Places we're looking into...

[Mary Cat]

Hey ladies! So I know that you don't REALLY have a choice where you go but Matt reinlisted so I know he can put in a request. If any of you ladies have been to any of these posts, please let me know anything you can about them! We have one year left up here and I trying to get an idea of how much the cost of living is in these places and what the area has to offer. After being in Fairbanks, any place else is going to have a ton more to do and much more variety!

A) Fort Eustis, VA (Our first pick. Matt was stationed here for AIT so he'd be an instructor but he has to be E-5 promotable which we're not sure if he will be or not by then)
B) Fort Carson, CO
C) Fort Lewis, WA

[Meredith]

I'm "at" fort lewis!! LOVE it!! let me know if you have any questions!

[Mary Cat]

Is it expensive to live there? Is there a lot to do? Does it rain ALL the time? Are people friendly? lol I don't like rain very much but we know a few ppl who are going there and it's a good possibility that we might too.

[Mary Cat]

Please help me out ladies! Please? lol

[Kira]

Wish I could help but I've never been to any of them. I've been to Ft Sill, Aberdeen Proving Grounds and Ft Campbell. I have heard a ton of great things about Ft Carson.

[Erin]

Sorry Mary, I havent been to any of them either. i can give you a bad review of bragg if you'd like though!

[snwalways41903]

ive only been to knox and now benning. however when we lived at knox one of the women i met was always complaining about how she missed Ft. carson. she said it was a really nice base, nicer then knox (but in my opinion anything is nicer then knox) but she always talked about it, and in my opinion she could have been a spokesperson for carson, LOL. i saw pics of her old house and it was really nice & big. but thats all i know, since ive never been there. good luck in your choices

[Meredith]

Is it expensive to live there? Is there a lot to do? Does it rain ALL the time? Are people friendly? lol I don't like rain very much but we know a few ppl who are going there and it's a good possibility that we might too.

Well you've lived in NJ...and as far as I know AK is pretty pricey too....so no I don't think it's overly expensive. Our BAH was MORE than enough for a really nice 2 bedroom apartment with w/d in unit.

It rains....a lot but you get used to it and it's not the type of torrential down pour you get in a summer storm in NJ. It's just a little dreary...by March you've had enough (like with any winter) but the weather other than the rain is really mild. It doesn't get cold, just a few inches of snow will stop the world which is awesome cause it's a free day off together. The summer is 80/85 degrees and dry. You'll get one good week of heat but its always dry heat. The landscape out there is beyond beautiful. I loved it. If it weren't 3000 miles from home I'd contemplate staying post army. Mike liked it enough his re-enlistment was contingent on staying at Lewis.

It's a BIG base. Not as big as Hood or Bragg but it's probably next in line. They just made it Joint Base Lewis McChord...so it connects with the neighboring AFB. Hospital, family and dental clinics on post. Movie theater and roller rink, American lake which has a life guard in the summer. Housing is relatively new in most spots especially on North Fort (other side of I5) Your 1/2 hour from Olympia (capitol), 15 minutes from Tacoma (where MIke and I lived) and about an hour from Seattle which is an amazing city.

The people I've met are mostly friendly. The medical staff was very nice, what I experienced of FRG (not a lot on my own choice) was very plesant. Troop bbqs and all that were always fun and always at the Lake.

Great place for outdoorsy types. You're about 2 hours to Mt Rainier which is a HUGEEE volcano that you can see on clear days from pretty much anywhere in Western WA. You're about an hour or two from the beach.

I loved it :) The housing list was over a year long when Mike and I got married but when we were deploying they were looking for people to move on post. So it's hit or miss. Probably easier to get housing as a unit deploys.

IM me if you have more questions. I could talk about it for hours and I really have nothing bad to say about it other than stay out of the dermatology clinic lol .

[Mary Cat]

Thanks Ladies!
Mere thanks for all the info... it's sounding wonderful!
Erin, you made me bust out laughing lol

[Mary Cat]

Anybody else know anything???

[Josc]

We have lived at Carson and are now at Lewis... it rains here like everyday wait.. no the sun is out right now.. We do not live on base so i dont know much about the actual base but the area itself is nice there is every store/resturant you could think of and tons of stuff to do (fishing camping hiking) I have only been here 3 months but so far it is ok.. Colorado was awesome.. but colorado springs is so "busy" we always try to live a bit away from the bases we live in puyallup here and i do love it.. i would just like to see the sun every now and then.

[Meredith]

hang in a little longer Josc!! The summer is BEAUTIFUL out there!! You gotta wait out that last bit of the rainy season tho :(

I have friends that lived in puyallup!! They're headed back there after this deployment! My hubs isn't a big fan of 512 but what I've seen of puyallup is really nice!

[Josc]

what is 512? haha

[Mary Cat]

I we've got lewis and riley on our list now. We have 11 months left up here so I think hubs is going to go talk to whoever about it soon

[asoldierssweetie]

i have only been at bragg. sorry i cant be of more help! i have a friend who was at riley. she hated it. i can get info from her for you tho.