Your Name (if you would like it to appear):
Megan Greco
Base Location:
KY and TN border (Clarksville, Tn and Hopkinsville, Ky)
How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present)
July 2007-present (July 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?
We have never lived on-post, but we have friends that do. The houses are nice, but the waitlist is usually long. They have been doing renovations on some of the houses for a while and the new ones look great!
We bought a house in Clarksville. The area we live is gorgeous and was very cheap. Our mortgage is $740 but I’ve seen rent here as cheap as $450. It really depends where and what you are looking for.
Stay away from parts of downtown Clarksville. Some of the areas are really shady… Once my husband and I got approached by a drug dealer!
Rate the PX & Commissary.
I love the PX, its big and I can always find what I need/want there. The commissary is good too, we shop there because it tends to be just a little bit cheaper. Watch out for the retired ladies though… They stand in the middle of lanes!
Activities on base?
There is a ton! Let me see if I can remember them all lol.
Horseback riding, camping, fishing, some swimming pools, arts and crafts, bowling, movie theatre… There’s a lot
Active Spouses Club?
Yes but I was never a part of it.
Things to do in area?
Clarksville there’s not a ton unless you like to drink (there are quite a few bars in the area) There is a mall but it isn’t very big. So when I get a chance I go down to Nashville. Its only about an hour away so it works out well.
School System?
I don’t have any kids, but I’ve heard great things about the school on-post. Off-post there are a lot of schools, but none that are extremely great. There is a private school here though.
Any colleges in area?
Austin Peay, Hopkinsville Community College, Draughns…
Jobs? (on post and off)
Ugh, jobs are so hard to find. Chances are if you live in Clarksville you will try your hand at Convergys. (Customer service for AT&T) It is really easy to get a job there and they pay $9.00, but the job sucks… Other than that its really hard to find a job in Clarksville.
Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city?
Nashville is so close, and our house is here!
Least favorite aspect?
Clarksville isn’t the best town.. The crime in some areas is really bad. Also it seems like all the wives cheat here! This is my first post so I don’t know if that’s everywhere, but I couldn’t believe it!
Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.)
http://www.cityofclarksville.com/
http://www.hoptown.org/
Any other tips?
Make the most of it! This town/post is really truly what you make of it. And most of all ladies, DO NOT trust a wife who cheats. I got wrapped up in a whole situation of divorce, lies and drugs… because of a “friend.”
Also, meth seems to be a big problem in Clarksville… Not trying to scare you, just make you aware. Watch out for it!
Thank you , this is helpful. My husband is leaving AIT today to Ft Campbell. I’m wondering how long it will be for us to move up there with him. And where we will stay until we find housing. So concerned and confused not knowing then whens and wheres when its so close.
If you are on his orders for AIT, you will be able to move with him. If not, you will be able to move with him after he graduates from training and is assigned to his first duty station. You can always move regardless but it will be at your expense. There is temporary housing available on post in many cases where you can stay if there is a very short wait for on post housing. If the wait is very long, you may have to live off post until something becomes available.
Im moving to campbell in a matter of weeks with my husband, i hope it isnt that bad there!! I know im not a cheating wife and i hope ill be able to find some good wholesome women to make friends with
:-/
my husband and i are moving their in april….. can someone please tell me what county is best to live in????what area?
We were stationed at Fort Campbell for about 4 years. The best area to live in( if you can afford it….and it can be pricey)….is Sango in Clarksville-Montogomery Co. It is far away from the base though. There are other nice areas in Clarksville…most places near the interstate….exits 1, 4, 8, and 11… are all nice areas. A lot of military live off of Tiny Town Road and Trenton Road in Clarksville….and they have nice houses. We also lived in Oak Grove, KY in a nice subdivision for a little while that all was military before we PCSed….and it was fine….but most of Oak Grove isn’t nice. I have a cousin that lives in Hopkinsville, and there are some nice areas in there too. You really just have to check out the areas for yourself. There are tons of nice subdivisions in Clarksville. I would avoid the Riverside area, downtown near the college, greenwood, and new providence. Any other questions just let know. I grew up in Clarksville and I know the area pretty well.
