Your Name: Des B

Base Name: Ft Sill

Base Location: Lawton, OK

How long have you been here? Summer 2009 to present

What is housing like?

On-post? 2 bedroom: 10-12 months. 3 bedroom: 6 months

Off-post? Houses are not maintained not matter the realty company!

Any areas to stay away from? I haven’t found an area I feel safe.

Average price to rent or buy? 3 bedroom 1 bathroom duplex 900 sq feet for $600 a month.

Rate the PX & Commissary. the PX and Commissary are very small, but both have the best prices in town.

Activities on base? Library (full calander of events/activities every month), recplex, youth center, 3 pools (1 indoor), spray park, bowling alley, LETRA (beach, waterslides, mini golf, hunting, fishing, boating)

Active Spouses Club? Yes, Patriot Spouses Club, and FRGs.

Things to do in area? LETRA, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma City is about an hour away, Wichita Falls is about fourty-five minutes away.

School System? I do not have any school age children.

Any colleges in area? Cameron University

Jobs? (on post and off) ACS is very helpful with helping spouses find jobs.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? Hiking/exploring the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Least favorite aspect? Very small town, and not many stores.

Local websites? sillmwr.com

Any other tips? Be prepared to pay a lot in rent, pet deposits, utility deposits, and utility bills!

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

Base Name: Fort Leavenworth

Base Location: North east Kansas border, close to Kansas City

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

2009-2010

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

Ah, housing.  At this base, it really depends on your rank.  There are many nice, new houses being built on post, mostly for the ranks of Field Grade Officers.  Because this base houses CAC and the Command and General Staff college, there are many, many officers here going to various military schools.  Most of the officers homes are incredibly nice, there are the older historic homes, or the newly built ones.  For the company grade officers, there are a few nice housing areas, but many of the older student houses are smaller and in need of a good remodeling, which they are slated to get in the next few years.  As for the enlisted houses.  There is very little of it.  The base also houses the United States Disciplinary Barracks, which has the units with the majority of enlisted personnel from the base, and they just doubled their strength with the addition of a new battalion and the first ever corrections Brigade being formed.   There is one housing area for the junior enlisted soldiers, which isn’t bad, they are three bedroom older townhomes, that have been upgraded, they have hardwood floors, but that housing area is also where the Bachelor Officers can be housed.  Officers without their families can have 1-2 other roommates in those same housing areas.   There is also another housing area which houses the junior enlisted and junior NCO’s.  They are tri-plex and quadraplex homes with one car garages.  I don’t think they are very nice and the neighborhoods seem sort of run down, but, I’ve seen worse.  There is one other similar neighborhood for Junior NCO’s and Senior NCO’s, but in a different area of base.  There is a few other Senior NCO housing areas, scattered among some officers housing areas, and one street of newer homes that are really nice.   They just remodeled one area of enlisted housing, and the houses looked so nice when they were done, but housing decided to make that a Field Grade Officer neighborhood as well.  With moving so many of the enlisted personnel from that neighborhood  into the only other few enlisted ones to make room for the officers, housing wait lists for enlisted personnel is VERY long.  I could tell you so many horror stories about housing- it’s my biggest pet peeve at this base!

As for housing off post, the town of Leavenworth is not that great, there are MANY areas to stay away from.  My rule of thumb is if it’s not in a subdivision, don’t rent or buy it, but to be in a subdivision means being farther away from the base or in the town of Lansing.  The rental rates for the subdivision homes are usually pretty steep in rent, as this areas rental market is mostly based on the Officers BAH rate for those coming to the school here, so many enlisted soldiers end up moving to areas like Platte City, Missouri, Atchison, KS or even Kansas City, itself to find something safe and affordable.  An average home rental in Leavenworth is about $1,000- $1,500 for a 3 bedroom in a nice area.

Here’s the link to base housing:

http://ftleavenworthfamilyhousing.com/

And a site with some more links to more housing information and off post rentals: http://garrison.leavenworth.army.mil/sites/newcomers/housing.asp

Rate the PX & Commissary.  The PX and commissary are pretty nice.  It’s a smaller base, so they aren’t that big.  The PX doesn’t carry a whole lot of items, but they just did some renovations, and have upgraded their food court, which has a Church’s chicken, Taco Bell, Anthony’s Pizza and Charley’s steakery, as well as a Burger King across the street.   They did also add a guns & ammunition shop to the PX.  The clothing and Sales is in the main PX, and it is often lacking things bigger PX’s might have.  There is an optometry doctor, and eye glass shop, barber shop, beauty salon, flower shop, Gamestop and Starbucks in the PX as well as an embroidery shop with a lot of neat custom made items.  The commissary actually has a lot for how small it is, and they are very helpful in ordering custom items for those with allergies or overseas items, if they can.

