Well, here is the list of the possible locations for our move...

[tntgoodwin]

Barksdale AFB - Louisiana

Ellsworth AFB - South Dakota

Hurlburt Field - Florida

JB Langley - Eustis - Virginia

Minot AFB - North Dakota

Nellis AFB - Nevada

Tyndall AFB - Florida

Whiteman AFB - Missouri

 

Anyone have any insights on any of these locations they are willing to share? We will be moving to one of these places in the spring...

 

:lurk5:

Edited October 10, 2012 by tntgoodwin

[Catwoman]

Giving this a bump for you! :001_smile:

[Liz CA]

Seems like a choice between tough winters and a lot of heat (Florida).

What do you like better? ;) Oh, I see Nevada. Well, there you get a lot of dry heat and a cold winter.

[curlygirlzx2]

I don't live far from Nellis so I can give you my opinion of Vegas. I have lived out here for 7 years and still don't care for it. The weather is horrible, there is not a lot of family stuff to do, it's a very transient town, and the lack of green scenery is quite depressing for me. However, the homeschool laws are great, the homeschool groups are very active, the houses are cheap, and there are lots of things to do on the strip if you like that sort of thing. Let me know if you have any specific questions. :001_smile:

[i.love.lucy]

I have no insight in to military life, so take this for all that's worth, but I would never live in Shreveport/Bossier (Barksdale) again. I HATED it. But I was a transplanted Californian so that skews my view of it. Houses are cheap though.

[sassenach]

Gulf coast Florida beaches, swoon! Homeschooling in Fl is a piece of cake, don't let any portfolio talk scare you. I loved living in Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

I have a friend whose husband was stationed at Hurlburt when their kids were little. They really liked it there, and lived in a small town called Mary Esther. However, they're both Floridians (non-native) so they were happy to be in Florida. Later they ended up at MacDill which they also liked, though I don't see that as one of your possible assignments.

[Elizabeth in MN]

I looked up Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota since I know a bit of the area. It's near Rapid City, which is not bad as a medium sized town. People in the area are pretty close-minded. It's got a strong local flavor of Western thought and living. On that side of SD there is more to do that is not too far off - the Bad Lands, Mount Rushmore, and more. My friend that lives there goes to Denver for big concerts that she wants to see. The Stergis run has a huge impact on the local community and finances. Because of the higher altitude there are no mosquitoes, but because of the hills there are mountain lions.

 

Minot AFB North Dakota looks very remote. I'm not sure if that is the area they are doing all the fraking and oil discovery. The oil/fracking areas are booming big time right now.

 

JB Langley - Eustis - Virginia Now, this area I don't know well. However, in the area there are LOTS of very high quality field trip destinations. You're a day trip from lots of very important historical sites. When we lived in Alexandria VA my Mom was hauling me off to see things all the time. Just today we were talking about going and actually seeing Fort Sumter. Seeing the actual sites is invaluable IMO.

[dansamy]

If you get to pick, I say Hurlburt. The FL panhandle isn't bad at all and most 'canes go NW once they're in the Gulf.

[tntgoodwin]

Dw is wanting a change in seasons. She is tired of living here, where it pretty much feels the same year round.

 

I prefer a dry heat, and if there is winter, I prefer some snow.

[Lily_Grace]

I don't make much of a fuss no matter where we move, but if I had the choice I'd cross Nellis and Minot off the list. Minot because of the snow. I love the idea of the close community they have there and the reputation it has, but I couldn't handle the level of snow and keep my sanity.

Nellis is in the boonies. There's nothin but Vegas nearby. I grew up in a dry heat but I'd rather go to AZ than end up out there.

[Susan C.]

We have lived in the Hampton Roads (Tidewater) area of Virginia and liked it. Being near the ocean, the winters are not too bad, much better than South Dakota!!

[lynn]

I'd avoid FL at all cost, the humidity, the bugs, no change of season, hurricanes,

 

I would choose Virginia for change of seasons. Nevada would be nice, you are only a couple hours drive to some great places to visit, if you enjoy traveling and outdoors stuff.

[BugsMama]

ANYTHING but Minot! :P

[Mama Geek]

I pm'd you.

