Living Near Mountain Home Air Force Base: A Guide for Military Households

TL;DR: Mountain Home AFB sits on a high desert plateau about 50 miles southeast of Boise and 12 miles southwest of the town of Mountain Home. Service members live on base, in Mountain Home, and in Boise area towns. Before you pick, call the base offices listed below, check your BAH against real costs, and drive the commute. A vanpool runs from the Boise area, and DoD may reimburse its cost.

Got orders to Mountain Home? Welcome to Gunfighter country. This guide pulls the official resources into one place so you can plan your PCS without digging through a dozen sites. Phone numbers and details come from the base and Military OneSource. Offices change, so confirm before you rely on anything.

About the base

Per Military OneSource and the base’s newcomers page:

• Mountain Home AFB is home to the 366th Fighter Wing, the “Gunfighters,” part of Air Combat Command, flying the F-15E Strike Eagle.
• The base also hosts a Republic of Singapore Air Force F-15SG unit.
• The base opened in 1943 and sits about 12 miles southwest of the city of Mountain Home, the Elmore County seat.
• Base address: 366 Gunfighter Ave., Mountain Home AFB, ID 83648.
• Elevation is about 3,000 feet, on a high desert plateau.

Before you arrive

• Pre-Arrival Orientation: The Military and Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) runs a Zoom pre-arrival briefing. Call 208-828-2458 to sign up. Spouses are encouraged to join.
• Sponsor: If you do not have a sponsor, call your squadron. If you do not know your squadron yet, the M&FRC can connect you.
• Getting from the airport: Boise Airport is about 50 miles from the base, and public transportation is limited. Arrange a ride to your temporary lodging ahead of time. Military OneSource says to call the Command Post at 208-828-5800 if you find yourself without transportation.
• Pets: The base vet clinic is at 208-828-2221. Base housing allows two pets, per Military OneSource.

Where military households live

There are three broad options. Each has tradeoffs in cost, commute, and lifestyle, and only you can weigh them for your family.

On base

Privatized family housing is managed by Balfour Beatty Communities, with 2, 3, and 4 bedroom homes, per the Military OneSource housing page. Contacts:

• Balfour Beatty Communities: 208-832-9900, 520 Fir St., Bldg. 182, mountainhomefamilyhousing.com
• Base Housing Office: 208-828-2781. You can apply in advance with DD Form 1746.

Mountain Home

The city of Mountain Home is the closest town. The Census Bureau estimated its population at 16,779 as of July 1, 2025 (QuickFacts). The same source shows these American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 estimates for Mountain Home:

• Median value of owner occupied homes: $309,400
• Median gross rent: $1,155
• Mean travel time to work: 23.0 minutes

Mountain Home Community Transit runs a city route on weekdays. Call 208-463-9111 for details.

The Boise area

Some households live in Boise or nearby towns like Meridian and Kuna and commute. Military OneSource notes that living in Boise generally means higher housing prices plus commute costs. Our Moving to Boise guide and Meridian guide cover those towns in more detail.

The commute

Military OneSource puts Boise about 50 miles from the base and “roughly 51 minutes” away. Treat that as an estimate and test it yourself, ideally at your real report time. In winter, check road conditions before you go.

Vanpool: The ACHD Commuteride Mountain Home AFB vanpool serves people living outside Mountain Home, including Boise, Kuna, and Meridian. Call 208-345-7665 to sign up. Military members and DoD civilians may be reimbursed for the cost; call LRS Base Transportation at 208-828-1020 or 208-828-2488 (Military OneSource).

Housing costs and BAH

Look up your rate with the official DTMO BAH calculator using the base ZIP code, 83648. Military OneSource notes that depending on where you are coming from, your BAH may drop because of the area’s lower cost of living.

For recent sales in Elmore County, which includes Mountain Home, Boise Regional REALTORS’ September 2026 Elmore County report (Intermountain MLS data as of October 8, 2026) showed:

• A rolling 12 month single family median sale price of $369,445, about flat from a year earlier (down 0.1%)
• 58 single family sales in September, up 34.9% from a year earlier, with 46 of them in Mountain Home
• 3.3 months of supply

For comparison, the same group reported a September 2026 single family median of $575,000 in Ada County, home to Boise, Meridian, and Kuna (report). See our fall 2026 housing market snapshot for more, including mortgage rates.

If you are thinking about buying with a VA loan, or renting out a home when you PCS, it helps to talk to a lender and a local agent early. You can send a note to a local agent any time.

Schools

Per Military OneSource, one school district covers both the base and the city of Mountain Home: the Mountain Home School District.

• Stephensen Elementary (K to 4) is on base at 200 Gunfighter Ave. It is part of the Mountain Home School District, not a Department of Defense school. In September 2024 it became Idaho’s first Purple Star School, a designation for schools that support military-connected students. Phone: 208-832-4651.
• School Liaison Program Manager: 208-599-0412 (DSN 828-6206). The SLPM helps with transfers, special needs contacts, post-secondary prep, and home school support. A home school support group meets on base most months.
• EFMP/Family Support: 208-828-2458.

If you live in the Boise area, your children attend the district that serves your address. Our family resources guide explains how to check boundaries and look up state reported school data. Idaho’s kindergarten age cutoff is covered there too.

On-base quality of life

The 366th Force Support Squadron (mountainhomefss.com) runs programs that include an Outdoor Adventure Program, a library, a youth center, a pool, and a golf course. Check its site for hours and current offerings.

Veterans and Guard resources in the Boise area

• VA Boise Medical Center: 500 W. Fort St., Boise, 208-422-1000 (VA)
• Idaho Division of Veterans Services: 351 Collins Rd., Boise, 208-780-1300 (contact page)
• Gowen Field in Boise is home to the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing.

Idaho paperwork

The Idaho Transportation Department says active duty service members and their dependents with a valid out of state license are exempt from getting an Idaho license within 30 days. Vehicle title and registration rules are separate, so read ITD’s page and talk to your county DMV. If you buy a home, the Ada County homeowner’s exemption page notes a military exception to the Idaho license number requirement on the first application. Elmore County buyers should ask the Elmore County Assessor how it applies there.

Quick contact list

Office	Phone
Military and Family Readiness Center	208-828-2458
Base Housing Office	208-828-2781
Balfour Beatty Communities	208-832-9900
School Liaison Program Manager	208-599-0412
LRS Base Transportation	208-828-1020 / 208-828-2488
ACHD Commuteride vanpool	208-345-7665
Mountain Home Community Transit	208-463-9111
Base vet clinic	208-828-2221

Sources: Military OneSource and mountainhome.af.mil. For more for service members and veterans, visit the military hub.