Yelm/Roy, Lacey/Olympia. Â Less crime, better schools, and lower prices. Â I ended up in Lacey and was happy with my decision.
Aside from the demographic issues, commuting to the Thurston county communities is vastly better than Pierce. Â I-5 south to Lacey (or out the back gate to Yelm), is 15-30 minutes at worst. Â Rush hour traffic to the Puyallup areas can exceed an hour, and you are limited to I-5/Hwy 512 (which is bumper to bumper every morning and afternoon), or surface streets which can be just as bad.