Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, CA

Travis Air Force Base fills the east side of Fairfield, and it works more like a small town behind a fence than a neighborhood. Entry is controlled, so much of what follows is open to people with a base connection or an approved visit. It is also the city's biggest employer, and it sits about an hour from both San Francisco and Sacramento. Housing on base is privatized, with two- to four-bedroom houses, private yards, and neighborhood pools and playgrounds. Travisville Park and the Travis Family Homes Dog Park are the green spaces built into those streets. The aviation museum is the reason outsiders ask about the base. Dozens of aircraft stand in indoor and outdoor displays, among them a B-29, a B-52D bomber, a C-5A and a C-141B transport. The Heritage Center sits close by. Visitors without military ID cannot simply drive to the museum. They clear the Visitor Control Center first, and a shuttle takes them in. Day-to-day needs are met inside the wire. Groceries come from the Commissary, tax-free shopping from the Base Exchange, and medical care from David Grant USAF Medical Center. Mitchell Memorial Library, the Reeltime Theatre, Travis Outdoor Recreation and an equestrian center fill in the rest, and the commercial row near the main entrance holds a food court, a coffeehouse and a run of casual counters. Interstate 80 and Travis Boulevard are the routes in from the rest of Fairfield. Gate procedures are part of the setting here, and the public cannot wander in on a whim. Even on quiet days, a transport jet crossing overhead reminds you why everything else on this land exists. The runway sets the rhythm, and the housing, shops and parks all follow it.