Army Wife & Army Family Married to the Army Post Guides Ft Campbell

Your Name (if you would like it to appear):
Erin

Base Name:

Fort Campbell

Base Location:
Tennessee and Kentucky

How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present)

2001-2008 (ETSing in a few months)

What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy?

We lived on post for the majority of our years here. Our on-post experience consisted of 3 different villages...LaPointe, Hammond Heights (1story), and Stryker Village. We really enjoyed our time in those homes. LaPointe has VERY thin walls and floors, but it's a very big 2 bedroom home with a nice-sized garage! Hammond Heights was my favorite of all of them! It's a very cute 2 bedroom (they also come in 3 bedrooms) home. It had not been renovated in quite some time..in fact we had a lovely teal-green tiled bathroom, ha! They are now renovated and are beautiful inside! Our 3rd home in Stryker was a 3 bedroom renovated home. That neighborhood was very quiet, the house was very nice, but some of the backyards are minimal which leaves you "sharing" a backyard with the neighbors behind you. My advice for those coming into that situation, get a fence or your toys will! end up all over the place! We were on the wait list for the new housing, but it took so long, so we ended up buying a home off post in Clarksville.

I've heard horror stories about clearing homes on post, but have never experienced anything negative while clearing a home. Just make sure you write down EVERY SINGLE DEFECT on the paperwork provided when you sign for the home. Even if it's a chip on the door frame, write it down! If you are hiring the cleaning team (we have always done this) still clean up a little bit...it helps you start off on a good foot with the inspectors and shows them that you have taken care of the home. When you find out you are about to move, start getting Maintenance in there to fix what needs to be fixed. The guys are real nice and have even helped me with other repairs or have given me tips on things I need to do before clearing. If you take care of your home while living there, it helps alot while clearing....they notice! Living on post is what you make of it. It's government housing, you aren't going to have the best of the best, but it's doable!

We've lived in Clarksville for 2 years now. We live off of Tiny Town Rd and that's really the only place I would recommend living, home and apartment-wise. It's close enough to post and close enough to the interstate, which leads you to the mall and restaurants. The school systems aren't too hot here, but better than Oak Grove. Crime rate isn't the best and seems to be getting worse, so when you are thinking about buying a home, drive around the neighborhood at all hours of the day/night/week/weekend!

Rate the PX & Commissary.

I LOOOVE the PX! I believe it's now the largest PX in the world? The women's clothing section leaves something to be desired, but it was also like that before they renovated it. You have a decent selection of food in the food court, but definitely not enough to handle the lunch time overflow! The lines are crazy!

The Commissary is a location I've stopped going to, due to the amount of people who try to cram in that place! And people don't mind crashing into your cart to prove a point or get passed you! Other than that, it has a decent amount of variety. When I did shop there, I had a hard time getting fresh produce which was aggravating. They have a large meat selection, though...if you can squeeze between everyone to get to what you want!

Activities on base?

My family and I spend alot of time at the bowling alley on post. There's also horse-riding, fishing and camping, but our kids are a little too young for that right now. The MWR tries to have a little get together every few months. There's also a big carnival for the 4th of July with a concert and fireworks. The library has story time a couple times a week for the younger kids.

Active Spouses Club?

All these years here and I've never really heard about any spouses clubs, besides the FRG. Some FRGs are more active than others.

Things to do in area?

Not much! HA! Clarksville has a mall, but I wouldn't recommend going there late at night or during the weekends. It has gotten better over the years, but when we first moved here, it was featured on Inside Edition due to the violence caused by unaccompanied teenagers! Dunbar Cave is a neat place to visit and head to on pretty days. Nashville is about an hour away and there you have Opry Mills Mall. Anything you are lacking here in Clarksville, you can pretty much find in Nashville. I recommend planning some weekend getaways! Chattanooga is a few hours south, Gatlinburg is out East, Memphis is a few hours south (and has a nice zoo and Graceland!)...go explore!

School System?

The school system isn't too hot around here. Oak Grove seems to have the worst school system around here. Clarksville has it's questionable schools and the majority of them are overcrowded. They are building new grade schools, middle schools, and high schools, so hopefully that will help. Problem with Clarksville is that you ride a fine line between the good areas and bad areas....the schools are right in he middle of that line

Any colleges in area?

Austin Peay is in the downtown area of Clarksville, with a branch on post. There are a couple of aviation schools and tech schools in the area as well

Jobs? (on post and off)

I stay at home, so I don't have any first hand experience on that. However, my friends have found it very difficult to find a decent job around here. Walmart is a big employer for those needing anything. Other than that, you have to fight a billion others for one position at other locations.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?
Tennessee and Kentucky are beautiful. It's a little bit of city with a little bit of country.

Least favorite aspect?

Way too many people located in one small area!!

Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.)

Any other tips?
Fort Campbell is a nice duty station. It's what you make of it. Make sure you get out there and dig for things to do (trust me, you have to dig!)! Keep yourself and your family doing things and enjoying the area! We're getting ready to move and as much of a love/hate relationship I've had with this place, I'm going to miss it like crazy!!