Thank you, do u know of the places that rent properties in that area???
We rented from Byers and Harvey in Clarksville and they were really easy to deal with. I know one night our heat when out and they had it fixed the next morning. We rented from another place….homefinders property management or something like that. And it wasn’t as good of an experience….A lot of people rent from Cherokee and I have heard mixed things from them. The area is used to military so you can find a home pretty easlily…but it can be competitive. I would make sure you have money ready. Wehn I was in college my friends and I rented from a local guy, and he was really laid back and we found him in the newspaper. There are always houses for rent in the paper you can call and go look at also.
you said exits 1,4,8,11 are nice to live off???? we have now changed and now are buying a home so im headed down next weekend to find out whats avaliable??? is their anywhere i should knw what areas to stay away from like high crime rate
It really depends on your budget. The best area to live in Clarksville- Montgomery county is Sango but you are looking at quite a drive. Rossview is also a nicer area. Sango is off exit 11 and Rossview is off exit 8. Both areas are expensive. 37043 is the best zipcode but most expensive. There are tons of nice subdivisions all over Clarksville. Exit 4 has St. B which is nice but one of the elementary schools, Burt, is one that you want to avoid. Most military live off of Tiny Town and peacher’s mill and in between. That area has nice houses and is a lot of military. The schools in Clarksville are just ok. I would avoid New providence, Northwest, areas near Austin Peay, and and down town, Clarksville. You can see when you are driving very obviously where the high crime areas are. It has that rundown kind of feeling. Hope this helps…any other questions just ask!!
This is my first duty station, as I’m still a new military wife, but I have to say that we have had a hard time here.
If you are looking to live off post, I would suggest moving somewhere off Exit 4. It’s a very busy area since this is where most of the restaurants are and the mall, but defiantly one of the nicest areas with little crime. The crime rate is high in Clarksville. We briefly lived off Exit 11 as well and it’s a nice quiet area, but a long drive to post. Living off exit 4 only takes about 20 mins to get to post. Jobs are extremely difficult to find in Clarksville, even if you have a degree.
There are quite a few activities on post, but not really in the Clarksville area. The mall is garbage, and we drive to Nashville to do our shopping. Since living here, I have seen 2 fights at the mall.
We do have 2 favorite things in Clarksville.. One is a restaurant called Cumberland Grill. It’s a little out of the way off exit 11, but there is not more than a 5 min wait to be seated and the staff is super friendly, and the food is awesome. Most restaurants in Clarksville will have a 1 hour wait even during the week.
The 2nd is Lee’s Salon (on Ft Campbell Blvd clost to post). There are 3 of us in my family and we all get our hair cuts/colored there. April the owner is amazing! The pricing is super cheap and everyone there does a great job!
Clarksville in general sucks. The people have all been sobby and like someone said in a previous statement on this site… there is a lot of cheating and drama here.
Oh my goodness… I am worried after reading your post! I am a newly wed and this will be my first duty station as a military wife. My husband keeps reassuring me that I will like it there, but I don’t know anything about that area. Ugh. Well hope for the best right? Is there anything you can recommend and not recommend as far as areas to live and such.
I lived at Ft.Campbell from 96-98 and 2001-2009 We bought a house in Clarksville and made some very good friends there. Like everyone said there are some areas (pockets we always called it) of crime and poverty in and around Clarksville. We bought in a small-ish- subdivision off of Peachers Mill between 101st and Tiny Town Rd. Loved that location because it was so close to everything and yet it was fairly secluded due to the location – no one would be walking through the neighborhood if they didn’t belong there.
I have 2 teenagers that went to different schools in the area growing up – from pre-k through 7th, both on post and off post. If you are coming from a state like CA where they pay for all school supplies other than your child’s backpack and binder prepare to be shocked. ALL school supplies are purchased by the parents and you will receive a detailed buying list down to the color of folders and size of binder. You will also have to pay for some school fees like art and science as well as be asked to supply the teacher with supplies.