[Heather in Neverland]

Virginia for sure!

[DawnM]

Those are your only choices? Hmmm.....I think Virginia would be my pick out of those. Nevada a 2nd.

[Live2Ride]

Lived in VA and loved it. Beautiful place, lots of history, lovely weather.

 

We live in Louisiana now...The base is up in the prettier hillier area of LA. You get the rain from hurricanes, but you aren't going to get hit too hard at all up there. We love LA.

 

Nevada, no how no way...just dry and brown, not for me.

 

We love Florida, but not year round. Waaaaay too many people especially foreign tourists and such...green all the time though and temperate weather. But the hurricanes can be an issue for people.

 

South Dakot/North Dakota, nope. Too cold for too long, lol

 

Missouri is lovely, but I haven't lived up there for some time. We traveled through and liked the weather at the time...

[Kathryn]

I'd pick Virginia, hands down.

[GWOB]

Ellsworth is near Rapid City. Our very best couple friends are from Rapid City. Everyone I ever met from SD has been super friendly and fun. Rapid City is small, but is has most of the things you need. Tons of outdoor activities there- Black Hills, Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Deadwood, Sturgis, Wall Drug, etc.. You can easily access things in MT, WY, and CO. The winters there, while not mild, are milder than the eastern part of the state, thanks to the Black Hills. So that would be my pick (since you can't come to Nebraska).

[elegantlion]

Barksdale AFB - Louisiana

Ellsworth AFB - South Dakota

Hurlburt Field - Florida

JB Langley - Eustis - Virginia

Minot AFB - North Dakota

Nellis AFB - Nevada

Tyndall AFB - Florida

Whiteman AFB - Missouri

 

Anyone have any insights on any of these locations they are willing to share? We will be moving to one of these places in the spring...

 

:lurk5:

 

If you want seasons I would eliminate LA, FL, NV. ND has stupid homeschool laws (my own summation :lol:) and I would eliminate them on principle. SD is beautiful, Virginia I know nothing about. MO would get your four seasons. Whiteman is between Kansas City and Columbia MO and close to Lake of the Ozarks. Half of MO it seems goes to the lake for weekend in the summer. It's also close to Warrensburg, which is a college town. Here's a link to some of the community events at the university. I haven't been that way in a few years, but it's a pretty part of the state.

[Cinder]

Dw is wanting a change in seasons. She is tired of living here, where it pretty much feels the same year round.

 

I prefer a dry heat, and if there is winter, I prefer some snow.

 

Too bad Dyess isn't on your list--it has everything you mentioned. At least it did when we lived there. Though there were only 2 seasons--cold and HOT. It would snow a few times a year and it was nearly always 60F and sunny the next day so you didn't end up with a lot of brown snow; it just melted off before it got ugly. Family friendly and they LOVE the military there.

 

Anyway, of what's on your list I'm only familiar with the Hurlburt/Tyndall area and I would not mind being there. I'd also consider South Dakota because it sounds like it would be an adventure being someplace so different from what I'm used to. (I grew up in HI.) Oh, that reminds me of the woman who was in my admin school. She grew up in FL, went to college in FL, and only wanted to be stationed in FL. She got sent to ND! :lol: She discovered it wasn't as horrible as she thought it would be.

[NavyMommy]

We just moved from Pensacola (not far from Hulbert) and I would give anything to go back. We LOVED it there!! The weather isn't 'typical' FL weather since you're so far west. It's warm enough, but there were very few days where it's to hot to do something outside IMO. The winters are also surprisingly cold but not miserable. I don't know anything about HS laws there since mine were to little when we lived there to worry about.

 

My second choice would be VA. I love the history that's available and the HS laws seem pretty relaxed, but the traffic is beyond horrible and housing isn't cheap, especially if you're looking at rentals. You would be probably less then an hour from Williamsburg / Jamestown which is awesome, and only about 3-4 hours from DC. The beaches aren't great (dirty and overcrowded IMO) but you're also not that far from the mountains if hiking is more your thing.

 

Feel free to PM me, we are living in VA now so if you need help with anything I would be happy to help.

