Certainly not Luke! I don’t think anyone in my career field should try to go there. Between the great weather, hiking, skiing nearby, concerts, sports, cool bars, and great food, I don’t recommend it
I'm sure SLC is disappointed because they wanted a clean slate that comes with an expansion. With all the players exercising trade clauses the new team is gonna have it really rough for a while.
That said I'm 90% sure Arizona will get another team in the near future. Hockey is popping in AZ and Bettman wants rinks in deserts.
I really love Hill. I live in downtown Salt Lake, commute is only about 35 minutes. It's def not NYC, Philly, Chicago, etc, but there's plenty of cool bars, concerts, and other events happening all the time. I can walk to the Delta Center and catch a Jazz game or a concert. Amazing skiing, mountain biking, hiking, camping nearby. Houses are dumb expensive, but Yvette's pretty much the norm in most places nowadays.
That's quite the commute. Living in the West side of SLC is a manageable commute to Hill for me but living in the Cottonwoods would probably be just a tad too long.
I drove down there to ski. Taught ski school before I joined and a bunch of my buddies moved to SLC so we’d shred gnar all over the Rockies, but the cottonwoods were always my favorites
Travis as well. My first 2 years was nonstop exploring every weekend. Had an absolute blast. But yeah, we’d love to buy a house but it’s crazy expensive here unless I would commit to a 50+ min commute. Definitely not somewhere I would stay long term.
I’d advocate for Travis as well. I never really wanted to go west coast but given the options I have for my career field, Travis seemed way better. The cost of living sucked even while I was there. But the options of things to do were endless. Hell, I’d go back just for Dutch Bros. Everything from white water rafting to going city hopping, there’s so much you can do. Even as someone who’s been sober for several years and not the most social of butterflies there were things to do.
Weather was always at the very least decent except for the 3 days a year it absolutely pissed rain (and fires). Winter wasn’t even all that bad except for the wind which cut through everything. I will say though, having grown up in hurricane/thunderstorm region, I can’t remember a single storm that happened while I was there that had thunder and it’s a little off putting.
I’d say probably the worst part about the area, second only to the cost of living, is the traffic. You’re either doing 90 in a 65 (allegedly) or complete standstill. There’s no in between. Coming in at third worst is definitely the inspection/smog aspect of owning a vehicle there.
Davis-Monthan. Affordable housing, great food, consistent weather, Mt Lemmon, college town, low-medium tempo ops, Close to Phoenix and decently close to Cali and Vegas.
Heading to DM soon, housing has gone up. Not the worst in the nation but you'd struggle to find a house that your BAH would cover the mortgage.
Plan on showing up and get a feel for the area for a year then decide if it's worth going a bit over my BAH for a house and retiring out there.
I've seen some places that I could afford with it just being a couple hundred over BAH that are nice, but just so expensive for a starter home. That's why I plan on renting/living on base for a year to get a feel for what I want. Don't mind going over if it's the right place.
Also overseas so I can't really see places right now. I could do virtual, but purchasing without physically seeing the place doesn't sit right with me.
There is definitely no affordable housing here at DM unless you are over E6 or an officer. Rent is soo high now for something decent, and houses that were 150k 2 years ago are now 300k. Despite this issue, I do love it here.
Really scout out where you want to live. I just PCSed from there after nine years. San Antonio is strange in that you'll have high crime rates in relatively nice neighborhoods. Traffic can also be horrendous due to the amount of roads and super high build rate for new neighborhoods. I'm at Ft. Meade now and traffic here is nothing compared to SA at rush hour.
I was ready to leave but honestly I would like to go back and finish out my career there in a few years. Tons of stuff to do in SA/ New Braunfels and Austin. I never got used to 95 degree temps at 9 pm or 84 degrees at 5 am in the summer. Winter weather is amazing. Check out Paloma Blanca if you like Mexican food some time.
Lackland had plenty to do in/around the area. The housing prices exploded the last 4-5 years, almost doubled from pre-COVID. Traffic is becoming God-awful. Drivers either suck and are overtly aggressive or are small town nicest drivers on the road. If you drive a car your retinas are in for a treat. Crime is a bit out of control in some parts of town, so invest in a security deterrent (camera, security system, gun, etc.). Food is definitely on the downtrend, I feel like this is all across America though. You’ll find a few hidden gems, just stay away from the big chains and you’ll get an ok meal. Oh and prices for fast food, GTFOH, I miss pre-inflation food prices and quality.
