Mountain Home, Idaho, is the closest city to Mountain Home AFB. It has about 15,000 people, and is in Elmore County, which has a population of about 27,000 people. Another nearby small community is Grand View (500 people). Boise, Idaho, is the closest major city, but Boise is over an hour away.

It is about 13 miles from downtown Mountain Home to base; this takes about 24 minutes to commute, in winter this travel time can be much longer.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Mountain Home area ranges from $400 to $800 per month, with a median of $550 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for houses near Mountain Home Air Force Base is about $178,000, compared to $235,000 for Idaho.

Short Description of the Area: Mountain Home is a small city in southwestern Idaho. This is an agricultural area, with some farming and more ranching.

Climate and Weather: The area has a dry, warm, but northerly and mountain climate, leading to hot, dry summers, and cold winters. Winter is short, with temperatures of the high 30s to low 20s. Summers are longer, with temperatures from the low 90s to mid-50s, with warm springs and falls, but a plunge in November. The area has snow in the winter, up to three and a half inches a month, but little rain in the summer, sometimes as little as a half-inch a month.