[FaithManor]

Dw is wanting a change in seasons. She is tired of living here, where it pretty much feels the same year round.

 

I prefer a dry heat, and if there is winter, I prefer some snow.

 

 

I think Virginia would be my first choice. Change of seasons, snow...however, compared to Michigan it's an easy peasy winter and I don't think homeschooling in VA is too difficult.

 

I have cousins near Ellsworth. He retired from the AF and still works there as a civilian contractor. They are happy with the area.

 

We lived in Florida for one year - Space Coast/Titasville area. WOULD NEVER DO IT AGAIN! Bugs, bugs, bugs, critters, poisonous snakes in my yard...spent an entire year unable to even have our two year old play in the grass because of the horrible things. :glare: Pollen - not a place to live if anyone in your family has pollen allergies. The only time in my life that I've had difficulty breathing was that year in FL. Then there was the gator that lived down the street in a small pond. I think that may have been a "pet" too that was released when it became a little over eager for it's hosts. The Indian River stunk to the highest heavens. Stung by a scorpion which the ER wouldn't believe, "Florida doesn't have scorpions", but since I'd managed to kill it and save the corpse, they ended up saying, "I guess Florida has scorpions." Lizards lived in my house. I ended up letting them in as friends because they helped keep the insect population to a dull roar.

 

I have no good memories of that year.

Faith

[Mama Geek]

I think Virginia would be my first choice. Change of seasons, snow...however, compared to Michigan it's an easy peasy winter and I don't think homeschooling in VA is too difficult.

 

I have cousins near Ellsworth. He retired from the AF and still works there as a civilian contractor. They are happy with the area.

 

We lived in Florida for one year - Space Coast/Titasville area. WOULD NEVER DO IT AGAIN! Bugs, bugs, bugs, critters, poisonous snakes in my yard...spent an entire year unable to even have our two year old play in the grass because of the horrible things. :glare: Pollen - not a place to live if anyone in your family has pollen allergies. The only time in my life that I've had difficulty breathing was that year in FL. Then there was the gator that lived down the street in a small pond. I think that may have been a "pet" too that was released when it became a little over eager for it's hosts. The Indian River stunk to the highest heavens. Stung by a scorpion which the ER wouldn't believe, "Florida doesn't have scorpions", but since I'd managed to kill it and save the corpse, they ended up saying, "I guess Florida has scorpions." Lizards lived in my house. I ended up letting them in as friends because they helped keep the insect population to a dull roar.

 

I have no good memories of that year.

Faith

 

Not all of Florida is that bad. Our home when we aren't contracting is there and we have spent a good amount of time there. The lizards are friendly and harmless, I haven't seen gators near my home and I live on a lake that people frequently jet ski in, I have only seen one snake in my yard and according to dh it wasn't poisonous (not that that makes it any better.) The beach is great, there are lots of nice parks, there are lots of places to kayak, there are tons of things to do. I am sorry you had a rough time in Florida.

[KatieJ]

I lived in Minot for about one month. It was when we were first married. Actually our apartment was in an area where a ton of Military lived, and again, 37 years ago. I hated it.

I am from MN, so the snow is not necessarily foreign to me, but Minot, well, it's potentially a very bad winter up there.

[Giraffe]

Used to live right next to Langley in VA. Good change of seasons, some snow, beach isn't too far. Homeschooling laws are pretty friendly. Traffic can be a mess, especially if you have to cross the tunnels anytime and in summer. I would make sure you live on the Peninsula near the base and don't try to live on the Southside. That part of Virginia has lots of history (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, etc.). It can be a little boring at times, but it's a nice family friendly area.

 

Near Langley is The Virginia Living Museum, a small-ish but fun place to take kids with lots of animals to see and exhibits to crawl on and play with. Across the James River on the Southside is the Virginia Aquarium and the Virginia Zoo. Both are fun. There's the obvious Colonial Williamsburg, Historical Jamestown and Yorktown. The beaches are fun too - there are beaches accessible from the Peninsula onto the Chesapeake Bay as well as the traditional Virginia Beach beaches. There's more too - NASA has a base there and a museum (VA Air & Space Center) and there's the Virginia Mariner's Museum.

