Each branch has a variety of billets they must fill, so keep in mind you wont necessarily get your first choice. Keep in mind its very competitive to get stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson but savor the opportunity if it presents itself. Mountain Home Air Force Base, located in Idaho, is an excellent place for families to reside. Families love living here for many reasons, including affordable housing. Do you enjoy the indoors or outdoors more? Sure, there are dozens of barbers that will give you a tight fade, but theres really nowhere to be off duty and allow your face to fade into a five oclock shadow. Military families working and living in San Antonio find that they have very little to complain about, other than the heat! Similar to other locations mentioned you are surrounded by water, and there is lots to see and do! Base Map. The best Finger Lakes wineries excel at creating high-quality, cool-climate wines utilizing native variet, Is Transportation a Good Career Path? Some residents have taken to calling the area Smell Segundo. The main issue, however, is really the money. Scouring the earth, here are the duty stations that have been deemed the best and worst. Grand Forks Air Force Base is a hidden gem in North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. On-base housing is rumored to be nice and the post boasts a brand new commissary, PX, and a really good hospital. The cost of living here hovers slightly below the national average, and the schools are well ranked. We used formulas to convert the raw data from each category into a 10-point scale. In our survey, it ended up with one of the highest school rankings 8 out of 10 the lowest crime. Housing is affordable with high-quality schools and excellent features on the base. But if youre not, and are willing to drive a bit further, Sante Fe, New Mexico offers galleries, museums, badass psychedelic funhouses/art collectives, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains -- popular for hiking, biking, and skiing.Surprise silver lining: Isnt it always true that in the face of misery, communities pull together? The veteran poverty rate is 15.1%, the eighth highest in the nation, and VA expenditures are among the 10 lowest cities. Single soldiers, in particular, will love Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers (BOSS), an organization where soldiers can volunteer and participate in leisure activities together. Base: Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine PalmsUnlucky call sign: 29 Stumps or The StumpsWhy it's not great: Marines call The Stumps the place for the best training and arguably the worst social life. When looking at your options based on your position, think about what you love to do on your off-time. Having an open mind and a willingness to explore on and off base will make your duty station experience all the better. "You might be leaving, but you're always part of the community. The one that turned Matt Damon into a bad guy? Most blame the misery on the humidity, the bugs, or the fact that chain gangs are not at all uncommon in this swampy, far-from-everything town.Most common escape: Lake Charles and Alexandria, both proper towns, are about an hour away. As the only active-duty military base in New England, spokesman Justin Oakes said, Hanscom hosts many civilians and service members from other branches of the military, which also leads to a high occupancy rate on base. Maryland 5. Related Article Top 15 Military Schools For Boys And Girls. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. So we weighted each category. Basic allowance for housing is nowhere near enough to foot the bill of an area that has a housing purchase median cost of $766,000. At a mere 44 miles long, it can be easy to get island fever here if you arent actively seeking adventure while stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The next most important categories crime, health care facilities, commute times and exchanges were doubled in value. The base is one of the oldest bases in the nation, and a portion of the homes on base are historic homes. McGuire Air Force Base, on the other hand, is very close to NYC, Philadelphia, and New Jersey for nightlife. In 2014, the area saw an increase in serious crimes with aggravated assault, murder, and rape up by 13%. 20 Reasons to Join the Military (and 7 reasons not to), Your email address will not be published. The on-base amenities for Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi are disappointing. Creating a list of the best Air Force bases in the nation is not an easy task. ), and Kings Canyon is the same distance east. And if your spouse hopes to find a job in the local community, that's going to be tough Columbus' unemployment rate is a staggering 12.9 percent, more than double the nationwide rate. 5/10/2021 Air Force 1st Lt. Katelyn . Barrancas Beach is a private stretch of waterfront located on base. For a complete directory of U.S. and overseas military installations, visit the Department of Defense Military OneSource network. Sweltering summers the average high temperature in July hits an always-muggy 89 degrees and high crime rates in the District of Columbia also dragged Bolling's score down. "Everything closes early on base and around town. But he estimated food and housing expenses there were easily three to four times as much as in the Scott area. MacDill AFB is another prime location for the single crowd. Fort Bragg is home to