Activities on base?  There are usually a lot of activities on base.  MWR  usually puts on several activities a month, and other clubs will have their own activities as well.  There is a lot for families to do on post.  There are two small lakes where fishing is allowed, a skate park, a miniature golf course, the post theater, the Rod & Gun club, Stable Activities is VERY active here, and has one of the nicest stables I’ve ever seen on a post, a bowling alley, two gyms, one with an indoor pool, and several nice eating establishments that have their own activities, as well.  Here’s a link to FT Leavenworth MWR:

http://www.fortleavenworthmwr.com/

Active Spouses Club? I’ve never heard of any spouses clubs on post, not to say there isn’t one, but it isn’t advertised very well if there is one.

Things to do in area?  There aren’t many things to do in the immediate area, there is a nice park in the city of Leavenworth, and a nice, small downtown area  with some quaint small shops as well as a Farmers Market on the weekends, but you usually have to drive to get to the good stuff.  There is a Super Wal-mart, Kmart and Home depot, as well as a small mall with a few stores, and two small movie theaters in town. Kansas City is only a 20-40 minute drive, depending on where you are going, though, and it has EVERYTHING!

Here’s some links for things to do in the Leavenworth area:

http://www.leavenworthmainstreet.com/

http://www.leavenworth-lansingareachamberofcommerce.com/cvb/index.html

and some popular places in Kansas City:

http://www.legendsshopping.com/

http://www.zonarosa.com/

http://www.countryclubplaza.com/

http://www.schlitterbahn.com/kc/

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/

http://www.kckidsfun.com/

School System? The school system on post is AMAZING!  Best we’ve had in the Army! I can’t rave about it enough, the schools are state of the art, and the teachers are great.  My children’s school is has a wonderful nature court where the students hatch ducklings every spring, a nice auditorium, cafeteria, separate gym and wonderful library, as well as classrooms with smart boards and many computers. The other two elementary schools on base LOOK amazing, I’ve only been in them a few times, but one has a planetarium and the other I could NOT believe was an elementary school.  The building itself is art, lol!  The school district only goes through Junior High, though, so high schoolers are bussed to Leavenworth schools, which I have heard are not that great, and in looking at district and school performance levels before coming here, seeing that students are to pay an enrollment fee and n some cases, for their books, as well as hearing many of the troubles with the district superintendent’s legal issues and the school board itself, I was not willing to send my kids to Leavenworth schools. They are however, building and renovating many of their school buildings. I have heard wonderful things about the Lansing school district, and know several people with children in that school district and they love it, too.   The people I know that live in Platte City like that school district as well.

Here are some links:

http://www.ftlvn.com/

http://www.usd453.org/gen/usd453_generated_pages/Leavenworth_USD_453_Home_p1.html

http://usd469.net/

http://www.plattecountyschooldistrict.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=1

Also, the Child Development Center is nice, but small, and the waitlists for some of their care and preschool programs can be LONG.  When we moved here in the middle of the school year, I tried to get my son into a preschool program at the CDC, he was on the waitlist for 6 months, and was never able to go to preschool (which has me worried as he’s going to kindergarten, now, with very little preschool experience).  Same with preschools out in town, waitlist can be LONG!  You can put your child on the waitlist for the CDC before you get to the base, I wish I had known that before we moved here.  Also, hourly care is VERY hard to come by.  They open up reservations on the 10th of the month for the following month, so be sure if you know the dates  you need care, you call on the 10th!  Even a day or two later can result to having to be put on the waitlist!  They are building a new CDC, but I don’t believe it will add any additional hourly care.  Here’s a link for more info:

http://www.fortleavenworthmwr.com/cdc.htm

Any colleges in area? There are many educational opportunities at the ed center on post, especially with much of this base being an officer’s college, but there is the Kansas City community College and University of Saint Mary out in town, as well as many other colleges 20-40 minutes away.

http://www.kckcc.edu/admissions/leavenworthCenter

http://www.stmary.edu/

http://garrison.leavenworth.army.mil/sites/directorates/education.asp

Jobs? (on post and off)  You have your usual opportunities for employment in the are, retail, restaurant, a few factories, like Hallmark, as well.  Much of this base is run by government/civilian employees as well, so finding a job isn’t too hard.  Here’s a helpful link:

http://garrison.leavenworth.army.mil/sites/about/employment.asp

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? The base itself is very nice, the main post area has a lot of historic homes and building, with a lot of history to it, and much of the base is in a park like setting.  It’s very beautiful here, and while the town of Leavenworth isn’t super great, there are many places to travel to in the area that are wonderful.  The people here are usually pretty friendly, being in the midwest, the weather leaves something to be desired, a lot of thunderstorms (tornado warnings), ice and some snow in the winter and heat and humidity in the summer.  It’s nice having the definite seasons, though, and we have definitely had worse, lol!  Overall it’s a pretty nice base, if we hadn’t had such issues with housing and our unit here, the lack of FRG’s (they are just starting to have them- at all, and the regulations for fundraising, etc, are very strict).  it’s small, and it is not like you’re typical base.  There are probably 2 humvees at the entire base, there is very little to see that screams ARMY, like tanks or helicopters, lol, but I guess on the plus side, you don’t have to worry about artillery fire shaking your whole house at 3 am, either.  Many of the tenant units have to travel to FT Riley or FT Leonard- Wood for their training, though, because of it.   There is also no hospital here.  there is a family clinic and a medical center, which does perform some surgical procedures, but most of the time you have to go to one of the three hospitals out in town.  For specialized care for children, you are usually referred to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, which is a 40- 60 minute drive depending on traffic.  Here are some links to the medical care:

https://www.munson.amedd.army.mil/default.htm

Cushing Hospital: http://www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org/slhs/Locations/Cushing_Memorial_Hospital/(PF)Overview.htm

