Cache calls itself the Gateway to the Wichitas, and that is about right. If you want the price and the space and you do not need much within walking distance, it works. It is a similar story to Elgin at a similar distance, with less traffic and slower building.
Where it is and how you get to post
From Lawton you take Rogers Lane, which is US-62, west along the south edge of Fort Sill. Cache is a few miles out. Downtown Lawton is a little over twenty minutes.
The gate most people out here would use is Bentley Gate on Sheridan Road, about seventeen minutes by the map. The 52nd Street Gate is a touch closer, but it only runs a short weekday-morning window. Scott Gate is a minute past Bentley. Those are best-case times with no gate wait, and hours change. The gates page has the whole layout.
If you work on the far east side of post or the training side by Key Gate, it is a longer haul from here. Ask your sponsor where you will actually be.
Schools
Cache Public Schools has about 2,000 students. The early grades are split across a primary school and an intermediate school, then a 5th and 6th grade center, a middle school for 7th and 8th, and Cache High School.
The district reaches past the town. Some addresses inside Lawton city limits on the west side are in Cache schools, and the county taxes them at a different rate than the rest of Lawton. Always confirm the district on the specific address.
I do not rate districts. The state's report cards are at oklaschools.com. The school districts page covers the rest.
Housing and what it costs
Cache shows up regularly on my list of places with inventory in the range most enlisted allowances shop. That moves with the market. Some months there is a good handful in your band and some months there is not much.
The 2025 property tax levy for Cache was 106.39 mills, close to Lawton city's 107.89. On a $200,000 house that is about $2,394 a year before any homestead exemption. A Lawton city address in the Cache district ran higher, at 116.43 mills.
USDA's zero-down loan is another option out here if you are not using VA. USDA's map shows the Cache town center as eligible. It goes by the exact address, so check it before you count on it.
The refuge is your back yard
The south gate of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is about four miles north on Highway 115. Fifty-nine thousand acres of granite, prairie and lakes, with bison, longhorn and elk walking around loose. It is free and it is open sunrise to sunset.
The Quanah Parker Star House is here too. It was the home of the Comanche leader and it is on the National Register.
What changes when you live out here
- Utilities. In town, water and sewer come from the City of Cache. Outside the city limits a house may be on a rural water district, a well, or septic. Ask which.
- Internet. Fiber reaches a lot of the area and Starlink covers the rest. Confirm the address if you work from home.
- Errands. Cache is a small town. Expect to do most of your big shopping in Lawton.
- Drive time. Add it up over three years before you decide the trade is worth it.
Common questions
How far is Cache from Fort Sill?
About 17 minutes to Bentley Gate on Sheridan Road by the map, with no traffic and no wait at the gate. The 52nd Street Gate is slightly closer but only runs a short weekday-morning window.
Does Cache have its own school district?
Yes. Cache Public Schools is separate from Lawton Public Schools and has a primary school, an intermediate school, a 5th and 6th grade center, a middle school and a high school. Some addresses inside Lawton city limits are also in the Cache district.
Is Cache close to the Wichita Mountains?
Yes. The south gate of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is about four miles north of town on Highway 115. Entry is free.