Lompoc highlight
Proximity to Vandenberg Space Force Base
Vandenberg Space Force Base, established in 1941 and located between Lompoc and Santa Maria, is the region's largest employer and a command center for space launches.
Vandenberg Space Force Base began as Camp Cooke in 1941, a U.S. Army training facility covering approximately 99,099 acres of open coastal ranch land. In 1958, the Air Force renamed it Vandenberg Air Force Base in honor of General Hoyt Vandenberg, the Air Force's second Chief of Staff, and transitioned it to a center for ballistic missile and space operations. In 2021, it became a Space Force installation, making it a command center for the nation's space launch operations.
Today, Vandenberg hosts Space Launch Delta 30, which oversees the Western Range for launches over the Pacific Ocean. It serves military, NASA and commercial space missions, including SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets and other orbital vehicles. The base contributes an estimated $1.7 billion annually to the regional economy and is the largest single employer in the Lompoc area, shaping the financial and workforce landscape of Santa Barbara County's northern communities.
Military and aerospace families in Lompoc often have dual incomes, security clearances, and relocations that come with base employment. Planning for the family's financial security if the principal loses income - whether to deployment, injury or illness - is a practical part of base-community life. A term policy sized to a household's actual needs ensures that family stability continues regardless of what happens to the primary income.