 

There's a large homeschooling community in SE Virginia and the HEAV Convention in Richmond (about an hour away) is huge.

[NotSoObvious]

Virginia, of course!

 

You could not pay me any amount of money to live in Nevada. Sorry. I've lived in CA and UT. I want to slit my wrists every time we drive through Nevada and I hate Las Vegas. My husband, on the other hand, loves it. Go figure.

[tntgoodwin]

Thanks everyone for all the insights!

 

If the schools are good wherever we go, there is a good possibility we won't continue with the homeschooling. So that is something to consider as well. :)

[Susan in TN]

Doesn't South Dakota have the lowest unemployment rate in the country? Or was it North?

 

I do love Virginia; that'd be my first choice.

[Trish]

I'd avoid FL at all cost, the humidity, the bugs, no change of season, hurricanes,

 

I would choose Virginia for change of seasons. Nevada would be nice, you are only a couple hours drive to some great places to visit, if you enjoy traveling and outdoors stuff.

 

Well there is air conditioning, pest control, beautiful spring, fall and winter weather, and hurricanes are relatively rare. But the sun is great for your spirits! And homeschooling is a gulf coast breeze... :D

[KatA]

I'm between Tyndall and Hurlburt. If your wife wants seasons, then it's a no on Florida. :001_smile: Panama City is blah, IMHO, but I don't know much but from a few TDYs.

 

It's hot and miserable during the summer. It's definitely not a dry heat. Again, my opinion, but I've lived in Florida my whole life and I haven't gotten used to it yet. NW Florida is not *as bad* as central Florida as far as humidity.

 

The weather right now is beautiful, cool mornings, warm afternoons. But still mosquitoes. :glare: It definitely doesn't feel the same year round. It gets hot, and it gets cold (by my Florida standards). And there are a few weeks in between where it's wonderful.

 

Schools are tolerable. Homeschooling is not common, I know of one other person that plans on homeschooling, and one other homeschooling family. But there are hs groups, I'm just not involved because my son's still young.

 

You're welcome to PM me if you have any specific questions about the area.

Edited October 11, 2012 by KatA

[MamaT]

Gulf coast Florida beaches, swoon! Homeschooling in Fl is a piece of cake, don't let any portfolio talk scare you. I loved living in Florida.

 

:iagree: I grew up about 20 miles from Tyndall, and lived pretty close by until 10 years ago when I moved up here. An absolutely great place to live!

[MamaT]

I'm between Tyndall and Hurlburt. If your wife wants seasons, then it's a no on Florida. :001_smile: Panama City is a dump, IMHO, but I don't know much but from a few TDYs.

 

It's hot and miserable during the summer. It's definitely not a dry heat. Again, my opinion, but I've lived in Florida my whole life and I haven't gotten used to it yet. NW Florida is not *as bad* as central Florida as far as humidity.

 

The weather right now is beautiful, cool mornings, warm afternoons. But still mosquitoes. :glare: It definitely doesn't feel the same year round. It gets hot, and it gets cold (by my Florida standards). And there are a few weeks in between where it's wonderful.

 

Schools are tolerable. Homeschooling is not common, I know of one other person that plans on homeschooling, and one other homeschooling family. But there are hs groups, I'm just not involved because my son's still young.

 

You're welcome to PM me if you have any specific questions about the area.

 

I would have to disagree. There are places on Panama City Beach that are dumpy, but I loved living in Panama City, and found that Bay County had a great homeschool group.

[KatA]

I would have to disagree. There are places on Panama City Beach that are dumpy, but I loved living in Panama City, and found that Bay County had a great homeschool group.

 

Yeah, I changed it because it sounded harsh. Every place has it's bad parts, that's just what I remember from PC.

[JenC3]

Virginia

Florida pan handle

[curlygirlzx2]

Thanks everyone for all the insights!

 

If the schools are good wherever we go, there is a good possibility we won't continue with the homeschooling. So that is something to consider as well. :)

 

I believe NV schools are ranked #50 which might sway your decision to move here.