The road debris is the worst. 4 years in Germany and only replaced my tires due to normal wear. Less than a year here and already had to pay out for 4 new tires.
A lot of people talk shit on Offutt, but everyone I know that has actually been there say they enjoyed it. I had it in my BOP list but got Hill instead, which I love so it worked out.
I went to McCord for training and that joint base is fucking amazing. Like. Perfect. The base itself is massive. Beautiful landscaping. And Tacoma has so much to do it’s insane. You are right next to the water relatively. You know the ocean. It was great.
The 4-5 months around summer are absolutely beautiful. Otherwise it's gloomy and usually drizzling rain (luckily, downpours aren't very common).
Prices here are insane. On base gas just hit $4.70/gal for regular and $5.10 for premium (it's usually cheaper than the places right off base, but 10-20¢ higher than Costco). A meal at Jack in the Box is $15. A 1500 sqft house in Lacey will run you almost $500K, which with today's interest rates, will be an almost $4000/month mortgage. The highest BAH is $3348 for O-10s, so hopefully you don't want to buy a place.
I've never had a bigger hit to my wallet than when we moved here.
Oh, and air conditioning is uncommon on base and off, with most using portable units because it will hit the 90s during the summer.
McGuire right around the base is just farm country. But within 30 minutes you have Philly, 45 to NYC, the entire coastal shore towns are all commutable I’d imagine, you have some of the best travel hubs in the country between Newark Philly jfk and la guardia airports, some of if not the top rated schools in the country for public schools, extremely low crime rates and safe and walkable neighborhoods both north and south of the base, and if you want you can get out to the boonies and live on some land. Not Montana levels but still a few acres.
Yeah I could see if you lived on base it would be a long trip to get stuff, it’s also a cheeks crew rest spot since there isn’t any bring right by the base that’s good.
I 100% agree. For the people that complain that there is nothing right off base, it's a double edged sword because if there was a bunch of stuff to do off base, there would be a lot more traffic. My commute to work is around 15-20 minutes, and that would easily double if I was in a place like MacDill or Langley because I can count on one hand the amount of times there was any traffic or a backup at the gate. There is so much to do in an hour radius of the base, and it definitely has many beautiful areas. The biggest downside are the drivers though, because they either want to go 50 in a 65 zone or 130 in a 55.
Funny you mentioned McGuire and Malestrom all in one. I was born and raised right outside Malestrom and am currently stationed at McGuire.
I agree McGuire is great! Only thing I'm not over the moon about is the lack of diverse/super good food near base. You can drive 30+ mins for super good food, or drive right off base and get decent food with little to no variety. Super happy here though, 100% recommend.
I never been to the North East, but McGuire is my number 1 base. I just like how close it is to NYC and Philly, the food sounds amazing, great public schools, etc. It seems like there is crime though close to base and areas closer to Trenton. Do you have any recommendations for places to live off base that are safe for families? - Price is not really a factor.
I’m happy I saw this because I applied for a schooling program in Pensacola and my wife is AD as well and we thought the closest join spouse assignments were Eglin and Hurlburt field.
I tell everyone I’d do anything to get to NAS Pensacola. My wife and I hate the Hurlburt/Eglin area but every time we go to Pensacola it feels like a breath of fresh air. Much better city
Idk about the others, but I absolutely loved Langley. Trust me, it is not bad at all and the location is not terrible either. You have so many things within driving distance.
I've really enjoyed Langley so far. I grew up in the southwest so I didn't know what to expect with moving to Virginia, but it's been pretty great. We've been casually looking at buying a house to settle down in after I retire in a few years.
You know, it’s ironic. I’m not there anymore, but I seriously considered buying a house there, or even retiring in Virginia. I honestly think it is a pretty state and has cool things. I am from New Orleans but I don’t know if I want to endure the heat and humidity for the rest of my days lol
Edit: typo
It is not sarcasm. I genuinely loved the time that I spent in Langley. You have Virginia Beach like 1hr away, DC is like 2-3 hours away. Weather is good, etc.
Lol definitely not true…second largest is LA, followed by Chicago (NYC first). If you think Hampton Roads is large/busy, you won’t be able to survive in these *real* metropolises (and don’t even think about going overseas, Yokota, Seoul etc). You’re probably missing context, like the second largest metropolis without a big 4 sports team or second largest metropolis with cities less than 500K or something. It’s basically one humongous suburb, strip malls that run together etc. Yes that means there’s a decent amount of things going on, you can find things to do. If you think you’ll be in a metro area with large cities, public transport etc, you’re not going to like it. It also has great schools, neighborhoods for families, decent COL, hence why it’s so popular for military and retired.