St John’s hospital:

http://www.providence-health.org/sjh/default.cfm

Leavenworth VA medical center: http://www.leavenworth.va.gov/

Children’s Mercy: http://www.childrens-mercy.org/

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

http://garrison.leavenworth.army.mil/sites/local/default.asp

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/

http://www.leavenworthtimes.com/

http://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/

Any other tips?  Keep an open mind, get out and explore the areas, and get you’re name on the housing list (you can submit an application through the yardiportal site online) and preschool waitlists ASAP!

Your Name:

Sarah

Base Name:

Fort Sill

Base Location:

Fort Sill, OK is just north of Lawton, OK. The nearest big cities are Oklahoma City, OK to the northeast (85 miles) and Wichita Falls, TX to the south (50 miles).

How long have you been here?

January 2010 – April 2010

We lived here while my husband was in BOLCIII training.

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 live on-post in Academic Heights. The buildings in this neighborhood are historic and are all completely beautiful. O1-O3 housing here are in quadplexes and have 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, sunroom, attic, basement, and detached garage. There are wood floors throughout. There is plenty of storage space, big windows, high ceilings, molding, and a fireplace.

The only problem with the historic housing is the level of noise in the building. We don’t have a problem with noise at all, though we can hear our downstairs neighbors. Our neighbors think we are horrible, loud people and have complained to housing as well as to us on multiple occasions. If you are sensitive to sound, it may be best to stay away from these historic places.

We had to wait one month to get housing. There is currently no temporary lodging on post, so we had to stay at a hotel. (The Hampton Inn is the only acceptable place to stay in Lawton. All of the other places we saw were dumps. In addition, every hotel is overpriced for the area.)

Under no condition were we going to live off-post. Lawton is not great and is full of cash advance places, pawn shops, and seedy neighborhoods. Being a family, it is best to live either on post, or far away from Lawton.

Rate the PX & Commissary:

I hate going into the PX and rarely go there. It is inside a mall with lots of fast food places and a few small shops. My husband gets his hair cut inside the mall. If I need something at the PX, I will drive in my car to Walmart instead (on  Quannah Parker Trail only – the Sheridan Road Walmart is full of homeless people). I also hate Walmart, but living in OK, there aren’t too many options.

The Commissary is fine. Sometimes their produce is good, and sometimes it looks terrible. I can find my staples for the week there. If I need any specialty items I order them online, or drive to Oklahoma City to go to a specialty market there. The Commissary and Walmart tend to carry different items, so it is good to check out both places.

The best part about the Commissary and the PX is that I can walk there from my house! Whenever I need just a few things at the store, I put the kids in the stroller and go for a nice walk (about 1 mile).

Activities on base:

Fort Sill “Zoo” – It is not actually a real zoo, but it has two deer, two fox, two bobcats, some raccoons, a few turkeys, pigeons, doves, and turtles. It is about 1.5 miles away from my house and the kids love to go there. There is also a classroom and exhibits room there, but I have not seen it open yet.

Field Artillery Horses – There are lots of wonderful horses you can visit and see galloping around post. The kids love them, and if their handlers are there, they will come over and let you pet them. Their corral is only a 1.5 mile walk from my house.

Geronimo’s Grave – A great scenic walk (3 miles from my house) takes you past training grounds and to the grave of Geronimo and other notable Native Americans and officers who lost their lives near Fort Sill.

Library – A great library nearby with a children’s playroom and daily playgroup (near the Commissary).

Martha Songbird Park – A small park with trails. There is some signage about native plants and animals. It is great since it is nearby (1/2 mile walk from my house), stroller accessible, and just lots of fun.

Lots of Big Guns – All over post there are guns, tanks, etc. We love walking around looking at all of these big guns.

Field Artillery Museum – A brand new museum that is clean, small, and can be seen in under an hour. It is great to see at least once and there are a few exhibits interesting to everyone, including little kids.

Fort Sill Museum – Much of post is filled with historic buildings, and this museum showcases some of these buildings. The buildings are beautiful and are mixed into the neighborhoods where people live today.

Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area – All I can say is… wow! LETRA has a beautiful lake with boat rentals, swimming, a water slide, and even brand-new cabins to rent.

Playgrounds – There are just so many playgrounds, and they all are great. Some are completely shaded with trees (Ambrosia Springs Park), and some are completely handicapped accessible (near the housing office). Each playground has something wonderful and unique about it.