[ocelotmom]

If you get Nellis - Nevada has extremely easy homeschooling laws (inform the school district one time, and that's it), and Las Vegas seems to have a very active homeschooling community.

 

Can't say a whole lot else positive, but there is that :p

 

(I live in NV, and there's a lot I like about living here. But Las Vegas isn't one of those things, and we don't live anywhere near it. In fact, my choices for continuing education are influenced by not wanting "Las Vegas" on my resume.)

 

I've also lived in Virginia, and that would probably be my first choice as far as educational opportunities go. I have no desire to live there permanently, but I'd love to take the kids there for a year or two.

Edited October 11, 2012 by ocelotmom

[Tree Frog]

We just moved from the Gulf Breeze area (east of Naval Live Oaks, not in GB "proper"), which is about 35 minutes to Hurlburt. Gulf Breeze has some of the best schools in the state; my dc began their schooling "careers" in Gulf Breeze, attending the elementary, middle and high schools. We're in Texas now and miss the small town feel and close friendships my dc made in the 2 years we were stationed there. People here aren't quite as friendly. Niceville is also supposed to have excellent schools, but I'm not very familiar with them.

 

Weather-wise it was beautiful, but it sure felt strange not having any snow during the winter! If your wife is wanting changes of seasons, Hurlburt and Tyndall are probably not the best choices. However, for us, living near the beach was a wonderful opportunity for our family. It kinda-sorta made up for no snow.

 

The first year we were here, I continued hsing my 2 youngest. My middle schooler was able to take band at the school while homeschooling and there were lots of homeschoolers in the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola areas. Homeschooling in FL is easy!

[besroma]

Dw is wanting a change in seasons. She is tired of living here, where it pretty much feels the same year round.

 

I prefer a dry heat, and if there is winter, I prefer some snow.

 

Based on this, Hurlburt Field would probably be low on your list. While it is beautiful there, it would probably be, "Meh," to you after Hawaii.

 

IF you did end up in FL, I would choose Hulburt over Tyndall.

 

The Destin and Rosemary Beach areas are lovely. I don't know about any of the others.

Edited October 11, 2012 by besroma

[blondeviolin]

My first choice would be Whiteman. Pretty, pretty area and not super populated!

[Susan C.]

Virginia has good schools.

[StaceyinLA]

Not because I have advice on where you should go (if you want dry heat, MY state should be low on your list), but because dd just left Hawaii and they are relocating to Virginia. Of course, they didn't have as many options to choose from (they were hoping for a FL option to be closer to home, but it didn't happen).

[Year Round Mom]

Awww, Nellis isn't all that bad! :)

 

We've been here three years and it's totally doable!

 

First the on-base housing is new and beautiful, if you choose to live on base. The hospital side of base has the housing community center with a great pool!

 

If you want snow, you just grab your boots, hats, and jackets and drive to Mt. Charleston an hour away. We went sledding in April one year! Drove up in our flip flops, played in our boots, changed back into flip flops for the drive back into town. :)

 

There's Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam close by, and the Grand Canyon is only 4 hours away.

 

I do get tired of the brown, I'm not going to lie. When we drive out to CA, my eyeballs drink in the green. It's that intense, man!

 

Yes, NV is 50th in terms of education so there are lots of homeschoolers here. But like others have mentioned, the law is easy here, and the hs'ing communities are active!

 

Oh, and there is a FANTASTIC dance teacher here on base. My girls LOVE her! She has grown the program to average to awesome in just a few short years! And it's totally affordable, being on base. Not every base has the same extracurriculars, of course, so we're so happy to have the dance program while we're here. Fun for your girls!

 

Also, Kalah lives here. :D

 

We like it here.

 

:)

[fraidycat]

We just moved from Minot AFB in January. I LOVED it, because it was the closest to my home that I'll ever get while DH is in the military.

 

However, If you don't want to live on base, it's not easy to find a place to live there. It was already bad due to the oil boom that had people living full-time in campers, hotels, etc. Then the flood happened... Luckily, we lived on base so our house wasn't affected beyond the boil water advisory.