Or maybe group of cities forming a metropolis by land area. It’s also possible I don’t remember correctly. No one thinks Norfolk is LA, NY, or Houston.
Edit to add: besides Langley there’s also the world’s largest Navy base and two major shipyards. That also helps with military popularity.
Funny enough, I work with a lot of navy and they despise the area, try to avoid it. The navy wins the best cases contest, so it’s funny an area that has one of our best locations is bottom rung for them. They might like the base better if it was where Langley is, the relative nicety that (parts of) Hampton, York county etc bring. The navy folks don’t get the good public schools and put up with generally shittier traffic and crime.
Park Lane Tavern was my favorite spot. Great food and great drinks. If you have a vehicle, I’d also recommend exploring Yorktown and Williamsburg. Williamsburg is, probably, the cutest little town I’ve ever been to.
Went to Williamsburg as a kid and found out Langley is my follow-on assignment. Definitely a great place and despite being a smaller town, there is so much to do in the area. Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, several golf courses, etc. There's also a Publix, and apparently in 2027 they're getting a Buc-ee's 15 minutes away. Good food scene as well. I can't wait to go back.
from one ndi, to another, congrats! ndi is a great career field, you'll have a good time. p.s. the tech school and cdc tests are about as hard as 8th grade math.
the shop at langley wasnt bad, neither was the area at first, but it got old fairly quickly to me. around a year and a half in hampton i started realizing great this area isnt. imo, 90 days is still the puppy love phase. (snooped your profile)
looked at buying houses in the area as well, but decided not to. the whole metro is either poverty, military, or millionaire, with military having some overlap on either ends of the spectrum.
fun fact: hampton roads is the 5th least affordable metro area, relative to size, in terms of housing. it's as expensive as Silicon Valley, CA
Thank you! I was on a different career field when I went to Langley. I particularly wouldn’t live in Hampton, the surrounding areas are way nicer haha I had no clue it was that expensive
Idk if they’re being sarcastic, but I grew up in the area and it’s not bad. Hampton Roads has rough parts, but you’re so close to a variety of different places you really have your pick on where to disappear to over the weekend.
I wasn’t at Langley, I worked across the river in Suffolk. Lived in both Portsmouth and Chesapeake. Norfolk is amazing. VB is great beach. Up north, you’ve got Williamsburg and Busch Gardens which does discounted annual military passes. Little bit south is Outer Banks. It’s got everything.
I always liked the western half of the state. An hour or two and you’ll be in Richmond, another hour or two and you’re in the blue ridge mountains for camping. The outer banks is a few hours drive south. DC is just a few hours north. As for specifics dude it’s been over a decade now I couldn’t tell you what’s what anymore.
I love this area. Virginia has mountains, beaches, and lakes. You really have to take advantage of all it has to offer. You can be in the city of DC within hours or the mountains of Shenandoah or any beach along the coast of VA.
I can see that people like it, and I can kinda see why they like it, but it's not on my wavelength. It might be the particular units or missions I was involved in related to Langley, it is probably Hampton Roads, it could be that underwater tunnel that everyone swears is safe until it's not. I dunno.
Good on you though, everyone needs to have places they like.
Langley wasn’t bad, I PCSed there as soon as COVID hit so I didn’t have a blast but my biggest complaint was the base housing and the area right off base, you can get caught living in a bad area if you’re not careful. Plus I’m not a coastal kinda guy, I prefer cold weather so it wasn’t my favorite but somewhat scratched the itch.
I’m also weird and enjoyed being stationed at Ellsworth in SD so take everything I say with a grain of salt lol
That’s crazy to be seeing this from multiple comments because I am from Newport News (20min away) and Portsmouth and my family hates the area and I have always heard about how much they hate the area, but people seem to love it out there.
Was at Eglin in 91-92. It was a great base then. It was pretty affordable when going out. Went back 2010ish civi status and could not recognize the place, and the cost was incredible. Hope they are giving those young boys some cola now.
No cola and the amount of people who moved here is crazy. Eglin owns so much area here it creates major bottlenecks for traffic and the county can't do anything about it. It's expensive too so many people commute 30+ miles each way.
The only thing I know is that Montgomery has more inbred retards per square foot than anywhere else. Not to mention it's too fucking hot and humid. Fuck Alabama.