3-mile Track – A track that even my two-year-old will walk on! There are a few playgrounds on it that keeps the kids motivated to keep walking. There are ponds inside the track and we have spotted lots of Canada Geese.

Things to do in the area:

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge – We all love going here, and I can’t say enough good things about it. There are beautiful trails, small lakes everywhere, dams, and small mountains. We have seen buffalo, longhorn cattle, turtles, and prairie dogs. (We haven’t seen elk yet, but heard they are there.) In the prairie dog area, you can walk around amongst them – it is amazing! Going to the top of Mt. Scott is a nice adventure with wonderful views.

School System:

My daughter goes to Geronimo Road Elementary School, and is not having a pleasant experience. Her day consists of numerous worksheets, and that is it. There is no art class and music class is very limited. I am very disappointed in her school, though I have heard of other parents being happy with that particular school, depending on the teacher. If I had to stay here, I would send her to private school.

I have heard parents talking about how terrible the junior and senior high schools are. Besides what they have told me, I really don’t know anything about them. I know of parents who home-school their kids because they don’t want them to attend the schools here.  A lot of children are home-schooled, but I don’t know if any more are home-schooled compared to other military posts.

Any colleges in area:

Cameron University is in Lawton. It is very small, but seems to be growing and is constructing some new buildings. There is no college-town feel around it.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city:

I love being and living on post. If this post was somewhere else in the country, I don’t think I would ever want to move.  Being on post, you feel a sense of history around you. There are these lovely old buildings everywhere, and huge green trees. There are many creeks and ditches twisting and turning throughout the post. There are deer and fox running around. I feel like I can walk anywhere and have a great time just being at home and on post.

Least favorite aspect:

The horribleness of Lawton and the rest of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City has some nice parts, but there is a 1.25 hour drive involved to get there. I feel like I am away from civilization.

Local websites:

Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area: http://www.sillmwr.com/letra.html

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge: http://wichitamountains.fws.gov/

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

Stephanie D

Base Name:

Fort Sam Houston

Base Location:

San Antonio, TX

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

My husband’s reserve unit is here, but I have lived in San Antonio all my life

What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy? I know they just built some houses for NCOs & Up, but they are in the process of renovating some of the older ones, so there is a about an 8 month wait for on post housing. Off post there are lots of different apartments, including a brand new complex just outside the Binz Engleman gate. A 1 bedroom apartment will run you about $500 bucks a month.

Rate the PX & Commissary.

The PX is pretty good, lots of little vender’s inside, including a GNC and a Sprint Store. The PX and PXtra are always have different shows and programs going. There is also a buddy list they send out about once a month to tell you what their specials are going to be and what events are coming. The commissary is about average size and doesn’t have a lot of extras, but it does carry things you can’t get at the regular grocery store

Activities on base?

MWR is very active. They is something going on just about every 2 weeks. There is also a bowling ally and soccer fields. There are also 3 gyms and basketball hoops placed all over the post. The theater is currently closed, and I don’t know when/if they will re-open it. The quadrangle is always worth a visit. That’s where they held Geronimo and his Indians after their capture and they still keep animals in it to this day.
Active Spouses Club?

There is an FRG and PWOC as well as a NCO club and O club.

Things to do in area?

Downtown and the River Walk are always areas to visit. There are also 4 missions to visit including the Alamo. The hemisphere is fun to take the kids up becaase you can see the entire city from up there. Sports teams include the Spurs, Silver Stars (WMBA), and the Rampage hockey team. There is also Sea World, the Whitte Museum, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. There are 5 major malls and plenty of shopping centers all over town. In April we have Fiesta which includes Parades, a carnival, and various other events around town. Fort Sam has their own celebration called Fiesta & Fireworks which has lots of freebies and the night is ended with a wonderful fireworks display.

School System?

I don’t know about the system on post, but almost all the districts in San Antonio are TEA recognized schools.

Any colleges in area?

We have UTSA (University of Texas @ San Antonio) ACCD (Alamo Community College District) which is I believe 6 schools in total, a Texas A&M satellite school, Trinity University, Our Lady of the Lake University, and the University of the Incarnated Word

Jobs? (on post and off)

Two big employers are Toyota and HEB. (HEB is a large grocery chain in Texas), there are always new company’s coming into the area that are hiring and if you go to mysa.com you can look up job listings for free.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?

San Antonio is a large city with friendly people and between the base and the city there is always something going on to do.

Least favorite aspect?

In the summer we get a lot of tourists and downtown can be a pain if you have to go.

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

mysa.com (good site for info and jobs – it is also the site for the news paper) visitsanantonio.com (Lots of info on different spots to visit) sanantonio.gov (the City’s official web page)

Any other tips?

Most of the people here are friendly and willing to help you out. If you enjoy having a good time and trying something new, you will fit right in and San Antonio

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

Base Name: Fort Riley

Base Location: Kansas

How long have you been here? 2008 – Present

What is housing like?

