Kirtland AFB

Kirtland in Albuquerque is where the Air Force keeps its Nuclear Weapons Center, directed energy research (lasers, yes actual lasers), and a partnership with Sandia National Labs and Los Alamos that makes this one of the most intellectually dense zip codes in the DoD — basically the stuff that sounds made up at parties and gets you blank stares followed by 'wait, seriously?' Albuquerque has incredible food: green chile on EVERYTHING (burgers, pizza, eggs, mac and cheese — if it exists, New Mexico has put green chile on it) and the red vs. green debate ('Christmas' means both, and choosing is the local personality test) is a cultural institution that outsiders underestimate at their peril. The Sandia Mountains are your backyard for hiking, mountain biking, and the Sandia Peak Tramway — the longest aerial tram in the Americas, taking you from desert to alpine in 15 minutes. The Balloon Fiesta every October is mandatory attendance: 500+ hot air balloons filling the sky at dawn is one of the most photographed events in the world and it's your morning commute view. Breaking Bad tourism is embarrassingly tempting — yes, you'll drive past the car wash, yes you'll see the house, no you won't throw pizza on the roof (they've asked you not to). The sunsets turn the Sandias watermelon pink ('Sandia' literally means watermelon in Spanish) and it never gets old. Old Town has 300 years of history, Route 66 runs through the city, and the cost of living lets an E-5 live like a king with a yard and a mountain view.