Welcome to Marine Corps Base Camp Joseph H. Pendleton, the nation's busiest military base. The base is the home of the Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Logistics Group and many tenant units, including elements of Marine Aircraft Group 39, and Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA).

Camp Pendleton is located 38 miles north of San Diego (San Diego County) and borders the southern edge of Orange County's city of San Clemente (the north entrance to Camp Pendleton, known as the "Christianitos Gate," is located in San Clemente), just south of Los Angeles.

A wide variety of recreational facilities and activities are available on base and in nearby areas. Daytime population averages 100,000 military and civilian personnel aboard the base every day.

With palm trees dotting the dry landscape and many of the housing units built in the classic Southern California Spanish style, large parts of MCB Camp Pendleton look like most other small California coastal towns. There are shopping centers, fast food restaurants, Starbucks, a paintball range, fire stations, signs for dances and other events at the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer Club, and little kids with moms in tow walking on the sidewalks to playgrounds. Combined with the unlimited number of local points of interest in and around the base, your tour here at Camp Pendleton will be a pleasant and memorable one. Welcome!

Camp Pendleton at a Glance
The main base is at Mainside, located at the southeastern end of the base, and the remote northern interior is an impact area.

The Relocation Assistance Program of Community Support Services is located in Building 13150. Relocation Assistance provides Welcome Aboard Packages, orientation and welcome sessions, maps and numerous other resources regarding Women, Infants and Children (WIC), child care, education and much more to those who are relocating to Camp Pendleton.

The base is divided into areas and most facilities and units are located by area on the base:
11 Area - 1st Marine Division headquarters
21 Area - 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
23 Area - 3rd Marine Aircraft Group 39
32 Area - 3rd MASS-3, 3rd LAAD, MTACS-1
33 Area - 3rd Headquarters Battalion, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
41 Area - 31st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 5th Battalion 11th Marines
43 Area - 33rd 11th Marine Regiment
51 Area - 33rd United States Marine Corps School of Infantry
53 Area - 31st Marine Regiment
62 Area - 35th Marine Regiment, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion

Children living on base attend elementary schools near their housing, some on base and some off. Seventh through twelfth graders typically go to public schools in the nearest community. Preschoolers can choose between private off-base facilities or one of the Child Development Centers on base.

On-base extension classes are offered by various colleges and universities, and the local area is home to an impressive number of educational institutions of all types. More information can be found at the Joint Reception Center on base.

Military is a major presence throughout this part of Southern California with more than 300,000 military-related residents. Camp Pendleton occupies more than 125,000 acres, along with five other main military installations and numerous smaller sites located throughout San Diego County.

Climate
Boasting sunny days, low humidity and an average temperature that ranges from 52 to 72 degrees year-round, the area in and around Camp Pendleton has the most comfortable weather in Southern California.

The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and an average difference of 18 degrees Fahrenheit during winter.

The annual average precipitation is a little more than 10 inches. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of a little more than two inches. Gusty Santa Ana winds can feed wildfires during dry spells, which usually occur in the fall.

History
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base. Originally part of a gigantic ranch when Spain controlled California, Camp Pendleton became U.S. Marine turf in the early days of World War II. The base was established in 1942. After training in its sere, rugged hills and surf-whitened beaches, tens of thousands of Marines embarked for battles that are part of Corps legend—Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

By October 1944, Camp Pendleton was declared a "permanent installation" and by 1946, it became the home of the 1st Marine Division. It is named after Marine General Joseph Henry Pendleton, who long advocated setting up a West Coast training base for the Marine Corps.

Camp Pendleton provides training facilities throughout the rolling hills of the base for many active-duty and reserve Marines, Army and Navy units, as well as national, state and local agencies. Recruits from nearby Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego spend a month on Pendleton's Edson Range receiving field training and, after graduation from boot camp, return to the base's School of Infantry for further training. Today, Camp Pendleton trains Marines for battles in the Middle East and for missions around the world, including humanitarian efforts.

San Diego County
Overall, the San Diego sprawl is much more courteous and restrained than the Los Angeles sprawl. You'll find the Navy and Marine influence here is quite strong. Downtown San Diego is a short drive away and considered a fun night out for some. The city represents a wide range of cultures from students to surfers and skaters. The zoo and wild animal park are world renowned and the harbor areas are beautiful.

San Diego has the amenities of a big city with a reasonably small town feel to it. San Diego County extends from the Mexican border to Carlsbad and Poway, right up to Camp Pendleton just north of Oceanside.

Orange County
Anything north of Camp Pendleton, but south of Los Angeles (San Juan Capistrano, Irvine, etc.) is Orange County, which has a very different feel from San Diego. San Diego is more urban and culturally diverse, though O.C., which locals never call "The OC," has seen much recent development, especially around Irvine and the southern areas of the county. O.C. is also widely known for its surf and skate culture.

Radio Stations
KCEO - AM
KFMB - AM/FM
KOGO - AM
KPBS - FM
KSDO - AM/FM
KSON - FM
KXXY - FM

TV Stations
KFMB - TV (Channel 8)
KGTV - TV (Channel 10)
KNSD - TV (Channel 7/39)
KPBS - TV (San Diego State University)
KSWB - TV (Channel 5/69)
KUSI - TV (Channel 9/51)
KBNT - TV (Channel 19 - Spanish)
KPEN TV is aired on channel 18 in the southern part of Camp Pendleton and on channel 30 in the northern part of Camp Pendleton. KPEN plays local programs that affect Marines, Sailors, military families and civilian employees that live and work on base and in surrounding communities.

Newspapers
In addition to the major daily, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and some of the major specialty publications like the North County Times (Escondido), the San Diego Business Journal and VoiceofSanDiego.org (a non-profit, online paper). The San Diego area also has many weekly publications that serve the communities around Camp Pendleton, as well as a wide range of ethnic and language weeklies.

Base Newspaper
The Scout is Camp Pendleton's official weekly base newspaper. It is distributed Thursday to all on-base housing areas and to military units and facilities. The newspaper is free on base, but those who do not have access to the paper may purchase a subscription from the civilian publisher by calling (760) 433-7333.

Free classified advertising is accepted from active-duty and retired personnel, their family members with ID and Camp Pendleton civilian employees for the "Military Marketplace" section of the newspaper. Ads must be filled out in person during normal working hours by 10 a.m., Friday for the following week's publication at the Consolidated Public Affairs Office (CPAO), Building 1160. For more information, call (760) 725-5792.