Okay, now I need a list of best and worst stateside air force base assignments.

[Apiphobic]

That is all.

[BikeBookBread]

Any particular criteria?

 

You're probably gonna gag, but our favorite Base of the three to which we've been posted has been Minot, ND. Our oldest was 6 months when we moved there, and we left when she was 3 1/2 and our youngest was 1 1/2. I can see how it might be tough for some older kids. The town is quite small, and the nearest city (90 miles) is really not that big. The extreme weather can make you feel isolated in the wintertime, but you really do get used to it. I knew a lot of older homeschooled kids who just loved Minot. As with most things in life, a lot of how any Base experience in a place like Minot has to do with contentment. If you and your kids are contented people, you probably won't have a problem. Those who I knew who had the biggest problems with Minot were people who truly hated the cold, big-city people, or people who always had to have something "to do" or wanted to be entertained. Other people who were interested in joining a book club or learning a new skill had a great time there. I took it upon myself to learn a couple of new things there during the long winters: bread baking and classical guitar. I know others who learned how to knit, paint, whatever...there is plenty of indoor time there, that's for sure.

 

The locals are wonderful people...really appreciate the Base being there. The economy is not particularly hurting from what I understand. Base housing is almost 100% new or remodeled now. And woo hoo! There's even a Barnes & Noble at the mall, along with the Starbuck's stand-alone with a drive through...two plusses :)

[Kay in Cal]

Isn't there an old joke... Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason.

 

My favorite places to live (and I'm an Air Force brat, not a wife) were Norway, Germany and the Washington DC area. I'm not a fan of very small rural towns... our home now is borderline, but we are still suburban. And I can't imagine living in extreme winter weather. Good thing some people like it! Takes all kinds...

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Any particular criteria?

 

As with most things in life, a lot of how any Base experience in a place like Minot has to do with contentment. If you and your kids are contented people, you probably won't have a problem.

 

I have to agree that you carry your contentment with you. I remember meeting people who'd been in Hawaii for a few months and expressed how much they hated it, couldn't wait to get away and hoped never to come back. There were even homeschoolers on Hickam who seemed to not like going to any events that weren't on base. Not just on a base, but on their base. They weren't happy and there wasn't anything on Hawaii that was going to make them happy.

 

We weren't at Hickam, but we used a lot of their facilities. There are lots of homeschoolers, a good base library, a state library system that I really miss, tons of church options and a thriving homeschool community outside the gates. Not to mention glorious weather, snorkeling, boogie boarding and the chance to explore volcanoes just a short hop away. We were there two years and I didn't really get island fever, except for wishing there were a Target (which there is now). The housing in Hawaii might be a bit smaller than at other duty stations. The median in town is smaller and more expensive. Much of the housing on Hickam was older, although some of the old housing was really cool, with enclosed porches and covered lanai. Even the old enlisted housing that I visited in was about the same as what I'm in right now in Japan, so even that is relative.

 

We are a Navy family, but we lived for a couple years on Bolling AFB in DC. I liked our time there. It really had a small town feel and there were lots of homeschool families, because the schools in DC were so bad that many ps families wouldn't take housing there. It was a really short commute to the Pentagon (mostly against traffic). I had to go across the river to get to a good Walmart or a good bookstore or a mall, but once I did, the options were nearly endless. You could spend weekends exploring parts of the museums downtown and hardly even repeat yourself.

 

I think that the job makes a huge difference. Our current duty is wearing on us much more than the experience that some other people are having. On the other hand, we're probably looking at a year or more of dh being in a war zone in the next couple years, so I try not to complain at late hours and 7 day work weeks, as long as he comes home at night. I do know that this isn't always a given.

[KJB]

I agree that a lot depends on your spouse's job. My Dh is working constantly right now and even though we're in a fantastic location, we can't make the most of it because of Dh's position. We're also in the situation where dh's career is controlling not only his work life, but his social life, too. We have functions we have to attend almost weekly so instead of going on dates where we *want* to go, we're going where dh is expected to go. Sigh....

 

What makes a place great to you?

 

We've been to Offutt, Cannon, Scott, Eielson, and now Spangdahlem.

 

I really loved Scott since it's so close to St Louis. I thought St. Louis was a fantastic city with lots to offer. I loved all the free area attractions. It's located in Illinois where home school laws are great (no reporting, no testing, nothing to file) and the base itself is really nice. The base has three pools, a YMCA very close, lots of programs through the Youth center, a decent library, etc.

