Lawton, once a center of the Oklahoma land rush, is now a military town at the edge of the southern Great Plains, is neat and clean but fairly nondescript. Fort Sill, the area’s main economic base, lies just outside of town. Outside of Fort Sill, government, health care and education, there is little private employment outside of a Goodyear plant. Lawton sits at the edge of the Wichita Mountains, a mostly worn down series of low hills and bluffs and home to the 60,000-acre Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

There are some minor arts amenities and family oriented activities, including a 16,000 square-foot kid-designed, volunteer-built play structure. Military ties result in the low population, economic growth, and cost of living, including a low cost of living and median home price. Oklahoma City is 90 miles northeast and the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex is 190 miles southeast.

Lawton sits on level, dry, grassland typical of the Great Plains. The climate is Great Plains continental, but the area is far enough south to experience summer heat extremes and few cooling breezes. Summers are hot and fairly humid, with average July temperatures of 99 degrees, placing the city among the top 10 hottest places in the United States. The area gets plenty of sunshine. Winters are generally mild. Spring and summer precipitation is mostly thundershowers and winter receives a mix with mostly rain.