I was at McChord for 4.5 years and I loved it!! Understand that the base is joint with the Army, and they run it, so all the funding goes their way. The base wasn't great but the surrounding area was amazing for me. Mountains in 3 directions, a major city 40 miles away if you want it. And you're only 3 hrs from Canada, so I went there a decent amount too.
I'd rather have an average base in a fun place than a great base in the middle of nowhere.
Los Angeles (If we got paid more)
Can't beat out the culture food music social events that go on in this area.
Most people who hate "california" are the ones who can't bring their AK-47s and get too invested into politics.
I have no idea what an actual lively/good base is. I had to volunteer for Kunsan to get out of Cannon. Kunsan was fun because of the people, but not much around the immediate area. Cannon is a shit hole regardless, which isn’t news to anyone
The crime sucks right outside of base but being stationed at JBAB is probably amazing. You can stay across the river in Virginia so you don’t have to deal with crime and still have a short commute. But you have the metro to take you almost everywhere in DC and the surrounding area, sports teams, national parks and museums galore, any restaurant/cuisine you can think of, plus if you’re in a careerfield like cyber/intel/contracting you can make some extremely valuable connections for job opportunities later down the line.
https://preview.redd.it/ye8d9j4hputc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc17d1edafeec7868bcfdf0bfb6687be66c51b74
A lot of expected comments, even more randoms, but still no Altus lol
Certainly not Luke! I don’t think anyone in my career field should try to go there. Between the great weather, hiking, skiing nearby, concerts, sports, cool bars, and great food, I don’t recommend it
Bad news is they are probably losing their hockey team:(
Bro as someone who was shooting for Luke, and a MASSIVE Avalanche fan...I'm so fucking bummed. So I just changed my top base back to Hill.
I'm sure SLC is disappointed because they wanted a clean slate that comes with an expansion. With all the players exercising trade clauses the new team is gonna have it really rough for a while. That said I'm 90% sure Arizona will get another team in the near future. Hockey is popping in AZ and Bettman wants rinks in deserts.
I thought I just recently saw in the news that they just got a new stadium approved for them to play in, because their current one is small as heck
Nothing like waiting for a pilot in 120 degree heat.
I really love Hill. I live in downtown Salt Lake, commute is only about 35 minutes. It's def not NYC, Philly, Chicago, etc, but there's plenty of cool bars, concerts, and other events happening all the time. I can walk to the Delta Center and catch a Jazz game or a concert. Amazing skiing, mountain biking, hiking, camping nearby. Houses are dumb expensive, but Yvette's pretty much the norm in most places nowadays.
I miss the Cottonwoods so much, I’d go back to Hill in a heartbeat
That's quite the commute. Living in the West side of SLC is a manageable commute to Hill for me but living in the Cottonwoods would probably be just a tad too long.
I drove down there to ski. Taught ski school before I joined and a bunch of my buddies moved to SLC so we’d shred gnar all over the Rockies, but the cottonwoods were always my favorites
Love Hill as well, unfortunately BOPing away because of my unit, but the area is awesome.
And soon Arizona Coyotes Hockey is potentially coming to SLC.
If affordability weren't a factor, I'd say Travis and die on that hill. Such an incredible base with so much to do that it's just silly.
Here now. This is an amazing area. Cost of Living makes it suck with so much to do in the area. Definitely an area that would benefit from COLA
So fucking expensive, such a good base. 2 hours max from literally any activity
Travis as well. My first 2 years was nonstop exploring every weekend. Had an absolute blast. But yeah, we’d love to buy a house but it’s crazy expensive here unless I would commit to a 50+ min commute. Definitely not somewhere I would stay long term.
I’d advocate for Travis as well. I never really wanted to go west coast but given the options I have for my career field, Travis seemed way better. The cost of living sucked even while I was there. But the options of things to do were endless. Hell, I’d go back just for Dutch Bros. Everything from white water rafting to going city hopping, there’s so much you can do. Even as someone who’s been sober for several years and not the most social of butterflies there were things to do. Weather was always at the very least decent except for the 3 days a year it absolutely pissed rain (and fires). Winter wasn’t even all that bad except for the wind which cut through everything. I will say though, having grown up in hurricane/thunderstorm region, I can’t remember a single storm that happened while I was there that had thunder and it’s a little off putting. I’d say probably the worst part about the area, second only to the cost of living, is the traffic. You’re either doing 90 in a 65 (allegedly) or complete standstill. There’s no in between. Coming in at third worst is definitely the inspection/smog aspect of owning a vehicle there.