For shopping, the Clarksville mall is OK, I never witnessed any crime or fighting in the many years I lived there, it has a pretty large range of stores there so you don’t have to travel to Nashville unless you want to. We would go to Nashville once every couple of months and go to the Opry Mills Mall. You should go at least once and make sure you eat at the Rainforest Cafe. That mall is always extreemly busy though so beware! The commisary is THE place for grocery shopping but NEVER go on the first or 15th! The PX is just meh. There is a lot of stuff with little selection if that make sense.
There are quite a bit of activities around the Ft Campbell area – camping is best at Land Between The Lakes (LBL) in my opinion. For a nice family picnic and fishing day you can go right out to one of the lakes on post. The are not fabulous but they are close and the kids will have fun. We used to go to Kyle Lake. And my husband used to spend his lunch going trout fishing on post many times. For kids there are dance studios, karate studios, city sports (football, soccer, t-ball, etc) I recommend The Dance Force of Clarksville, my daughter went there from age 4-12 until we were relocated to CA.
OH! Hair salon I would recommend It’s A Hair Thing off Dover Rd. I went to them when they were just a two person operation and they just got better over the years. Kirsty is FABULOUS! I miss her.
Hope you all have a great time at Ft Campbell. Obviously I spent more time off post than on but remember that life is what you make of it! Try to enjoy what you can and not focus on the negatives.
My husband has orders to Ft Campbell and is leaving his current duty station of USAG Humphreys in Korea to go straight to Ft Campbell before he moves the family. We have four children ages 14, 9, 8 and 6. I would prefer to live in the KY side of the base (Hopkinsville) – how is that area for children? I am providing home-schooling/online learning for our oldest and then to the younger children once they start middle school – what are the schools like? We are also searching for a Church of Christ congregation – know of any? I have a ton of family in the IN, OH, KY, NC, GA and TN areas and am looking forward to visiting all of them while we are stationed there. Thanks a ton and God bless!
If u call on post housing they will give u the number for off post housing and they have a list of the perfered places to live. Hope this helps some and their is brand new church on post.
Hello, we are in the middle of trying to decide if we want to go to fort brag or fort campbell. I would like to know which one would be our best option?? I heard mixed reviews about fort brag- mostly bad. I have a 7 year old son, and would like to live in a nice and safe neighborhood. I would also appreciate any info about the schooling. Thank you
Stay away from fort bragg! Im stationed here..hate it fayettville sucks there’s nothing to do here. At all. and with all the airborne ops there’s no order in the units its chaotic.
I’m not entirely sure if this has any posts that are even fairly new. I’ve only been an army did for about two years and we just came to ft Campbell from ft Hamilton (ny) I’m not sure if I just haven’t gone out enough but I think Clarksville is very nice. The schools are my biggest issue thus far. Especially since we did a lot of research and found that NorthEast was rated 3rd but when we got here I found out that he school is garbage. We did not however pay for any school supplies so in not sure if that post was old or just in regards to a diff school. As far as I can tell so far rossview is the best. We also love off of Trenton between tiny town rd and 101st near exit 4. We rent a 3bed 3bath and it’s still below the BAh (E6) and it’s gorgeous. It’s not huge but it is perfect for us. We have a two year old eight year old and thirteen year old. I’m sure there is crime in town as there is everywhere but I have yet to really encounter it to any problematic degree. I’ve never loved off of the north east coast though so maybe it’s just me but my husband has been in for 14 years and he thinks this is nice as well. So don’t be afraid just be as cautious as you would be anywhere else. There are ten houses on our dead end road and not one person that resides in them is any less that amazingly nice. I’ve been here for one month only and they have been very friendly. Also there are two husbands on deployment and neither wife cheats. As I hear it it’s fairly common occurrence anyway w army wives but that’s ALL hearsay. Regardless we had the choice between Campbell Bragg Lewis and two other I can’t remember but I have always heard great things about this base. Unless you don’t want to be in one place for a while ! I have not yet met one person that has only had thee years here! Anyway good luck and don’t lock yourself in your houses!!! That doesn’t help anybody!! Xo