On-post?: The waiting list was 3 months and I was 9 months pregnant when we PCS’d here so we didnt want to get stuck in temporary lodging but the on base housing is pretty nice. You can look up the housing on this website (https://onestop.army.mil/).

Off-post?: I love living off post. We have a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house we rent with a huge kitchen, garage and washer and dryer. Its only $775 a month and our BAH is $956 so it works out pretty nice! I found a lot of nice places that are already military approved off this website (http://www.ahrn.com/). You can view pictures of listings and everything… its a great website.

Rate the PX & Commissary. The commissary is pretty nice and they just opened a new PX on February 13th, 2009. I think the prices are pretty high and since we live off base it seems like the Super WalMart next to our house is cheaper then the Commissary and PX.

Activities on base? They have various things all the time, a talent show is going on this month.. Last month they had a dinner and dancing type of thing.

Active Spouses Club? I’m not in anything right now since I stay at home with the baby. But I’ve heard a lot of good things and I filled out a volunteer sheet when we got here for the FRG.

Things to do in area? There is a lot of bars, restaurants and little shops in Aggieville. There is a mall in Manhattan that is a pretty good size and A LOT of stores. There is also a zoo in Manhattan and the Wizard of Oz museum is close by.

School System? I’m not sure, I don’t have any kids in school yet.

Any colleges in area? Kansas State University is less then 10 miles from base.

Jobs? The PX and Commissary and Shoppettes are ALWAYS, ALWAYS hiring.. There are signs everywhere. There is always the hospital as well.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? I LOVE Manhattan. I think its a gorgeous town and I love all the stores and everything so close by. Manhattan is about 15 minutes from the base.

Least favorite aspect? Nothing.. yet… =)

Local websites? http://www.riley.army.mil/

Any other tips? I would suggest living in Manhattan. EVERYTHING is right outside your door. Unless you favor the PX or Commissary you will need to drive at least 15-20 minutes to get to a decent store like a Wal-Mart.

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

Base Name: Fort Leonard Wood

Base Location: South Central Missouri

How long have you been here? August 2005 – present (January 2009)

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

When we got here, the on-post housing looked pretty bad, so we decided to live off-post. We bought a home ten minutes out of the south gate in the Evening Shade community. Great area – quiet, perfect to raise kids – but kind of a drive on base to the units (about 30 min) since all of the area around south gate is training areas. At the time, we got a really good deal on the home and we may end up making a good profit when we sell in a few months. The housing market has been very up and down, so hard to tell what will happen. I would say you could buy a decent home for around 130,000 though. Rent is decent, but would probably be most of your BAH. I know friends who live on post now in the newer housing that has been built, and it is nice, spacious, but hastily-built and often has maintenance issues. Haven’t heard of any bad areas, but I don’t live in Waynesville/St Robert area.

Rate the PX & Commissary.

The new PX is very, very nice with a great selection of clothing, electronics, and household goods. Great food court with excellent variety, but can be pricey. Greek food, Chinese food, Subs, Pizza, usual stuff. Main PX has a barber shop, misc military clothing/gift shops, satellite pharmacy that is very convenient, shipping store. Avoid the PX at all costs on Thursdays and Sundays because trainees graduate and they bring their families in to shop, makes it very crowded. Very nice new gas station/shoppette on one side, older gas station/Burger King/Shoppette next to front gate. Commissary is very nice, great
selection, fresh produce, wonderful variety of ethic foods and ingredients (especially German), great sales, and deli has fresh sushi made
daily! Class Six has recently moved into a new building and has a wide
selection. Furniture store is preparing to move, and has a decent selection.

Activities on base?

This is paradise if you love the outdoors. Multitude of places to hunt, fish,
outdoor swimming pools, Davidson Fitness Center has indoor swimming pool you can rent after-hours for birthday parties (lifeguards provided), Miniature Golf Course is set to open this year. Nice bowling alley, very affordable. Theater with free movies on the weekends, usually still fairly new movies. Great shady parks with playground equipment. One swimming pool has a small water-park type slide the kids love. Kids Fishing Derby in the Spring is fun. Lots of stuff around Christmas, Santa is usually at the Library. Library is spacious, quiet. Great programs for kids, youth sports leagues (basketball, baseball, soccer) going on all the time, after school programs, they teach dance on base (but a waiting list). Usually something for everyone, lots of seasonal stuff to choose from like summer concerts, fireworks, fall haunted houses, etc.

Active Spouses Club?

There used to be an NCO Wives club, but I think it is now all combined into the Military Spouses Club. To be honest, I work a lot so I don’t participate in a lot of that, outside regular unit activities. I was active in FRG when unit was deployed but honestly, the quality of that depends entirely upon unit leadership and FRG leadership. My experience has been better with making close friends in neighborhood and a few select ones in the unit.

Things to do in area?