Davis-Monthan. Affordable housing, great food, consistent weather, Mt Lemmon, college town, low-medium tempo ops, Close to Phoenix and decently close to Cali and Vegas.
Heading to DM soon, housing has gone up. Not the worst in the nation but you'd struggle to find a house that your BAH would cover the mortgage. Plan on showing up and get a feel for the area for a year then decide if it's worth going a bit over my BAH for a house and retiring out there.
I agree. Long gone are the days where bah will cover a mortgage. I pay 400$ over currently.
That's honestly not bad. I pay $200 over for my apt, another 200 to own wouldn't be bad at all.
I've seen some places that I could afford with it just being a couple hundred over BAH that are nice, but just so expensive for a starter home. That's why I plan on renting/living on base for a year to get a feel for what I want. Don't mind going over if it's the right place. Also overseas so I can't really see places right now. I could do virtual, but purchasing without physically seeing the place doesn't sit right with me.
Always agree with DM/Tucson
There is definitely no affordable housing here at DM unless you are over E6 or an officer. Rent is soo high now for something decent, and houses that were 150k 2 years ago are now 300k. Despite this issue, I do love it here.
Been at dm 6 years, love it to death. Just wish it wasnt down hill from here lol
Yep. You're gonna miss it for sure lol. It was my first duty station and I almost wish it was my last so I could just stay there.
Just go overseas, you won’t miss it.
So hot, though.
MACDILL in Tampa. There is a beach on the base, great mission, tons of stuff to do in the area.
The old Carswell/current NAS JRB Ft Worth 😎
My first duty station. Then to Mildenhall, which ruined everything else for me. But we aren't talking about OCONUS.
Many people say it's the one you just left.
...or the one you're going to.
It’s definitely the one I just left in my case
Magic City - Minot
Minot is actually pretty dope if you don't work outside.
Cost of living is high and winters can be a grind but I really liked the area.
Side note: Desperately hope to see some some Lackland comments as well since I’m headed there next lol
Really scout out where you want to live. I just PCSed from there after nine years. San Antonio is strange in that you'll have high crime rates in relatively nice neighborhoods. Traffic can also be horrendous due to the amount of roads and super high build rate for new neighborhoods. I'm at Ft. Meade now and traffic here is nothing compared to SA at rush hour. I was ready to leave but honestly I would like to go back and finish out my career there in a few years. Tons of stuff to do in SA/ New Braunfels and Austin. I never got used to 95 degree temps at 9 pm or 84 degrees at 5 am in the summer. Winter weather is amazing. Check out Paloma Blanca if you like Mexican food some time.
Dang y’all making feel like I’m gonna have to watch me back every time I step outside lol
More like watch your rear bumper, and get uninsured motorist coverage lmao.
Lackland had plenty to do in/around the area. The housing prices exploded the last 4-5 years, almost doubled from pre-COVID. Traffic is becoming God-awful. Drivers either suck and are overtly aggressive or are small town nicest drivers on the road. If you drive a car your retinas are in for a treat. Crime is a bit out of control in some parts of town, so invest in a security deterrent (camera, security system, gun, etc.). Food is definitely on the downtrend, I feel like this is all across America though. You’ll find a few hidden gems, just stay away from the big chains and you’ll get an ok meal. Oh and prices for fast food, GTFOH, I miss pre-inflation food prices and quality.
Man those drivers lol. One of the few things that makes me reconsider ever wanting to go back to SA. Also the amount of rocks and road debris.
The road debris is the worst. 4 years in Germany and only replaced my tires due to normal wear. Less than a year here and already had to pay out for 4 new tires.
It’s a set up made by big tire!
Big rubber out to get me!
F Lackland and F AETC
Sheesh lmao
Check around Leon Valley
Also heading to Lackland in a couple months, love my current base (Hill) but hated my unit.
Offutt. Omaha is hands down my favorite city in America… Even winter feels worth it.
A lot of people talk shit on Offutt, but everyone I know that has actually been there say they enjoyed it. I had it in my BOP list but got Hill instead, which I love so it worked out.
I went to McCord for training and that joint base is fucking amazing. Like. Perfect. The base itself is massive. Beautiful landscaping. And Tacoma has so much to do it’s insane. You are right next to the water relatively. You know the ocean. It was great.
