Luke AFB is on the western edge of the greater Phoenix metro area, with nearby large cities Glendale (about 227,000 people), Surprise (about 119,000), Peoria (about 154,000), and Phoenix itself (1.5 million). Other nearby small communities include Litchfield Park (6,000), Sun City (38,000) and Sun City West (25,000), El Mirage (32,000), Goodyear (66,000), and Avondale (77,000). All of these communities are in Maricopa County, which has a population of about 3.8 million people.

The nearest two communities to Luke are Surprise, a rapidly growing city, and Litchfield Park, a rapidly growing small town. On the north side of Luke, it is about 11 miles from Surprise to Luke; this takes about 20 minutes to commute; El Mirage about 20 minutes, and Sun City and Sun City West about 22-28 minutes. East of Luke, Glendale is about 27 minutes away; Peoria about 23 minutes; and Phoenix, the capital and largest Arizona city, is about 36 minutes away. On the south side of Luke, Litchfield Park about 13 minutes away; Goodyear about 19 minutes, and Avondale about 24 minutes. The entire Valley area is spread out, and travel times can vary significantly, depending on how many slowdowns are encountered. The average commute in Maricopa County is about 26 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Luke AFB area ranges from $800 to $1,400 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in the Luke AFB area is about $200,000, compared to $197,000 for Arizona.

Short Description of the Area: The West Valley of Maricopa County is a rapidly developing part of the greater Phoenix area. The county is very large (larger than seven states), and in the rough south-center area of Arizona. The West Valley is the western part of the Phoenix Valley (or Sun Valley), and has experienced five to sevenfold increases in population in the last decade. Much of the local housing and retail developments are quite new and modern.

Climate and Weather: The area has a desert climate, with winter temperatures of the high 60s to mid-40s and summer temperatures of the low 100s to mid-80s. Summer heat can spike to the low 120s and winter lows can drop to the mid-10s. The area has generally clear, bright, warm weather, with little rain through the year, no more than an inch or so in the wettest months (December to March and July to August). Summers are very hot and dry most of the time, but July and August can have sudden rain and flash floods. Falls are dry and temperate. Winters are mild, with fairly warm days, but can be very cold at night and snow is rare but possible; springs are typically temperate and very dry, with as little as no rain at all in late spring.

Flash floods are also a concern in monsoon season, late summer. Although little rain falls, a half-inch of water shed and drained to a low lying area can lead to a few feet of fast moving water downhill.

Heat and Cold: Anyone moving to the Phoenix area should be aware of the typically hot and very dry summer conditions. Drink plenty of water and avoid the heat of the day.

Address confusion: Many of the local roads and streets continue for many miles and through several cities and towns, each of which have their own number system. This can be confusing for non locals.