 

As for the Air Force people we met there (we're not AF), they seemed to be under the impression that once you go there, you're stuck there and can't get orders out. :D

 

ND homeschooling laws are a stricter and require more oversight than some of the other places you mention. I'd take that into consideration.

[fraidycat]

ANYTHING but Minot! :P

 

That'd be TOP of my list. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Minot AFB North Dakota looks very remote. I'm not sure if that is the area they are doing all the fraking and oil discovery. The oil/fracking areas are booming big time right now.

 

It's close. The actually oil/fraking is around the Williston area, but Minot does get the "overflow" of the boom.

 

 

Thanks everyone for all the insights!

 

If the schools are good wherever we go, there is a good possibility we won't continue with the homeschooling. So that is something to consider as well. :)

 

I really liked the elementary school my kids attended on base. There are two of them, but the class sizes are not huge, they didn't use "stupid" math (ie: Everyday Math) and their homework policy is no more than 10 minutes per grade level, if any. :D Very friendly and approachable staff and teachers as well. We probably wouldn't be homeschooling at all (or even thought of it, really) if we had stayed at Minot AFB.

 

Doesn't South Dakota have the lowest unemployment rate in the country? Or was it North?

 

I'm pretty sure it's North, thanks to the aforementioned oil boom.

[momofkhm]

JB Langley - Eustis - Virginia

 

Anyone have any insights on any of these locations they are willing to share? We will be moving to one of these places in the spring...

 

:lurk5:

 

I grew up with my dad popping between Eustis and Monroe. I realize these are army and the rest of your list looks air force. The moniker in the area growing up was Even Uncle Sam Think It Stinks. Dad was at Eustis for more of the early years so I don't have a lot of memories of that specifically. There was a cool sand pool there. :tongue_smilie: But the area - from 5 yo to college graduate.

 

It's a great area. Wonderful to be there when you are studying the early American settlements. Lots of history! Mild winters. Summers can be oppressive - thank goodness for air conditioning. Beach is close, but traffic on Sunday coming home from the beach is a bear. Mountains aren't far so can go skiing for a day trip. DC is a log day trip - we went with my brother's scout troop and they rented a bus.

 

LOTS of military in the area. Chances are good your kids will have a lot of military kids for friends even living off base. Kids from all branches - one of my high school boy friends was a navy brat. I marries an air force brat I started dating in high school. (I was an army brat.)

 

That's a kid's perspective for you anyway. (But I was in public school, not homeschooled. )

[tntgoodwin]

Thanks everyone! All of this is great help.

 

Anyone have any insight on Pease (Portsmouth NH)?

[Tidbits of Learning]

Barksdale AFB - Louisiana

Ellsworth AFB - South Dakota

Hurlburt Field - Florida

JB Langley - Eustis - Virginia

Minot AFB - North Dakota

Nellis AFB - Nevada

Tyndall AFB - Florida

Whiteman AFB - Missouri

 

Anyone have any insights on any of these locations they are willing to share? We will be moving to one of these places in the spring...

 

:lurk5:

 

Barksdale isn't bad. It is a nice base. Homeschooling in Louisiana is pretty easy. You either do home study where you file an application with the state for approval or you send in a letter stating your intent to homeschool as a private school not seeking SBESE approval. There are a lot of hs groups and co-ops in the area.

It does seem that once you come here...you are normally here for a while. It is pretty hot and there isn't a whole lot of seasons. Get used to shorts and sandals. Mardi Gras is a plus. Lots of festivals and music even though it is up in N. LA.

Look up Shreveport, LA. It is a twin city to Bossier City with the Red River separating them. Barksdale is just a bridge over from Shreveport.

http://www.shreveportbossierfunguide.com/

[americastamps]

We are Navy, but did not live far from Langley. There is a lot to do in the Hampton Roads, and I really enjoyed our time there. I did not homeschool when we were living there, but I know people who are homeschooling there now, and there are plenty of activities/coops,and numerous field trip opportunities, as another poster mentioned. Also, the winter should be fairly mild and there are beautiful seasons to look forward to. If you decide for whatever reason that one are more of your kids is the right match for public schools, the public schools are quite decent, (as far as public schools go ;-) )