 

Oh, and I think Hickam and all AK assignments are considered overseas. Otherwise, Hickam or Elmendorf would be high on my list. We've visited Hickam while staying at the AF rec area in Hawaii and it's terrific. Some of the housing is on the water and the base is beautiful. We bought lots of delicious pineapple at the Commissary there. Elmendorf would be great, too. In fact, we're going on vacation to AK next week to look at some property so we can return there some day!

 

Are you PCSing?

Edited July 6, 2009 by KJB

[ciyates]

Keesler in Biloxi Mississippi is great! Thanks to a little hurricane called Katrina everything is new. Seriously it is a pretty nice air. My son was born in that hospital. :bigear:

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I'm from Southern Illinois, so Scott is high on my list.

 

We were stationed at Howard for four years, but since we shut it down you don't have to worry about that one.

 

We are currently stationed at Tinker, homesteaded here, actually. DH is now Reserves.

 

I am NOT a fan of Tinker/Oklahoma.

 

:glare:

 

I have met GREAT friends here, but......I think Oklahoma leaves a lot to be desired. It feels too 'small town/Redneck' to me. VERY conservative, very religious.

 

We had our choice of Holloman, NM or here or Langley or the Pentagon. This was closest to family.

 

There is no medical center here so all medical care is now off-base, which you may find good or bad, depending on your military healthcare experiences.

 

 

What, specifically are you looking for?

 

I should mention that Oklahoma is homeschooling-friendly, so that's a plus! :001_smile:

[Jenny in Atl]

Still wish we had a great one in Atl.. :(

[TravelingChris]

My favorite station was SHAPE in Mons, Belgium. Other good places for homeschooling and life were Patrick AFB, FL, and Kirtland, NM which is in Albuquerque. I also liked LAAFB but I know most people don't like LA. (Can you guess we are a science family and don't get stationed at normal operational bases). The ones that we could have gone to but tried hard to avoid were Hanscom in MA and Rome in NY. Out of those two, I would choose Hanscom because at least it is in a loevely area with lots of interesting places nearby (it is between Lexington and Concord, MA). Rome on the other hand, is very far way from everything and in an awful homeschooling state and extremely cold and snowy. If dh gets assigned there, we will stay here or go somewhere else. I am not moving there.

 

We are currently at the Pentagon. This is a good assignment for us but that is because dh is at a higher rank and we can now live fairly close in and in a great neighborhood with a great house. I know I wouldn't have been happy if we had been here with smaller kids and less money and he had a langer commute for a less great neighborhood. That said, the prices have fallen a lot here and it is easier to get decents rentals here. The base housing situation here depends on your rank. For us, there was an over thre year wait which is longer than we will be here.

[ekarl2]

Other good places for homeschooling and life were Patrick AFB, FL, and Kirtland, NM which is in Albuquerque. I also liked LAAFB but I know most people don't like LA.

 

 

Another vote for Patrick. I loved it there! Of course, I was a young, single butterbar at the time, but it's really a great base and great location.

[K in MI]

Air Force brat here (LONG ago!:001_smile:). By far, my favorite was Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK.

[Dobela]

Our favorite was Little Rock AFB. And, we loved Arkansas so much we stayed after dh left the AF.

[mommaduck]

Speaking as an AF Brat....Anderson AFB, Guam and McChord, WA were my favorites. Scott AFB, IL is a hole due to the surrounding area.

[KidsHappen]

Mountain Home Idaho is closed now but if it was still open it would definitely be the worst one. That was our only state side assignment so I can't really help you out. I will ask family though.

[Wyndie]

We are currently stationed at Charleston AFB and like it so much here we bought a house and plan to retire. DH has been in 21 years so if they give him orders to pcs, he will take an unplanned retirement so we can stay here. The area is nice with tons of history, tourists aren't too annoying and the town is beautiful. Beach is right down the road no matter where you live. :D

[Renthead Mommy]

Well Robins AFB in Warner Robins, GA was literally Hell! It was the middle of nowhere. 90 miles to Atlanta, 25 miles to Macon, not that there was anything in Macon. Two roads (maybe 3 now) run from highway 75 and dump at the base. If you get off those roads, it's subdivisions or farm fields. And on those roads is just wal-mart, loews, home deopot, and Applebee's type places, but not many of them. There was a tiny little mall that had a decent movie theater. We had good friends, but they were all AF and just waiting for their chance to escape, I mean PCS.