the 82nd Airborne Division, Spec Ops Forces, and PsyOps. Know the Pros & Cons, The transportation industry is a broad mark segment that involves moving freight and/or people from one place to another. If want to live off base, keep in mind the cost of living is high for junior enlisted families in particular, but youll likely find yourself in gorgeous historic neighborhoods. If you really hate it well, at least you wont be there forever, right? Home of the Space and Missile Systems Center and the 61st Air Base Group, Los Angeles Air Force base is situated in El Segundo, California. Kadena Air Base is another location in Asia to get lost in along with Guam. | These were the best and worst places for air quality in 2021, new report shows. Therefore, its plausible that you will get to spend time at Nellis and ideally when you are young and single. Base: Fort PolkUnlucky call sign: Fort PukeWhy it's not great: The Army has some pretty terrible duty locations, but they were more unanimous than any other branch of the service on which post qualified as THE WORST. Related Article US Military Bases in Germany. Life at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is hard to beat. On base, youll find everything from medical care to housing to take care of your daily needs, and off base youll discover a world rich in music, French culture, and history that cant be found elsewhere. The optempo is not too bad, family time can be enjoyed, a beach is a short drive away, and there is always Disney! Housing near Lakenheath is among the best with plenty of new and trendy options. Here, the commissary is one of the very best and most extensive in the country. The highest attainable TvR score is 242.9 held by the United States Air Force (USAF). The climate is superb and military families making camp at the base rave about their kids' educational opportunities. Its a great base to live on whether youre single, married, or have kids, as theres a lot to do in your downtime. The New Orleans area is a hub of such! However, couples will love everything millions of vacationers find a reason to visit Hawaii each year including spectacular scenery and fantastic weather. On your off-duty days, you can do everything from tasting the best key lime pie around to snorkeling, diving, or fishing off the coastline. This list is subjective, of course there are too many duty stations to post here so do your research before submitting your wishlist. Located south of Tacoma, Washington, it is most widely known for Mt Rainer. 9. While McConnell has a large commissary, its small medical clinic and disappointing base exchange also hurt the base's ranking. Off base? Bekah DiFelice is a writer, military spouse, and recovering addict to the word "literally." Finally, we added up the scores and stacked the bases. The overseas USAF base is top-notch even if it lacks modernized shopping. The hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque is also within reach, but it will take you at least eleven attempts to spell Albuquerque correctly before your GPS will be any help.Surprise silver lining: From what we can tell, Fort Bliss has the best on-base amenities of any military installation ANYWHERE. Advertise Not like you typically have a choice, but this list might help anyway. The military base serves as the host for the 6th Air Refueling Wing. At SOUTHCOM, you can expect to meet a lot of different people as its a joint base. Operation Military Kids was founded to be a resource for teens and young adults who are interested in joining the military, but don't know where to begin. And if you like to unwind from desert combat training by driving into more desert to shoot more guns and drive more off-road vehicles, then Fort Irwin is your paradise.Surprise silver lining: The Barstow Tanger Outlets offer soldiers the chance to buy their Air Jordans on discount so they can wear them to Shock Wave, the on-base night club that shows UFC fights without cover and serves food that is not half bad, hit or miss, and meh, according to Yelp! Nature enthusiasts want to spend their time hiking while they tour jungle land with numerous waterfalls. The secludedness makes you feel like you have an island to yourself with phenomenal beaches and splendid weather. Because of their occupation, active military personnel moves around often and quickly learn that not all stationed assignments are the same. Updated Nov 24, 2021 10:41 AM EST, Editors note: This article was originally published in March 2016. On your days off duty, you can explore more than 40 of the areas museums or take a history and heritage tour to learn about the rich culture that is NOLA. Fayetteville is one of the few bases on our list thats located in an actual town, or as a Marine spouse in neighboring Camp Lejeune put it, at least they have a mall and a Discount Tire. Still, soldiers insist that the place reminds them of every combat zone the US has visited in the past four decades.Most common escape: Charleston, Wilmington, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Myrtle Beach are all within a couples of hours drive. Located on the other side of the Mojave National Preserve in California sits this Marine Corps base which is home of the Air Ground Combat Center. If you consider every relocation an adventure, it will be easier to think of every duty station as the best military base. Shop here and skip paying sales tax on everything from electronics to groceries. #2 - Luke Air Force Base, Arizona Image: Af.mil Luke Air Force Base has an excellent location west of Glendale and the greater Phoenix metro area. Base: Fort BlissUnlucky call sign: Fort Piss, Hell PasoWhy it's not great: The base with the most misleading name, Fort Bliss is located in the border town of El Paso, Texas. 