St Louis is two hours to the east and is a great weekend trip. Springfield is
two hours west and is equally enjoyable, on a smaller scale. Great shopping in both areas and excellent restaurants. Lake of the Ozarks is about an hour north and is super-fun in the summer, and the town at the lake (Osage Beach) has a wonderful outlet mall with stores such as Aeropostale, Children’s Place, Yankee Candles, and Gap. There are lots of caves in the area that are available to tour, and just east of here is St. James Winery, which makes the best wine (available for about $6 a bottle at the PX and Class Six) and is available for touring. A small water park is located 30 minutes east in Rolla, and the kids love it – has a large water slide for the big kids, a lazy river for everyone, and a smaller area for the little ones, with a giant sandbox on the side. About 30 minutes to the west is Lebanon, and Lake Pomme De Terre is close to this for a smaller lake experience, often less crowded. Trout fishing is also big at Bennett Springs near Lebanon. I drive to Lebanon for the kids’ karate and gymnastics,
only about 30 minutes from here, which is not too bad. For a longer weekend trip, you can go about 2-3 hours north to Columbia and Fulton, which has great bed and breakfasts, winery tours, antique shopping, scenery, etc. Memphis is 3-4 hours away, so is Kansas City.

School System?

Best schools ever. I sub at our local schools in Plato (for those who live out
of the south gate). Have lots of friends who work/sub at post schools (part of Waynesville RVI school district). Excellent, excellent schools with low student to teacher ratios, wonderful teachers who care about the students, excellent administration. Plato is not the best aesthetically, but it more than makes up for it in quality instruction and learning. Some of the highest test scores I’ve seen and they’ve more than succeeded in preparing my kids for the next grade. Waynesville schools are a little larger, have a few more activities, but still good schools. Buses run to just about everywhere. Plato has a HS. If you live on post, HS is off-post in Waynesville, but is only about 15-20 min away. Waynesville HS has awesome football team and basketball, baseball teams. There are also excellent churches in the area with good youth programs. Westside Baptist Church is a good one  for on-post or in the Waynesville area. Roby Christian Church and Roby Baptist are good for the south area.

Any colleges in area?

Drury, Columbia, not sure what else, haven’t taken classes here. Great Ed
Learning Center (my husband has used this, he takes online classes through Liberty) and they are a big help to you in determining best college option, degree program, financing, etc. Many evening/weekend/night classes available on post and in neighboring St Robert.

Jobs? (on post and off)

Just like everywhere else, the perfect job won’t fall into your lap. You
actually have to take the initiative to find it and it may take a few weeks to
find it. There are a lot of positions available on-post, but you have to be
proactive to look for them and get your name in there. Keep in mind there are a lot of retirees here who often go to work on post. There are also opportunities available in local schools, area government, and other businesses. There is a WM, Lowe’s, many restaurants. Find connections within your community and ask around. Also do a web search or get signed up to get on the email list for government jobs in this area that will notify you when positions are open on post.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? You actually get seasons here. We are from the south, where it is hot year-round. We actually have a mild spring, warm summer (not scorching hot w/suffocating humidity like the deep south) but there is mild humidity with some mosquitos, a chilly fall with beautiful foliage, and cold winters with snow 2-3 times on average. The kids have had a blast with the snow – definitely purchase some good snow boots and sleds, you won’t need them on a weekly basis, but they come in handy. This is also a great community with very down-to-earth people and good family values. Laid-back, relaxed “Norman Rockwell” lifestyle – at least where we live out of the south gate.

Least favorite aspect? I miss the convenience of living in the city and being
able to drive 5 minutes to WM or the grocery store. A multitude of trees also makes for very bad seasonal allergies.

Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.) Check out Plato
schools at http://www.plato.k12.mo.us; Waynesville Schools at
http://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us; FLW at http://www.wood.army.mil; Springfield news at http://www.ky3.com; the Guidon (FLW paper) http://www.flw-guidon.com; Waynesville paper
http://www.waynesvilledailyguide.com.; Local Century 21 office http://www.c21prestige.com;
Fort Wood housing http://www.ftlwoodfamilyhousing.com/.

Any other tips? Make the best of it, get out and look for what you’re interested in, you will probably find it.

Your Name  : Elena

Base Location: Killeen, Tx

How long have you been here? DEC 2008 to Present

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 waited for about two months for housing when we PCSd from Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX.  I didn’t want to get into a lease while we waited for housing so we rented a fully furnished apartment that did not have leases. The landlord that rented out these apartments was retired Army.  He said he rented a lot to military coming to or leaving Fort Hood.  Except we had to pay hotel/motel rates.  I needed to do this because I did not want to live in a motel with three kids ranging between 1 and 7.  Also I wanted to be able to enroll my kids in school so they wouldn’t get to far behind.  When we did get housing we got a house on West Fort Hood.  It is a 4 bedroom house and it is very nice.   We are about two blocks away from the elementary school.  Areas to stay away from are Fort Hood street and Rancier st.  We actually rented the apartment near Rancier and we had our SUV broken into.  All they stole was our Ipod and they broke our window to get it.   So I was pretty happy to get out of there when we did.   The housing on post ranges from older housing too new housing.  If they are older they have been renovated.

