Leesville, Louisiana is the closest community to Fort Polk. Leesville has about 7,000 people, and is in Vernon Parish, which has a population of about 53,000 people. Other nearby small communities include New Llano (3,000) and Rosepine (2,000), with smaller towns including Hornbeck, Anacoco, Simpson, and Pitkin, all under 1,000 people. The nearest city is Alexandria, Louisiana, with about 48,000 people.

It is about 18 miles from downtown Leesville to Polk; this takes about 35 minutes to commute; Alexandria is about 50 miles away and about an hour and fifteen minutes driving. The average commute in Vernon Parish is about 20 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in Vernon Parish ranges from $350 to $750 per month, with a median of about $500 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Vernon Parish is about $90,000, compared to $136,000 for Louisiana.

Short Description of the Area: Vernon Parish is in western central Louisiana, on the border of Louisiana and Texas. This is a warm, humid area with a high water table, with many local large lakes and wetlands, but also with lots of forest and some prairie.

Climate and Weather: The area has a warm, humid climate, but can be surprisingly cool in winter, with temperatures ranging from the low 60s to high 30s. Summer temperatures range from the low 90s to low 70s. The area has generally humid, damp weather, with rainfall of 9 to 13 inches per month, year round. Rainstorms, including heavy rainstorms and Gulf tropical storms roll through from spring to fall, and central Louisiana is occasionally struck by hurricanes, although they are generally weakened by traveling over land by the time they get to Vernon Parish.