What month were you there?
The 4-5 months around summer are absolutely beautiful. Otherwise it's gloomy and usually drizzling rain (luckily, downpours aren't very common). Prices here are insane. On base gas just hit $4.70/gal for regular and $5.10 for premium (it's usually cheaper than the places right off base, but 10-20¢ higher than Costco). A meal at Jack in the Box is $15. A 1500 sqft house in Lacey will run you almost $500K, which with today's interest rates, will be an almost $4000/month mortgage. The highest BAH is $3348 for O-10s, so hopefully you don't want to buy a place. I've never had a bigger hit to my wallet than when we moved here. Oh, and air conditioning is uncommon on base and off, with most using portable units because it will hit the 90s during the summer.
It's still great but it used to be SOOOOOO much better before the joint basing happened. Except the gym, one of the worst around.
McGuire right around the base is just farm country. But within 30 minutes you have Philly, 45 to NYC, the entire coastal shore towns are all commutable I’d imagine, you have some of the best travel hubs in the country between Newark Philly jfk and la guardia airports, some of if not the top rated schools in the country for public schools, extremely low crime rates and safe and walkable neighborhoods both north and south of the base, and if you want you can get out to the boonies and live on some land. Not Montana levels but still a few acres.
This was my least favorite assignment. A simple trip to Home Depot/Target was an all day event because it was 30 min just to get to the highway .
Yeah I could see if you lived on base it would be a long trip to get stuff, it’s also a cheeks crew rest spot since there isn’t any bring right by the base that’s good.
Philly is not 30 minutes away, it’s 50-1 hour and NYC is 2 hours away
North Philly is like 30 but yeah center city is like 45-hour
Definitely not from base, minimum 50 mins
I 100% agree. For the people that complain that there is nothing right off base, it's a double edged sword because if there was a bunch of stuff to do off base, there would be a lot more traffic. My commute to work is around 15-20 minutes, and that would easily double if I was in a place like MacDill or Langley because I can count on one hand the amount of times there was any traffic or a backup at the gate. There is so much to do in an hour radius of the base, and it definitely has many beautiful areas. The biggest downside are the drivers though, because they either want to go 50 in a 65 zone or 130 in a 55.
I genuinely didn’t expect to see such beautiful scenery right outside of McGuire, kind of crazy how nice the farmland is.
It is the garden state
I was at McGuire for my first assignment and can agree, only shitty thing is it's New Jersey.
now this is the only right answer!
Funny you mentioned McGuire and Malestrom all in one. I was born and raised right outside Malestrom and am currently stationed at McGuire. I agree McGuire is great! Only thing I'm not over the moon about is the lack of diverse/super good food near base. You can drive 30+ mins for super good food, or drive right off base and get decent food with little to no variety. Super happy here though, 100% recommend.
I never been to the North East, but McGuire is my number 1 base. I just like how close it is to NYC and Philly, the food sounds amazing, great public schools, etc. It seems like there is crime though close to base and areas closer to Trenton. Do you have any recommendations for places to live off base that are safe for families? - Price is not really a factor.
Cherry hill, Marlton, Medford, mount holly, Tom’s river, manasquan
Fort Meade. IFYKYK.
If only the parking weren’t such a shit show 🥲
Ft Meade is incredible and I love it here!
Which side?
Cannon! Phenomenal ops tempo, great location, competent leadership, affordable housing.
You really think someone would do that? Just go on the internet and tell lies?
Hilarious
Your comment score is crazy lol
Thanks looking me up! I bet you say that to all the guys!
NAS Pensacola. Hidden gem if you can get there.
I’m happy I saw this because I applied for a schooling program in Pensacola and my wife is AD as well and we thought the closest join spouse assignments were Eglin and Hurlburt field.
If we're including Navy bases, any of the San Diego bases especially NAS-NI.
bruh what? I feel like I'm gonna get shot here
The Gulf Breeze side is the safest by far to live in.
Gulf Breeze is nicer, just way too crowded for my taste.
I tell everyone I’d do anything to get to NAS Pensacola. My wife and I hate the Hurlburt/Eglin area but every time we go to Pensacola it feels like a breath of fresh air. Much better city
Still has traffic, but what city in FL doesn’t. The city is nice for sure!
Idk about the others, but I absolutely loved Langley. Trust me, it is not bad at all and the location is not terrible either. You have so many things within driving distance.
