Camp San Luis Obispo, California

Camp San Luis Obispo is primarily a National Guard Reserve Center. The eight square mile restricted area covers mountainous terrain and serves as a training ground for several local, state, and federal agencies. The installation was once part of a federal Army post that extended as far as the ocean, five miles to the west, and accomodated as many as 20,000 troops during WWII. It is now a 4,100 acre, state-owned facility used by many organizations, from the Boy Scouts and police, to soldiers from area military installations, such as Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts. There are firing ranges, maneuver areas and two "mock villages" located in the rolling terrain of the base. Range operations are expected to increase in coming years, due to the closure of other California defense facilities.