Beale Air Force Base

“The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is equipped with the nation’s only fleet of U-2 Dragon Ladies.” The wing is Beale’s host organization, aligned under 16th Air Force and Air Combat Command, according to the Beale MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page. The same page lists the other partners on base: the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Group, the 7th Space Warning Squadron, the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, Reserve Command’s 940th Air Refueling Wing and the California Air National Guard’s 195th Wing.

The Beale overview says the base was named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822-1893), a nineteenth-century pioneer who graduated from the Naval Academy, served in the California militia and led the experiment to replace Army mules with camels. Camp Beale opened in October 1942 as a training site for the 13th Armored and the 81st and 96th Infantry Divisions. The Sacramento Valley area, the overview added when read in October 2026, is a high cost of living area, 22 to 29 percent higher than the national average.

Arrival: Gold Country Inn and your CSS

The Gold Country Inn at 5786 A St. is the base’s 24-hour arrival point, and lodging staff can help you reach your sponsor if no one met you, per the check-in page. “Upon arrival, all military personnel must first report to their squadron’s Commander Support Staff.” Your CSS schedules a one-on-one in-processing appointment at the Recce Town Welcome Center in the Community Center; spouses are encouraged to come. Bring your PCS orders and amendments, the envelope from your losing base, any training certificates, all travel receipts, and legal documents for any dependents gained or removed en route.

“A statement of non-availability is required from the Gold Country Inn for reimbursement of off-base lodging costs.” Check in with the inn before booking off base; the temporary housing page warns that anyone lodged off base can anticipate a 35- to 45-minute commute each way at a minimum. The inn has 16 pet-friendly two-bedroom units, with a maximum of two pets; reservations are at 530-634-2953.

Getting visitors onto the base

A visitor who is not a uniformed member or a family member of one needs a state-issued Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced ID, a U.S. passport or a U.S. passport card, per the installation page; Security Forces can confirm other acceptable IDs (530-634-2131). Driving with a phone is illegal on base unless you use a hands-free device, and family members or civilians ticketed on Beale are fined through the Magistrate Court in Sacramento.

Housing: Balfour Beatty Communities

“Balfour Beatty Communities holds the contract for Beale’s privatized housing.” There are five neighborhoods to choose from based on rank and family size, and they are pet-friendly. The housing page places the approximately 500 single and duplex units at the foot of the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 3.5 miles from the main base and eight miles from the flight line. Management and leasing office: 530-788-9500.

Medical care: ER care is off base

“Emergency room care and obstetrical care for both active duty and family members are available through the local community hospitals.” The nearest ER is Adventist Health and Rideout in Marysville, per the health care page. All clinics are closed every Wednesday from 7 to 9 a.m.

In an emergency on base, call 911; “If a 911 call is made from a cell phone on Beale AFB, it will be routed to the California Highway Patrol’s Call Center”, so ask them to patch you through to Beale, the emergency assistance page says. After hours, the Command Post can locate chaplains, commanders or first sergeants (530-634-5700).

Schools: on-base elementary, Wheatland for older grades

“Your zip code determines which school district your child will attend”, and you may apply for an inter-district transfer, which both districts must approve, per the education page. Beale has an elementary school on the installation for kindergarten through 5th grade, in the main housing area. Older children living on base attend Bear River Middle School (grades 6 to 8) or Wheatland High School (grades 9 to 12), both off base in the community of Wheatland, with bus service for on-base residents.

Before you arrive

Check in at the Gold Country Inn before you book a hotel, gather your travel receipts and dependency documents for the Recce Town appointment, contact Balfour Beatty about the five neighborhoods, and save the Command Post number.