 

If you can handle the heat, San Antoino was nice. Still has somewhat of a redneckiness, but more in a 'good old boy' way then GA did. The nice thing about it was it was still a city. They had pretty much everything you could want, but it wasn't a huge city feel.

 

Right now we are loving our current tour here at Long Island AFB!

[Aggie]

Hanscom just outside of Boston is wonderful! Being so close to Boston offers several opportunities!

 

We were stationed on guam for 2 years and Anderson is a very nice base. Guam itself, imo, leaves a lot to be desired. But that is my opinion. :)

[BikeBookBread]

Mountain Home Idaho is closed now but if it was still open it would definitely be the worst one. That was our only state side assignment so I can't really help you out. I will ask family though.

 

I think you might be confused with another base...Mountain Home is still open -- I only know this because my husband has to deal with guys there all the time...and I've heard it can be a hard assignment for some.

[Jlynn]

And another vote for Patrick AFB!! One of our absolute favorites...even with the hurricanes : ) Homes are affordable out there. Theme parks one hour West, Space Center 30min North, and free beaches 10 min East. And great camping at springs throughout the state. Very homeschool friendly to boot.

 

 

Another vote for Patrick. I loved it there! Of course, I was a young, single butterbar at the time, but it's really a great base and great location.

 

 

We've also enjoyed Travis, Goodfellow, Seymour Johnson, and the DLI/Postgrad school area in Monterey.

 

Our worst base due to both job and location was Wright Patterson, Ohio....if we never go back to that state life will be good. Fortunately we only had to stay there 1 year!!

 

Overseas...We've been to Misawa Japan, which is ok if you don't mind the remoteness of it and the snow! Got a nice big house off base.

 

also been to Yokota, Japan. Hated having to live on base there!!!! But, it was fun being close to Tokyo, though the traffic and horrible pollution in that area got to us!

Edited July 6, 2009 by Jlynn
incorrect spelling

[Crissy]

If your are fact-finding due to an impending move, your answers are a)homeschooling is EASY in WA (were you hsing when you lived in Spokane?) and b)McChord AFB is lovely.

 

 

:D

Edited July 6, 2009 by Crissy

[ValRN]

After being in Hawaii for three months I was ready to leave. You either hate Hawaii or you love it. I must say though, that I'd like to go back.

 

Andrews AFB, Maryland is ok (new housing). Scott AFB, Illinois is ok. Best place....any base in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Val

[AFwife Claire]

We enjoyed living in Colorado Springs--we were actually stationed at all the AF bases there over a period of about 5 1/2 years! Chyenne Mountain, Peterson, Shriever, and USAFA. It's a beautiful place with so much stuff to do.

 

I liked Wright-Patterson, but that's probably because I have friends and some family there. It's got a huge commissary and medical facilities, and the area is cheap to live in. It's in between Columbus and Cincinnati (about an hour away from both), so there is lots of stuff to do. A nice, peaceful area to raise a family (at least it looks that way in comparison to the craziness of Northern VA, where we are stationed now!).

[Mothersweets]

I'm an AF brat and my family lived on Hickam for 3 years. We LOVED it!

[Dirtroad]

My aunt LOVED being stationed at the Air Force Acadamy in Colorado Springs... she also enjoyed being near Susanville, California.

 

She hated her base in Michigan (but I can't remember the name). Not sure if all are still active or open, but I remember her comments. All she said about Michigan base was it had lots of water & was very green in summer. Rest, she hated.

[missplacedalaskan]

I was an AF Brat married almost 20 years to an AF guy!

Our favorite assignments have been Germany, McChord AFB, WA and Eielson & Elmendorf AFB, in Alaska.

 

Our worst assignments has been Keesler AFB, in Biloxi, MS. We have just moved from there. It has been getting better over the last year or so.

[Apiphobic]

Thank you again. You've been very helpful.

 

Yes, a move is in the works but I don't know when and I don't know where. :willy_nilly:

[Crissy]

Thank you again. You've been very helpful.

 

Yes, a move is in the works but I don't know when and I don't know where. :willy_nilly:

 

 

Just want you to notice that McChord has been mentioned several times...

[KidsHappen]

I think you might be confused with another base...Mountain Home is still open -- I only know this because my husband has to deal with guys there all the time...and I've heard it can be a hard assignment for some.