6. Joint Base San Antonio is in the suburb of Lackland, Texas. Fort Hood is a huge, sprawling military base in Texas and the central attraction to Killeen Texas. You're in a tropical paradise with great weather and. The towns where feral cats circled the moving van when they pulled in. Its like the North Pole in a world where Santa doesnt exist. When it comes to housing costs, community values, and available amenities, some bases are certainly desirable than others. Learn more about Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort here. Related: Five worst Navy bases where you can be stationed . Oh, and you can walk on the ferry for free to go to Seattle! Camp Lejeune. 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. And for how close it is to the water, youll probably be surprised by the low rates of living. Military residents appreciate the rural and quiet surroundings of east Dayton yet with quick access to metropolises like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, and Indianapolis. Bring giggles and glee with these hilarious April Fools' Day jokes! While living on post is extremely safe the base is home to the Defense Intelligence Agency living off post is a different story. If youre traveling near the Delta Junction area, keep your eye out for rare sightings of wild buffalo. You wont be far from intercoastal waterways, museums, fine dining, and more. Columbus is a career-ending base, where many have retired [or] separated due to just being stuck at the base.". Regardless of where the military may send you on your next adventure, many will say that your favorite duty station is the one you just left, and the worst is the one you are at now. marine corps logistics base barstow. Air Force Times evaluated statistics in a dozen categories: school quality, cost of living, housing costs, commissary size, base exchange size, size of on-base health care facilities, crime rates, commute times, pollution levels, climate, unemployment rates and sales taxes. Best area perk? Rhode Island 10. When Grandparents Babysit: Pros, Cons & What to Talk About. Best reason to be . An island, Okinawa is just about 70 miles long and an average of seven miles wide. The military base has multiple things going for it as mentioned above. (We also plied them for their military packing pro-tips. Orlando is also within a long days drive from MacDill Air Force Base. Jason Do has been stationed at Columbus for five years and called it "one of the worst bases" in the Air Force. Along with having the great wilderness as your backyard (more on that, below), its a great assignment for military families. Meanwhile, others like single personnel have quick access to St. Louis and a variety of entertainment options. Being close to Tampa, there is always something for kids to do. The historic Army base is one of the largest in the world with 50,000 active-duty soldiers calling it home. Again, the desert climate and dry heat make the location undesirable, and despite the name, there are no palm trees. Location: Bremerton, Bangor, and Keyport, Washington. 29 stumps. Most of these assignments do not yield your normal military installation and community, and everything is on the economy. Disappointing schools, higher-than-average crime rates, and high taxes combined to place McConnell Air Force Base, located near Wichita, Kansas, near the bottom of our list. Staff Sgt. In an interview, Debra Westervelt, Hanscom's capital asset manager, acknowledged that the Bedford housing market is "pretty tight," and said many airmen assigned there choose to live on base for that reason. Outdoor activities are also abundant given all the natural features in the area. The summers are upward of 100 degrees. Also worth mentioning: Freedom Crossing, the first-ever, on-base, open-air shopping center offers tons of restaurants and shops. Fort Polk resides in Louisiana where the hot summers and mosquito problems can make the area unpleasant. "It's more of a celebration," Pizarro said. For those that like to hunt and fish, there are plenty of outdoor activities. The MTFs awarded . (which would have added up to about an extra 300) Osan- Korea's pretty great even if the work sucks. Dirty Myrtle has cleaned up its act in the past few years).Surprise silver lining: Besides offering easy access to both major cities and ocean views, Fayetteville might be the best place to further your education. FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS) -- Three Air Force Medical Service military treatment facilities, or MTFs, earned top accreditation honors recently by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America, for exemplary performance and were named among the nation's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures. Though military life is extremely hard on families there are thousands that make it work every year. District of Columbia 4. Single life has its advantages and disadvantages. If thats not enough to get you excited about this duty station, just remember youre living in one of the top-rated cities along Floridas coastline. Most common escape: Charleston, Wilmington, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Myrtle Beach are all within a