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Posted: 6/26/2024 4:49:52 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was at Leonard Wood last month and was stunned at the beauty of the area Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: So much depends in what you want out of that life? Affordable housing and lots of hunting / fishing? You might love Fort Leonard Wood. If you don't want to be in a remotes area and like city amenities you will hate it. Weather and climate is another one. As you see above, some people absolutely love the Florida panhandle. Others, myself included, hate the humidity and seemingly biannual hurricane drills. The Colorado Springs area is extremely popular. I've known people who spent hears angling for a job out that way. It's getting stupid expensive out there now, which also impacts that quality of life equation. I was at Leonard Wood last month and was stunned at the beauty of the area Ft “Lost in the Woods” has a reputation as the burial ground for aspiring General Officers. More O-5’s and O-6’s careers come to grief as a result of shady Ozarks land deal involvement than adultery at that post, and more than a few O-7’s and O-8’s have regretted assignment there. There was more than a joking believe in the JAGC Criminal Division that the Army COS considered as a prerequisite to admission into the hallowed levels of senior leadership a candidate’s ability to resist the siren call of Ft Leonard Wood’s corruption and dubious business ventures. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 4:53:45 PM EDT
[#2]
Can't really answer without more info from OP about what he wants.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:08:04 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Minot Why not Minot? Freezin’s the reason. I loved Charleston when I was keeping company with a 141 pilot. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:25:47 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Clark AB, Philippines (Of course I was 18 years old and single at the time. Probably not what you're looking for.  )How many brain cells did you kill there? The US pulled out of Clark in 1991. 
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:26:49 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why not Minot? Freezin’s the reason. I loved Charleston when I was keeping company with a 141 pilot. The low country is okay but traffic and liberals have ruined it. I grew up there and never want to move back. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:31:07 PM EDT
[#6]
Lived just south of Patrick AFB for 33 years. Great area. I think it was the most requested location back in the 80s.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:33:21 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Ft. Bliss is pretty nice as long as you’re not active duty with one of the tenant units (they’re all trash). It just gets hot as balls during the summer. Low cost of living in the surrounding area too. Avoid Hood (Cavazos) like the plague. Wisdom. Bliss is centrally located to some fantastic desert scenery if that is your thing. Presidio of Monterey would be ideal but I doubt there are many openings for that post. If you have to live off-base you'll be in debt until you're 87 years old. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 5:52:42 PM EDT
[#8]
Menwith Hill
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:02:51 PM EDT
[#9]
Places I’ve lived:
Ft. Benning, GA Ft. Leonard Wood, MO Schweinfurt, Germany Bamberg, Germany Ft. Wainwright, AK Ft. Shafter, HI Ft. Leavenworth, KS JBLM, WA Stuttgart, Germany Ft. Carson, CO Let me know if you’re interested in any of those and I’ll give you my perspective. Married with three boys, if that helps. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:06:40 PM EDT
[#10]
Years back, Ft Ord, CA was pretty darned nice.....
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:07:25 PM EDT
[#11]
29 Palms.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:14:36 PM EDT
[#12]
Limited opportunities to get stationed there unless you're a cadet or instructor/TAC, but West Point is actually a super nice installation with lots of recreation in the surrounding area. I can totally see why some O5's and up essentially do their last few years in active duty there.
Obviously, it's NY, but it's far enough from NYC to make travel easy and still avoid the sprawling metropolis. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:15:52 PM EDT
[#13]
Ft Leavenworth Kansas. The schools are the highest funded out of the DoD and it shows since the schools are some of the best in the State. I also think the installation offers the best quality of life since those assigned to Ft Leavenworth are more senior in grade. I have been to almost every military installation with over 20+ years of service with jobs having to go to different installations. My kids loved it there.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:24:37 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Years back, Ft Ord, CA was pretty darned nice..... Not much in the area now besides Naval Postgraduate School and then DLI out at Presidio of Monterey. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:26:36 PM EDT
[#15]
My favorite duty stations were NAS Corpus and Sigonella. Corpus because of the fishing, hunting and my love for Texans and their great state. Sigonella because everyone suffered the lack of ac, drinkable water and decent facilities .This served to bring people together and most enjoyed their time together. I know it sounds bad to some but I would take three tours in Sig over one to northern Virginia.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:34:12 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Aviano. Unbelievable there. My dad was there. Was still pretty rural when he was there. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 6:53:25 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Eglin AFB/Hurlburt Field Fpni. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:29:08 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 29 Palms. That is like saying the best part of prison is all the sex. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:32:44 PM EDT
[#19]
Quoted: I'm looking at jobs for the DoD as a civilian. I can apply anywhere and have two middle school age kids. I'm wondering which military bases you've all found to be the best place to live at. I'm not 19, so no need for a Camaro at 18% APR and excellent gentlemans' establishments. Been married, no interest in repeating that experiment. Ft McCoy or Ft Eustis. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:40:46 PM EDT
[#20]
Coronado NAB
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:42:43 PM EDT
[#21]
MacDill - Tampa and the gulf beaches. Ybor city.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:46:10 PM EDT
[#22]
Gulfport wasn’t bad just humid.