 

Wow, I could have sworn that I heard it was closed. So I guess it qualifies. They tell the single guys that there is a woman behind every tree and then when they get there they tell them yeah, not any trees either. There is no fence around the base, they say it because they don't need to keep people out and if someone goes AWOL they can still see them running across the desert two days later. I lived there for two years and at that time there was no anything. We drove there and got in at night. When we came to the exit for the city I looked off in both directions and saw NO lights. I think I cried. There was a ten mile road between base and town and I drove down that road more than once with fires blazing on both sides of the rode. I have tons of stories I could tell!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

The folks I've known who were at Mountain Home loved it! The wives all referred to the road out to the base as the trail of tears. They all cried on the way in thinking it would be awful and cried the whole way out because they didn't want to leave. I hear they have new housing.

 

Just remember that wherever you go there will always be those who love it and those who hate it. Make the best you can of it which ever one you are-it won't last forever.

[Maria from IN]

I will have to ask the Tall Bald Guy which bases he enjoyed...

 

This post reminds me of visiting my parents in the Champaign, IL area. Nearby is the little town of Rantoul with a base that has long since closed--there's nothing there now but a small air museum.

 

I told a friend from work about the abandoned base, and he said, "My buddies and I used to hope we didn't have to go there! The catchphrase was always, 'Shoot me--don't Chanute me!'"

 

:001_smile:

[Apiphobic]

If you are fact-finding due to an impending move, your answers are a)homeschooling is EASY in WA (were you hsing when you lived in Spokane?) and b)McChord AFB is lovely.

 

 

:D

 

Just want you to notice that McChord has been mentioned several times...

 

Thanks for the chuckle, Crissy. :lol:

I had asked dh about McChord, but he wasn't interested. (No, we didn't homeschool in Spokane. Dc weren't school-age then.)

[Guest itinvolves]

We enjoyed living in Colorado Springs--we were actually stationed at all the AF bases there over a period of about 5 1/2 years! Chyenne Mountain, Peterson, Shriever, and USAFA. It's a beautiful place with so much stuff to do.

 

I liked Wright-Patterson, but that's probably because I have friends and some family there. It's got a huge commissary and medical facilities, and the area is cheap to live in. It's in between Columbus and Cincinnati (about an hour away from both), so there is lots of stuff to do. A nice, peaceful area to raise a family (at least it looks that way in comparison to the craziness of Northern VA, where we are stationed now!).

 

I dont know where you lived in Colorado Springs but it is TERRIBLE here. The facilities on Peterson are nice yes but the older housing which is the only stuff standing has No AC, theres bug problems, laundry vent problems, electrical issues etc. Cheyenne Mnt has terrible leadership, worst posts and no one up there gives a **** if your wife is coughing up blood you wont get to go take her to the hospital. People are egotistical masogonistic asshats up there that are bitter that they can't get out of this assignment. Avoid this area at all costs unless you like mean ppl with no scenery to look at but dead trees and grass and a mountain that reminds you of where you are stuck for years.

[AFwife Claire]

Hmmm, yes I could see that would be terrible! I know the Peterson housing is crappy, but we lived off-base, so that didn't bother us. We did move onto the Academy (because dh was an AOC and needed to be close), and their base housing was really nice.

 

I guess it really does come down to the job that is there, as to whether it is a nice place to live. My dh really enjoyed his time at Cheyenne Mountain, even though he was working crazy shifts. It was one of the more "operational" jobs in his career field, and he was on a fun crew. We didn't have any kids yet, so I didn't really ever need him to have the flexibility of a regular 9-5 job. And right before I got pregnant, he switched to become an aide-de-camp for a guy out at Peterson. I was in a really supportive moms' walking group there, and we had other good friends there as well, so I felt very supported! We did lots of outdoorsy things which were really fun, with everyone, so that is why I have such good memories of the place! But if the job had been bad, and my dh totally stressed, then I am SURE I would remember it differently and never want to go back! I'm sorry you're have such a bad tour, and I hope things get better for you.

[Melanie]

 

Our worst base due to both job and location was Wright Patterson, Ohio....if we never go back to that state life will be good. Fortunately we only had to stay there 1 year!!

 

 

Uh-oh! We've been discussing going to Wright-Patterson due to family issues. Is the local area really that bad?

