Joint Base Lewis McChord will be the largest military installation on the west coast of the U.S. with more than 415,000 acres. It's the largest military installation, according to its web site. It supports an on-base population and in neighboring communities of more than 100,000 people that includes military personnel, families, civilian and contract employees, and retirees and their families, according to its web site.
Camp Lewis was established in 1917 and became Fort Lewis in 1927, according to its web site. McChord Air Force Base started as McChord Army Field in 1938 and became McChord Air Force Base when the Air Force became a separate military service in 1947, according to its web site.
In 2005, the base realigned and the Closure Commission designated Fort Lewis and McChord Base as a joint base, one of 12 joint bases in the Department of Defense, according to its web site. It's the second largest employers in the state.