Pendleton was the bomb..not far from San Diego and lots of stuff to do. The border bases are all trash. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:53:26 PM EDT
[#23]
I travel a LOT to various bases.
JBLM used to be one of my favorites, now it's almost completely overrun with fentanyl addicted trans homeless people and the gun laws suck. Fort Carson, similar, used to be really great but the cost of living quadrupled and a low crime rate became moderate. Fort Hood/Cavazos, base is absolute shit, Killeen...absolute shit. Other surrounding areas are nice with good COL. Fort Bliss, base is actually pretty nice but units are shit. El Paso keeps doubling in size with illegals so traffic is absurd and going to any store or restaurant is an adventure. Eglin was pretty much the same 3 months ago as it was 15 years ago when I was stationed there. I'd live there again. Fort Irwin, life on the penal colony still sucks although the base has gotten a bit more comfortable. Everything else still sucks. Fort Sill has great hunting but that's about it. Shit climate, lots of snakes, lots of drug addicted bums, and mountains of yokels Fort Leonard Wood, probably one of the most geographically separated bases from anything aside from Irwin, you can tell locals versus military due to a weird congential eye spacing thing. Basic training bases are also literally overrun with privates and familes JB Sam Houston, I grew up right outside the east gate, base is nice and clean but small |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:56:18 PM EDT
[#24]
 Attached FileQuote HistoryQuoted: That is like saying the best part of prison is all the sex.  Attached FileI managed to avoid 29 palms my entire career. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 7:58:36 PM EDT
[#25]
Riley and Knox have good hunting available. We liked both of them. (Flw had good hunting too but who wants to go there).
Someone said Eglin AFB and I can't argue with that. We were happy to leave Bragg. Twice. Ft sam Houston was nice but finding a place (and time while I was there) to hunt was damn near impossible (so I've been told). |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:06:27 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The low country is okay but traffic and liberals have ruined it. I grew up there and never want to move back. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Why not Minot? Freezin’s the reason. I loved Charleston when I was keeping company with a 141 pilot. The low country is okay but traffic and liberals have ruined it. I grew up there and never want to move back. I haven’t been there in a very long time. I probably won’t ever go again. Don’t want to spoil the memories. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:09:54 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: /media/mediaFiles/sharedAlbum/this-gif-793.gif /media/mediaFiles/sharedAlbum/this-gif-793.gif I managed to avoid 29 palms my entire career. 4 out of 5 years there. 
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:15:25 PM EDT
[#28]
What is your career field? My vote is Ramstein AFB or Landstuhl.Medical Center. A 6 hour or less drive and you are in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Switzerland or on the ferry to Great Britain.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:17:19 PM EDT
[#29]
Point Mugu is the only one I've enjoyed as a civ living in a hotel. Pretty area. The rest are a list of "places to avoid"
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:19:27 PM EDT
[#30]
Pensacola |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:20:31 PM EDT
[#31]
I spent almost 15 years working for a now defunct magazine dedicated to this world! I wish I still had more copies but most were destroyed in a flood. Here is a link to some archives to give you a glimpse at what kind of programs are available
https://www.ebmpubs.com/Archives/archive_grf.asp Here are some links to give you a starting point for your research. Essentially you’ll want to find the websites for the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) programs and facilities at each base in the areas you’d consider living in https://www.armymwr.com/installation https://www.navymwr.org/programs/community-recreation/rentals https://www.navymwr.org/programs/community-recreation/parks https://www.navymwr.org/resources https://myairforcelife.com/ https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/search?program-service=5/view-by=ALL https://myairforcelife.com/outdoor-directory/ |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:32:56 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Eglin AFB/Hurlburt Field |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:36:02 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 4 out of 5 years there. Dude…you poor soul. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:38:43 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 4 out of 5 years there. 3 out of 6 for me. 