 

My favorite bases have been McChord and Elmendorf. I liked Offutt, NE, but I think my warm and fuzzy feelings about that base had more to do with it NOT being Keesler, MS. :lol:

[Krista in LA]

Come to Barksdale. Bossier City has been rated one of the best places to raise a family and homeschooling is easy here.

[mommaduck]

Okay, with most people that have been to McChord being in agreement that it is a really good transfer....

 

WHY is your husband NOT interested? (curious)

[Apiphobic]

Okay, with most people that have been to McChord being in agreement that it is a really good transfer....

 

WHY is your husband NOT interested? (curious)

 

He said it's a big city and he's not really interested in Seattle. (I know it's closer to Tacoma than Seattle, but the way the sprawl's growing they'll be connected soon, if not already.)

 

I think he's also considering the number of slots available at each duty station. That'll make a difference in our choices. More slots means more chance of getting it (if something opens), but if we're lucky he'll get the one slot that may be harder to get but a better job for him.

 

We're looking at our options for when he gets out of the service: employment opportunities, taxes (retirement, sales tax, income, and property), homeschooling laws, colleges, housing and cost of living, proximity to major airport, as well as weather. It'd be nice if we got there, loved it and could stay there after getting out of the service but, if not, then we're fine with living and experiencing another part of the US. (We've already lived in Washington once and he's had a job offer there for when he gets out of the service, so that may be another reason he's not in any rush to go back just yet.)

 

We've been seriously considering Vegas, Beale, Wyoming, Colorado, Florida, and Texas. The negotiations with AFPC have begun.

[KidsHappen]

The folks I've known who were at Mountain Home loved it! The wives all referred to the road out to the base as the trail of tears. They all cried on the way in thinking it would be awful and cried the whole way out because they didn't want to leave. I hear they have new housing.

 

Just remember that wherever you go there will always be those who love it and those who hate it. Make the best you can of it which ever one you are-it won't last forever.

 

 

Well, it was great if you liked the ourdoors. To me though a trip from the library to the car is considered a major hike. But I learned to hike, climb, spelunk, water ski, kayak, camp and a ton of other things I would prefer to forget. Like the time we got stranded in the mountains in a major blizzard in summer wear because it was the 11th of July. But also some spactacular views, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Hell's Canon, the trips through the mountains from Mountain Home to Boise. There was also much partying as there was not really a whole lot else to do after sundown. My oldest was born there and the second conceived there although she was not born until Japan. It was a surreal experience.

[flyingmommy]

Come to Barksdale. Bossier City has been rated one of the best places to raise a family and homeschooling is easy here.

 

I second the notion! I've lived here all my life and I've never heard any complaints about Barksdale. And Shreveport/Bossier is only 3 hours from Dallas so entertainment isn't far away. And, as Krista said, we have easy homeschooling laws.

 

Jeannie

[OnTheBrink]

If you like something other than brown, something other than one season, and being relatively close to civilization AVOID Edwards AFB in So Cal.

 

My father works at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards and I've been there. It's a pit. The whole area is hot, brown, and dull dull dull.

 

He also works out of Langley in VA, but I have no idea how nice it is.

[BikeBookBread]

The folks I've known who were at Mountain Home loved it! The wives all referred to the road out to the base as the trail of tears. They all cried on the way in thinking it would be awful and cried the whole way out because they didn't want to leave. I hear they have new housing.

 

Just remember that wherever you go there will always be those who love it and those who hate it. Make the best you can of it which ever one you are-it won't last forever.

 

Amen, Sistah! Like you mention above about some Mountain Home spouses, I cried as we pulled into Minot because I believed all of the fearmongering that people had told me about the Base...and cried as we left because I knew I would miss it so much. Life is SO MUCH what you make it. Even though I'm still not so keen on DM (our current post) I will cry as we leave because of the memories and friends made here.

[AFwife Claire]

See, now we had a great time at Wright-Pat! It was our previous assignment, and we had good friends there and just enjoyed the nice pace of life, esp. compared to D.C. where we live now! It's in between Columbus and Cincinnati, so there are lots of things to do. A lot of people end up retiring there because it's not too expensive, but the hospital is huge, as well as the commissary, and it's just an easy place to raise a family. So we would go back there, no problem!

[Maisy]

:D We spent a total of 7 years in OK. Enid and Altus are, um, small. But the people on and off base couldn't be any nicer, and the AF communities there are close-knit ones.

 

Loved the training bases--fewer deployments!

 

Fairchild was lovely; would have returned in a heartbeat!