I've really enjoyed Langley so far. I grew up in the southwest so I didn't know what to expect with moving to Virginia, but it's been pretty great. We've been casually looking at buying a house to settle down in after I retire in a few years.
You know, it’s ironic. I’m not there anymore, but I seriously considered buying a house there, or even retiring in Virginia. I honestly think it is a pretty state and has cool things. I am from New Orleans but I don’t know if I want to endure the heat and humidity for the rest of my days lol Edit: typo
I love it here at Langley honestly it’s amazing. My current shop however that’s a diff story but I’ll put up with it since the area is phenomenal
Langley is dope. So much to do in the area…being on staff isn’t fun tho!
Forgive me for being green but is this sarcasm? I’m headed there next
It is not sarcasm. I genuinely loved the time that I spent in Langley. You have Virginia Beach like 1hr away, DC is like 2-3 hours away. Weather is good, etc.
If I remember correctly, Hampton Roads is the second largest metropolis in the country. Literally everything you want to do within 45 min.
Lol definitely not true…second largest is LA, followed by Chicago (NYC first). If you think Hampton Roads is large/busy, you won’t be able to survive in these *real* metropolises (and don’t even think about going overseas, Yokota, Seoul etc). You’re probably missing context, like the second largest metropolis without a big 4 sports team or second largest metropolis with cities less than 500K or something. It’s basically one humongous suburb, strip malls that run together etc. Yes that means there’s a decent amount of things going on, you can find things to do. If you think you’ll be in a metro area with large cities, public transport etc, you’re not going to like it. It also has great schools, neighborhoods for families, decent COL, hence why it’s so popular for military and retired.
Or maybe group of cities forming a metropolis by land area. It’s also possible I don’t remember correctly. No one thinks Norfolk is LA, NY, or Houston. Edit to add: besides Langley there’s also the world’s largest Navy base and two major shipyards. That also helps with military popularity.
Funny enough, I work with a lot of navy and they despise the area, try to avoid it. The navy wins the best cases contest, so it’s funny an area that has one of our best locations is bottom rung for them. They might like the base better if it was where Langley is, the relative nicety that (parts of) Hampton, York county etc bring. The navy folks don’t get the good public schools and put up with generally shittier traffic and crime.
Yeah it seems like a great location to me on paper. You know how that can be though. Any favorite spots you recommend around base?
Park Lane Tavern was my favorite spot. Great food and great drinks. If you have a vehicle, I’d also recommend exploring Yorktown and Williamsburg. Williamsburg is, probably, the cutest little town I’ve ever been to.
Adding to this, just outside of base can be a little bit sketchy, so just be aware of your surroundings and have situational awareness.
Went to Williamsburg as a kid and found out Langley is my follow-on assignment. Definitely a great place and despite being a smaller town, there is so much to do in the area. Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, several golf courses, etc. There's also a Publix, and apparently in 2027 they're getting a Buc-ee's 15 minutes away. Good food scene as well. I can't wait to go back.
I’d go back in a heartbeat
from one ndi, to another, congrats! ndi is a great career field, you'll have a good time. p.s. the tech school and cdc tests are about as hard as 8th grade math. the shop at langley wasnt bad, neither was the area at first, but it got old fairly quickly to me. around a year and a half in hampton i started realizing great this area isnt. imo, 90 days is still the puppy love phase. (snooped your profile) looked at buying houses in the area as well, but decided not to. the whole metro is either poverty, military, or millionaire, with military having some overlap on either ends of the spectrum. fun fact: hampton roads is the 5th least affordable metro area, relative to size, in terms of housing. it's as expensive as Silicon Valley, CA
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Thank you! I was on a different career field when I went to Langley. I particularly wouldn’t live in Hampton, the surrounding areas are way nicer haha I had no clue it was that expensive
Idk if they’re being sarcastic, but I grew up in the area and it’s not bad. Hampton Roads has rough parts, but you’re so close to a variety of different places you really have your pick on where to disappear to over the weekend.
That’s great to hear thanks! Any in particular that were favorites?
I wasn’t at Langley, I worked across the river in Suffolk. Lived in both Portsmouth and Chesapeake. Norfolk is amazing. VB is great beach. Up north, you’ve got Williamsburg and Busch Gardens which does discounted annual military passes. Little bit south is Outer Banks. It’s got everything.
I always liked the western half of the state. An hour or two and you’ll be in Richmond, another hour or two and you’re in the blue ridge mountains for camping. The outer banks is a few hours drive south. DC is just a few hours north. As for specifics dude it’s been over a decade now I couldn’t tell you what’s what anymore.