Rate the PX & Commissary.

There are two PXs here.  One has the electronics, furniture and sporting goods.  The other has everything else like clothing and housewares.  I think they are nice I just don’t like that you have to drive across post from one to the other it is a little inconvenient.  There are two commissaries except I have never shopped at the commissaries here.  I shop off post at a grocery store called H-E-B.  Although the commissaries on post might have good sales, at this off post grocery store I can shop good deals or get their cheaper store brand.

Activities on base?

There is always something to do on post.  They are always having activities.  You just have too look out for the fliers and signs.  Also housing community also has activities for their residents.

Active Spouses Club?

Not sure about this

Things to do in area?

There are some things to do here except when we have a chance we like to go to Austin or San Antonio since they are only a couple to a few hours away.  In Killeen there is Blora Lake where you can swim, hike or camp out.  There is some shopping here and plenty of restaurants.  You get your favorite restaurants like Chilis, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster and all your fast food restaurants.  There are also little local restaurants here too that are pretty good.

School System?

My kids go to the elementary school in our housing area.  I have not had any trouble with this school.  My kids like the teachers here and settled in pretty well.

Any colleges in area?

The Central Texas College  campus is here.  They also Tarleston University campus.

Jobs? (on post and off)

I’m not sure about jobs on or off post since I am a stay at home mom.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?

I like it here.  It has that small town feel but you have that city look.  Austin and San Antonio are to our south and to the North there is Dallas and Houston.

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

http://www.hood.army.mil/

Any other tips?

My family and I enjoy it here.  You can always find something to do here or in a nearby town.

Base Location: Colorado Springs, CO

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

December 2009 – present

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

The waiting list is long, but we happened to get housing on post. It’s really nice, but we are in the newer housing…I can’t really speak to the rest of the post.

Rate the PX & Commissary.

This is our first post, so I don’t have anything to compare it to. The PX seems nice, we’ve been able to get some great deals on bedding, shoes and cold medicine. The commissary is pretty good, but I will not make the mistake of going on a Saturday afternoon again. The line to check out was about 30 mins. Also, since this is our first post, I didn’t know you are supposed to tip the baggers, since that’s the only money they make. I bag my own groceries.

Activities on base?

There’s always something going on, but we are still trying to get adjusted.

Active Spouses Club?

Yes, through coffees and other activities. I have been able to go to a few things, and look forward to going to more.

Things to do in area?

Tons to do around here. Over a holiday weekend we went to Denver and explored the area. They have a great aquarium and children’s museum. In Colorado Springs you have Garden of the Gods, and many other outdoor activities. Plus we’ve made it to the mountains and explored Breckenridge.

School System?

So far so good – our child attends a school on post. They have just restructured the district 8, so some kids will have to be changing schools on post and go to the new school (it’s supposed to be ready this summer).

Any colleges in area?

Yes, but I don’t know anything about them. I may look into some classes for fun, but I have my degree already.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?

I love the mountains, great views.

Least favorite aspect?
Baking in high altitude, it’s an adjustment.

Any other tips?

Even if you are far down on the housing wait list, go in there once a day starting the first day you arrive. They have a short amount of time to fill the housing, so it seems like they fill it first with people that are physically checking in with them (regardless of wait list position).

Your Name (if you would like it to appear): P.W.

Base Name: Fort Bliss

Base Location: El Paso, Texas

How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present) May
20, 2009 – present

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 chose to live off post. The wait list for on-post housing here is
horrible. I spoke with a wife recently who said they had just been
offered housing and they had been waiting for a little over a year. For
off-post housing, the west side is pretty nice, the east side has a lot
of new building going on. We chose the northeast side of town. It is a
really easy commute for my husband and there are some really nice, yet
affordable neighborhoods. Like anywhere else, you have to use common
sense. The neighborhoods are pretty self explanatory by the way the
look. You can’t be put off by bars though. I was originally really
skeptical that everyone had bars on their windows and doors … but
apparently it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a bad neighborhood.

Rate the PX & Commissary.
The PX is nice. The commissary is a typical commissary. They are doing A
LOT of construction and expanding the base which is kind of pain b/c
stores are relocating and parking can be tough. But it is looking like
it will be really nice when they are all done. The PXtra was nice when
we were looking for furniture and the POV re-sale lot was a great place
to start looking when we were in the market for a new vehicle.

Activities on base?
On post there is are pools, gyms, paintball, golf ….