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:49:55 PM EDT
[#35]
If you’re not saying Twentynine Palms, you’re wrong.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 8:56:12 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you’re not saying Twentynine Palms, you’re wrong. Santana's puts a finger on the scale if it's still around. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:10:32 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everyone hates it, but I really liked Ft Polk. The area was much like N WI, Pine trees and sand. The locals were great and I got into a hunting club as soon as I got there. I hunted and fished all over and I am looking at retiring to western LA. I am not a city person, i hate cities, so I was fine with Sleezville and DeCritter. Alexandria was an hour away, and major cities were a few hours. I look back fondly at my time at Ft. Polk, 85’-87’ Not a city person either (technically live in Louisville now, go figure) Anyway, bought a Honda XL250, ditched the crappy dual purpose tires and slapped on actually off road knobbies. Tons of places to ride, I had maps of the entire area. Back then only thing off limits were restricted ranges. Miles and miles of tank trails, places to ride were everywhere. Open base / fort, man things were so much different back then. Only gate manned was the the main gate. I’d plan out my weekend rides in advance, so much looked forward to riding off road on the weekends. Used to target shoot in some clay pits near DeRidder. Also bought a Honda 750 Interceptor, lots of weekend street riding as well. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:13:10 PM EDT
[#38]
Man, I had a lot of great assignments and only one bad one (thanks Minot). Each one had their pros and cons.
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:13:32 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I travel a LOT to various bases. JBLM used to be one of my favorites, now it's almost completely overrun with fentanyl addicted trans homeless people and the gun laws suck. Fort Carson, similar, used to be really great but the cost of living quadrupled and a low crime rate became moderate. Fort Hood/Cavazos, base is absolute shit, Killeen...absolute shit. Other surrounding areas are nice with good COL. Fort Bliss, base is actually pretty nice but units are shit. El Paso keeps doubling in size with illegals so traffic is absurd and going to any store or restaurant is an adventure. Eglin was pretty much the same 3 months ago as it was 15 years ago when I was stationed there. I'd live there again. Fort Irwin, life on the penal colony still sucks although the base has gotten a bit more comfortable. Everything else still sucks. Fort Sill has great hunting but that's about it. Shit climate, lots of snakes, lots of drug addicted bums, and mountains of yokels JBLM also means time at Yakima, which is beautiful. Kharn |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:15:30 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What is your career field? My vote is Ramstein AFB or Landstuhl.Medical Center. A 6 hour or less drive and you are in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Switzerland or on the ferry to Great Britain. Pretty sweet PX (basically a mall) at Ramstein. Even has a Barnes and Nobles when I was last there. Landstuhl is nice, too. |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:23:02 PM EDT
[#41]
Eielson AFB
I hear the weather is nice in February |
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Posted: 6/26/2024 9:23:38 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Everyone hates it, but I really liked Ft Polk. The area was much like N WI, Pine trees and sand. The locals were great and I got into a hunting club as soon as I got there. I hunted and fished all over and I am looking at retiring to western LA. I am not a city person, i hate cities, so I was fine with Sleezville and DeCritter. Alexandria was an hour away, and major cities were a few hours. agree. When I wasn’t in the field at Polk I was fishing. Lake Vernon and Toledo Bend are close, some excellent red fish on the coast, some of the best food in the world |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 2:41:00 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: JBLM also means time at Yakima, which is beautiful. Kharn The last time I was in Yakima I watched a guy get his head blown off at a bar, and saw another murder crime scene being worked across the street as I was turning in my rental. |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 3:10:09 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Aviano. Unbelievable there. People will like it |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 3:25:50 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Kaneohe Bay Gulf Coast: Eglin, Pensacola. (But I was USMC for 22 years, so what do i know). |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 5:04:20 AM EDT
[#46]
Hands down Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, but being stuck on an island is not for everyone.
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Posted: 6/27/2024 5:07:11 AM EDT
[#47]
Not NAS Lemoore,,, It was the first Navy base to me that did not have any Payday loan place, tattoo parlor, or car dealer with 22% APR outside the main gate... That means the base is so bad, even they don't want to put up any business like that out there.
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Posted: 6/27/2024 9:59:52 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not NAS Lemoore,,, It was the first Navy base to me that did not have any Payday loan place, tattoo parlor, or car dealer with 22% APR outside the main gate... That means the base is so bad, even they don't want to put up any business like that out there. Lemoore is shithole. Grabasstic performance of base security when a stolen jeep got on the flight line and clipped a F18. CHP helo landed and got to the vehicle first. Entire valley is meth labs and shitty air to breath. The only thing nice nearby is the national forest as long as you don’t run into grow ops. I would say due to cost of living and just overall shittyness avoid any thing in California including DLI in Monterey and the entire San Diego area.  Pursuit onto NAS Lemoore Ends When Jeep Crashes Into F-18 Super Hornet Edited for video of absolute shit show |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 10:07:05 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was 20 years Navy. Having said all that: Tinker AFB, Travis AFB, Hickam AFB, and Andersen AFB. Anderson is the only one of those o haven’t been to multiple times |
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Posted: 6/27/2024 10:08:04 AM EDT
[#50]
Quoted: NAS Lemoore.  Kelly Slater surf ranch if you got $ or connections |
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