Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the Corps' largest West Coast expeditionary training facility, encompasses more than 125,000 acres of Southern California terrain.
Located approximately 38 miles from downtown San Diego in North County and 82 miles south of Los Angeles, Camp Pendleton has been the largest employer in North San Diego County for more than 60 years.
Camp Pendleton is one of the Department of Defense's busiest installations and offers a broad spectrum of training facilities for many active and reserve Marine, Army and Navy units, as well as national, state and local agencies.
The Base is home to the I Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Logistics Group and many tenant units, including Marine Corps Installations-West, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, Wounded Warrior Battalion-West, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Marine Aircraft Group 39, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego's Weapons & Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps and Army Reserve Forces, the Navy's Assault Craft Unit 5, a Naval Hospital and 1st Dental Battalion.
The coastal and mountain terrain support a variety of military training. Fleet Marine Force units use Camp Pendleton's ranges and training areas to maintain combat readiness.
The Base also provides specialized schools and training as directed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Several schools are located on Camp Pendleton including Assault Amphibian Schools Battalion, School of Infantry-West, Field Medical Training Battalion - West and Marine Corps University. Following recruit graduation, enlisted Marines receive basic infantry training at the School of Infantry-West before assignment to other units throughout the Corps.
More than 38,000 military family members occupy base housing complexes. However, with a daytime population of 70,000 military and civilian personnel, the Marines, Sailors and their families rely on the surrounding communities for retail goods and services not available on Base.
The neighboring cities of Carlsbad, Escondido, Fallbrook, Oceanside, San Clemente, San Marcos, Temecula and Vista provide employment, housing and services needed by the Camp Pendleton population.
Camp Pendleton contains the largest undeveloped portion of coastline in Southern California. The ecosystem includes beaches, bluffs, mesas, canyons, mountains and Southern California's only free-flowing river. There are more than 1,000 species of plants, fish and animals, some of which are either threatened or endangered. Wildlife and habitat protection is a top concern of all who live, work and train at Camp Pendleton.
Camp Pendleton's 125,547 acres host a self-sustaining water supply, sewage treatment plants, telephone and electrical systems. With a daytime population of more than 70,000 , Camp Pendleton must maintain its self-sustaining capabilities.
To help maintain the high demand on Pendleton's utilities, there are seven sewage treatment plants, 150 miles of sewer mainlines, 24 wells, 375 miles of water mainlines, 23 reservoirs, 145 miles of gas lines, 335 miles of electrical lines, 215 electric substations and two landfills.
Along with having its own utility distribution systems, Camp Pendleton also maintains 7,300 family housing units and is constructing additional units in conjunction with maintaining 18,000 permanent party billeting spaces. In addition, there are more than 2,600 buildings and structures. The largest structure on Base is the 6,000-foot runway at the Air Station.
With constant training on Camp Pendleton, preserving the environment and compliance with waste reduction is an important consideration. In 1986, a successful recycling program was established. In 2008, the Base recycled 5.3 million pounds of cardboard and 2.2 million pounds of paper, constituting a savings of more than 4,352 cubic yards of landfill space.
Camp Pendleton was the first Marine Corps installation to safely recycle expended brass casings for resale, as required by DoD.
Base Facilities Statistics
Acres of Base Area - 125,547
Family Housing Units - 7,300
Billeting Spaces - 18,000
Buildings - 2,600
Miles of Roads – 530
Railroad Tracks – 14
Sewage Treatment Plants - 7
Miles of Sewer Lines – 150
Sewage Lift Stations – 71
Water Wells – 33
Miles of Water Lines – 375
Water Reservoirs – 25
Miles of Steam Lines – 6
Miles of Gas Lines – 145
Miles of Electrical Lines – 335
Electrical Substations – 215
Boilers – 487
Landfills - 2
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. was the site of the Marine Corps' first public private venture. Families began moving into Deluz Housing in October 2001.
Located 42 miles north of San Diego International Airport (Lindbergh Field) and 88 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Camp Pendleton is home to Marine Corps Installations West-Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, I Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Logistics Group and many tenant units, including Marine Aircraft Group 39 and School of Infantry-West.
Approximately 70,000 people work and live aboard the base. Camp Pendleton provides training facilities for many active-duty and Reserve Marine, Navy and Army units, as well as national, state and local agencies. Personnel aboard the base are environmentally conscientious as they share the land with more than 350 species. The protection of endangered species is carefully considered when planning for training.
A wide variety of recreational facilities and activities are available on base. Combine these with the unlimited number of local points of interest around the base and surely your tour will be a memorable one.
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