Active Spouses Club?
There is an NCO Wives Club and an Officer’s Wives Club

Things to do in area?
Oh Goodness … there is a lot to do around here. There is minor league
baseball, arena football, a pro soccer team, at least a dozen state or
national parks within a 2 hour drive (we love Elephant Butte Lake and
Bottomless Lakes in New Mexico), hiking, camping, rock climbing, there
is a bicycling club. El Paso puts out a great publication called “The
Scene” once a month that has everything that is going on in or around
El Paso. There are a lot of great historic sites, museums, and even 1
of the 11 holocaust museums is here. There are several Wal-Marts,
Targets, Malls, and there is outlet shopping off of I-10 at exit 6.
There are plenty of Starbucks for the coffee lovers and plenty of the
big chain fast food and sit down restaurants. Army personnel are not
allowed into Mexico and I don’t recommend it either. The border patrol
does a great job keeping the drugs and violence in Juarez but it still
is just right across the river. There are plenty of movie theaters, and
a water park and a theme park.

School System?
Not sure yet … not quite there yet

Any colleges in area?
EPCC, UTEP, NMSU, and several vocational schools

Jobs? (on post and off)
I am a nurse so finding a job wasn’t all that difficult for me but due
to huge Latino population here most (if not all) employers want (and
some require) employees to speak English and Spanish. Even as a nurse,
I am not getting paid as much as I should because my Spanish is hit and
miss and they really want fluency.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?
With all of the state and national parks around you can easily occupy a
weekend for pretty minimal park entrance fees. The mountains are
beautiful and the views from some places are breath-taking. The
evenings are reasonably pleasant and I am definitely enjoying life sans
NC mosquitoes!

Least favorite aspect?
I am from North Carolina so the move here was a huge culture shock. Not
to mention, it may be dry, but the sun is really intense here. My
husband and I did (and are still doing) quite a battle with the whole
different set of allergens here. I never had allergies before b/c I
grew up and lived on the east coast but the lack of humidity and the
different environment turned my sinuses into Niagra Falls! I also miss
refrigerated air. Here they use swamp coolers and master cools (freon
based units are few and far between) and they just don’t cut it for me.
I miss being able to set my thermostat for a certain temperature and
that’s what my house was. The evaporative coolers are completely
dependent on the temperature outside so, the hotter it is outside …
the warmer it is in your house!

Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.)
Definitely check out “The Scene”
blissmwr.com
myfortbliss.com

Any other tips?
It may be hot, but get out and explore! But definitely research a
little before you venture out. We took our dogs hiking early one
morning and discovered that early morning is the best time to run
across rattlesnakes! Ooops! Rattled nerves but no injuries. People are,
for the most part, friendly and willing to help. Keep sunscreen around
and (in the words of Infantry NCOs and Officers) HYDRATE!

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

Base Location: El Paso, Texas

How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present) 1993-present (I grew up here and then married a soldier I met here)

What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy? They are renovating the houses at Fort Bliss. The older on and off post housing are being torn down and replaced with new homes. The officers houses are very nice and spacious, as well as several of the enlisted soldiers housing off post. The waiting list is supposedly 6 months, but it is definitely a lot longer. Renting houses is very cheap as the cost of living is very low.  The Brand new  barracks at Biggs field are supposed to be the nicest in the ARMY.

Rate the PX & Commissary. The PX isn’t bad, there is a lot of variety and the people working there are generally knowledgeable and friendly. The Commissary is usually very crowded, but it is overall a good commissary.

Activities on base? Bowling Alley is the largest (supposedly ) in the ARMY, newly renovated also. There is also a Park at Biggs field which has paintball, rock climbing, and fields for base/softball, soccer, football, and basketball as well as a skate park. Waiting families is a good program, they have free dinner and bowling once a month. There is also a lot of help from the ACS as far as resources for spouses for jobs and schooling.

Active Spouses Club? NCO Wives Club, Officers Club.

Things to do in area? McKelligon Canyon, 2 hours to skiing/snowboarding, lots of shops and local restaurants, bars, clubs, minor league baseball and hockey as well as the UTEP Miners sporting events, Once a year we host the Sun Bowl which is on National Television, also host Texas Vs. The Nation football game.

School System? El Paso Independent, Ysleta, EPISD is probably the best. Lots of High Schools, most 5-A.

Any colleges in area? UTEP, several EPCC campuses, Texas Tech Medical School, NMSU is 1/2 hr. away in NM.

Jobs? (on post and off) A lot require you to be bilingual, but since they are adding another PX and all sorts of shops out at Biggs field, there are lots of available jobs on post. The Army Community Service office will help build resume’s, help find jobs for spouses and teenage dependents.

Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?  El Paso is right on the border with Mexico, it is a culture shock when you first get here. There is a point in the city where a mountain overlooks 2 countries (US and Mexico) and 3 States (NM, TX and Chihuahua, MX). The base is growing very quickly and new businesses and things to do are popping up everywhere.

Least favorite aspect? Hot, hardly rains, very windy.

Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.) BlissMWR.com, EPConnect.net, ElPasoTimes.com, craigslist (El Paso)

Any other tips? Be open minded. It is what you make of it. It’s not hard to navigate and you can basically get to Ft. Bliss from anywhere in the city in 15 minutes. Get involved and get your kids involved. Tour the town, and DON’T GO TO MEXICO. It used to be semi-safe to go, but it definitely is NOT safe anymore, I wouldn’t even attempt it.