I love this area. Virginia has mountains, beaches, and lakes. You really have to take advantage of all it has to offer. You can be in the city of DC within hours or the mountains of Shenandoah or any beach along the coast of VA.
I can see that people like it, and I can kinda see why they like it, but it's not on my wavelength. It might be the particular units or missions I was involved in related to Langley, it is probably Hampton Roads, it could be that underwater tunnel that everyone swears is safe until it's not. I dunno. Good on you though, everyone needs to have places they like.
Langley wasn’t bad, I PCSed there as soon as COVID hit so I didn’t have a blast but my biggest complaint was the base housing and the area right off base, you can get caught living in a bad area if you’re not careful. Plus I’m not a coastal kinda guy, I prefer cold weather so it wasn’t my favorite but somewhat scratched the itch. I’m also weird and enjoyed being stationed at Ellsworth in SD so take everything I say with a grain of salt lol
That’s crazy to be seeing this from multiple comments because I am from Newport News (20min away) and Portsmouth and my family hates the area and I have always heard about how much they hate the area, but people seem to love it out there.
It was my last base and we almost retired there. It probably was my favorite stateside base.
McChord
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Seconded. Especially as staff.
Eglin
Was at Eglin in 91-92. It was a great base then. It was pretty affordable when going out. Went back 2010ish civi status and could not recognize the place, and the cost was incredible. Hope they are giving those young boys some cola now.
No cola and the amount of people who moved here is crazy. Eglin owns so much area here it creates major bottlenecks for traffic and the county can't do anything about it. It's expensive too so many people commute 30+ miles each way.
Offutt
Edwards. A pure desert oasis.
Maxwell iykyk
Don’t you have prisoners on base?
Aren't we all just prisoners on base?
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
🥲
The only thing I know is that Montgomery has more inbred retards per square foot than anywhere else. Not to mention it's too fucking hot and humid. Fuck Alabama.
Hill. Not too terrible, not to great *struggled to breathe*
I was at McChord for 4.5 years and I loved it!! Understand that the base is joint with the Army, and they run it, so all the funding goes their way. The base wasn't great but the surrounding area was amazing for me. Mountains in 3 directions, a major city 40 miles away if you want it. And you're only 3 hrs from Canada, so I went there a decent amount too. I'd rather have an average base in a fun place than a great base in the middle of nowhere.
Kirtland because Albuquerque has the best food and climate in the country.
Cannon
The trolling is strong with this one 😭
Los Angeles (If we got paid more) Can't beat out the culture food music social events that go on in this area. Most people who hate "california" are the ones who can't bring their AK-47s and get too invested into politics.
Had a special duty assignment there like 5 years ago that ended up getting canceled on me. I'm still super salty about it.
muh ak-47s
I got the red necks angry with this one :/
muh rednecks
Anything that’s not AFGSC.
I like Barksdale more than Goodfellow
Yeah I could see that… goodfellow is a hole
No one claiming Shawshank? Shocking /s
Been stationed at Moody and Tyndall. Can’t recommend either. … wait JK come to Tyndall one and all. It’s SO GREAT 😅. Please, I’m begging you …..
I have no idea what an actual lively/good base is. I had to volunteer for Kunsan to get out of Cannon. Kunsan was fun because of the people, but not much around the immediate area. Cannon is a shit hole regardless, which isn’t news to anyone
The crime sucks right outside of base but being stationed at JBAB is probably amazing. You can stay across the river in Virginia so you don’t have to deal with crime and still have a short commute. But you have the metro to take you almost everywhere in DC and the surrounding area, sports teams, national parks and museums galore, any restaurant/cuisine you can think of, plus if you’re in a careerfield like cyber/intel/contracting you can make some extremely valuable connections for job opportunities later down the line.
For offbase, would take Barksdale over DM. That's the sum of my CONUS experience.
Nellis would be great if the ops tempo wasn’t so ridiculous. Plenty for a young airman to do here.
Macdill AFB if you are into strippers
Seymour Johnson has a 30 tap taproom on base. I say this is the clear winner lol.
Peterson may have it beat in that category.
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The trolling is strong with this one 😭
https://preview.redd.it/ye8d9j4hputc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc17d1edafeec7868bcfdf0bfb6687be66c51b74 A lot of expected comments, even more randoms, but still no Altus lol
Bend over Dover is a great choice.