Your Name (if you would like it to appear): Holly Ruiz
Base Name: Fort Bragg, NC
Base Location: Fayetteville, NC
How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present) Since December 1999 – Present , Yes it’s been that long, Haha.
What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy?
On-post there is good and bad from what I’ve seen. I know they are redoing a lot of the housing but I live off-post. I know you can see it on the Fort Bragg website or onestop.army.mil .
Off-post is so-so. You have to learn the area. Fayetteville is a very high crime area. Ask around and don’t be ignorant about the area. I have lived on Cliffdale Rd towards Raeford Rd and love it. Hope Mills, NC is very nice as well. It’s a little bit longer of a drive but totally worth it! Same goes for Raeford, NC.
Places to stay away from would be Bragg Blvd at night time, Murchinson Rd is pretty ghetto, and any areas near those streets. It’s not a nice area at ALL.
Average price to rent for apartments is anywhere from 500-800 for a one bedroom. Median is about 775 for a NICE two bedroom. Rental homes are about the same. The BAH is pretty high now, so it helps. E1-E4 BAH is about $1,050 and E5 is $1,090. After that I’m not sure.. Haha.
Rate the PX & Commissary. There are two of each. The North Post PX/Commissary is a older but still nice. The PX has a Garden area. There is also a Class Six next doors. It’s towards Pope AFB. The other PX/Commissary is the South Post. It was built in the last 8 years. It’s off of Reilly Rd, near Yadkin. It doesn’t have a Class Six nor Garden Section.
Activities on base? I know there are a ton, but to actually list I’m not sure. I know there are sports teams you can join, horse back riding, swimming pool, ice skating, bowling alley and of course the gym. I think Fort Bragg has like 5 or 6 gyms.
Active Spouses Club? Not sure.
Things to do in area? Raleigh, which is NC’s capital, is only an hour away. Tons of stuff to do there. The beach is about 2 hours away and the mountains are roughly 3 hours away. But as far as Fayetteville goes, there is just the common stuff like movies, mall, putt putt golf, fishing, and things like that.
School System? Not really positive. I know if you have high school children, do not chose E.E. Smith or Douglas Byrd. Jack Britt High School and South View High are the best in the County hands down!
Any colleges in area? Methodist (Private), Fayetteville Tech, Fayetteville State, UNC-Pembroke.
Jobs? (on post and off) It’s hard finding a job here off-post. Not sure about on-post. www.cpol.mil
Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? I love how big Bragg is. Everything you need they have. Favorite thing about the city, probably just being close to so much like the beach and mountains.
Least favorite aspect? Crime. Most of it is just break-ins and drugs. Some areas are still okay though. It’s hard to expect a great city with Bragg being the largest Army Post. Lol
Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.) www.bragg.army.mil , www.ccs.k12.nc.us/ , www.fayobserver.com , www.cpol.mil , http://police.ci.fayetteville.nc.us/imap/ , http://www.fortbraggmwr.com/ , www.myspace.com/badassarmywives , www.mybaseguide.com
Any other tips? Every base has its perks and downers. Home is what you make of it 😉