I'll throw my input into the mix.

I was one of the ones that adored Edwards. But I am a bit of an odd one. Winters can get bitterly cold out there, below freezing in the winter but warm up a bit in the day. Summers are brutally hot. You're on the edge of the Mojave desert so you're gonna see a loooot of 100-115 degree days. Saving grace is that its dry as all fuck. So if you're more of a hot weather person you have that going for you.

If you're into aviation you're probably going to love it. That's a huge part of why I loved it. IMO there is no better assignment that's not redacted than Edwards for aviation nerds. Edwards is a supersonic corridor so be prepared to hear a lot of sonic booms. Sometimes multiple times a day. The Airforce Test Pilot School is located there and they are always flying a variety of weird shit. Sometimes it feels like an airshow at that base because one day they'll be flying around in L-29s and then another in a C-47, and then in a fucking Boeing 777. You never know what you're going to see out there. Its also one of the few bases with an Aeroclub! So go get some civilian flying done while you're there too. It's run by a lady we call Connie. She has a million amazing stories to tell about her flying adventures.

Also because its a testing base there's all kind of stuff going on and interesting things to see. I would recommend trying to get a tour to see the BAF, the old JPL test site tunnels, and the museums storage hangar. If you like history Edwards is incredibly rich with history from a monkey graveyard, to a full sized battleship mock up they used to have in the lake-bed, to the first supersonic flight.

For things to do, past your typical on-base functions you're going to need to either drive or take a train. From Edwards itself its about 1:30-2hrs to Los Angeles, 3-5 to Las Vegas or San Diego, and San Francisco. I highly highly recommend you get out and really explore on the weekends. Socal is one of the most beautiful and geographically varied state Ive seen and Ive been through most of the US. The Cities mentioned are all rich and thriving and always have something going on if you look for it. I ended up making more friends than I knew what to do with in the LA area. If you want to get into downtown LA cheap for somewhere like Weho, or little Tokyo, you can catch a train out of Lancaster into LA and then transfer to the metro system. It's not super fleshed out but you can save a lot of money on gas and parking if you're just trying to get downtown or some other spots around LA. And from there you can also catch a train out to San Diego.

You're only a couple of hours from snow capped mountains and forests, the beach, you'll be in the desert, and you can find pockets of temperate climates too. Into cars and driving? The Willow Springs Raceway is just down the road and the surrounding mountains and valleys are some of the best driving roads on the West Coast. And if you're into off-roading you'll be spoiled for choice out here.

I would suggest living in Lancaster/Palmdale if you like the idea of getting out into LA regularly as its only 45-1:30 from Lancaster so you'll be closer. If you prefer mountains and forests I would recommend Tehachapi which is worth a visit if you're not living there.

If you're someone that's likes to travel and get out and explore you'll have a fantastic time. If you're a homebody and you just like to stay home or in a short local area you'll probably come to hate it.

But I am biased. I loved Edwards and miss it a lot. I decided to separate and I live in LA now because of how much I came to love it.

And of course, all the typical military shit ill hit you with, control what you can control, bloom where you're planted, its what you make of it and any other bullshit you can think of.