# US Army: Cantonment Areas?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 27, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573 "2013-02-27T23:49:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573/1 "2013-02-27T23:49:43Z")

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Performing Army support work, I am having a hard time understanding this word. One website definition says it refers to what would be the “urban” area of a Base; yet, another website makes it sound like areas of billeted housing for soldiers?

Can the SD give me as simple a definition as possible?

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573/2 "2013-02-28T00:18:33Z")

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Wikipedia is always a useful starting place.

> [@](#):
>
> In United States military parlance, a cantonment is an essentially permanent residential (i.e. barracks) section of a fort or other military installation such as Fort Hood.

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**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573/3 "2013-02-28T00:42:46Z")

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That’s just two ways of saying the same thing. It’s the area of an Army base where barracks, the PX, on post family housing, various headquarters, maintenance, and motor-pools are. As opposed to training areas, ranges and such.

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-army-cantonment-areas/651573/4 "2013-02-28T02:10:09Z")

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> [@samclem](#):
>
> Wikipedia is always a useful starting place.

Thanks, I read Wiki’s explanation, but “permanently residential” was not specific enough leaving me in doubt if it also included all Glazer mentions, or not.