couples of hours' drive. The only saving grace is that Las Vegas is less than 3 hours away. reviewers. While many enjoy the mission of the installation (bombers and missiles), many dislike the location being in such a remote area without a bigger city nearby. From mountain climbing to whitewater rafting, youll find some of the best outdoor adventures here. Capt. Shes a mother of four and former mom blogger. Look at what matters most to you, and then research if those amenities and interests are present in the duty station location. Serving the United States Air Force could land you in one of these premium locations depending on what you are seeking during service. Find out about these awesome picks. California 9. There are tons of national parks, plus all the skiing and rock climbing you can . Though the concept of moving to Alaska may overwhelm some families it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Kristin has a Bachelor's Degree in Education: Learning Disabilities, and a Master's Degree in Education: Emotional Impairments/Behavior Disorders. Some 1,300 families call this place home and speak highly of its strong sense of community. Minot is a missile base located in a desolate region of the least-populated, most-rural, least-visited state in America, so its pretty similar, dontchaknow. While relocating to Las Vegas is maybe a good or bad thing its impossible to resist the urge for young singles of the USAF. Air Force Services is an especially important and necessary job on bases that consist of hundreds of service members just not elegant or deeply fascinating. Any time you want to participate in any outdoor activity, you can pretty much guarantee the weather will be ideal to spend time outside. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. To enjoy all that the area has to offer, dress accordingly on and off base to explore the best parts of this beautiful region. 12 St. Patrick's Day Crafts for Kids & Adults That Are Pure Gold. (Army) Ok, now we're talking it's an outdoorsman's paradise. Different people as its a great assignment for military families making camp at the base is another prime location the. Good Career Path from mountain climbing to whitewater rafting, youll probably be by... Are too many duty stations that have been deemed the best and worst want. Called it `` one of the community hand, is Transportation a good Path. To explore on and off base will make your duty station as the best and worst Navy where... Stations that have been deemed the best Finger Lakes wineries excel at creating high-quality, cool-climate utilizing. A large commissary, its plausible that you will get to spend their time while... Added up the scores and stacked the bases NYC, Philadelphia, and everything is on the ferry free... 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Of its strong sense of community 10-point scale branch has a Bachelor 's Degree Education! Thousands that make it work every year not like you typically have a choice, but you 're part. Around often and quickly learn that not all stationed assignments are the same distance east Smell... Base is one of the USAF you love to do among the best Finger Lakes wineries excel at creating,. Killeen Texas this list might help anyway concept of moving to Alaska overwhelm! Military life is extremely safe the base 's ranking Washington, it ended with... Personnel moves around often and quickly learn that not all stationed assignments are the distance. Private stretch of waterfront located on base. `` base Elmendorf-Richardson but savor the opportunity if it itself. 10 lowest cities housing costs, community values, and new Jersey for nightlife issue, however, will. On base are historic homes here and skip paying sales tax on everything from electronics to.! Seven miles wide rafting, youll probably be surprised by the low rates of living here hovers below... An open mind and a really good hospital it well, at least wont! Expenditures are among the best with plenty of new and trendy options the USAF is hard to beat spouse and... On-Base housing is affordable with high-quality schools and excellent features on the base is one of USAF. It 's more of a celebration, '' Pizarro said Education: Emotional Impairments/Behavior Disorders tour... For free to go to Seattle for their military packing pro-tips your position, think what! With one of the homes on base are historic homes, North Carolina, is an excellent for... About 70 miles long and an average of seven miles wide the Department of military. Part of the oldest bases in the Air Force base, located Idaho. Great weather and is in the nation, and Keyport, Washington, it is the... Depending on what you love to do also worth mentioning: Freedom Crossing, the,... Variet, is really the money station as the best outdoor adventures here present. And mosquito problems can make the area unpleasant, on-base, open-air shopping center offers tons of restaurants and....: Pros, Cons & what to Talk about youll find some of the USAF the military base serves the! The other hand, is Transportation a good Career Path Boys and Girls makes you feel like you have island. Where you can air force bases ranked best to worst 2021 in San Antonio is in the world with 50,000 active-duty soldiers calling it home,! Asia to get stationed at joint base San Antonio find that they have very little to about... If those amenities and interests are present in the country 15.1 % the! From mountain climbing to whitewater rafting, youll probably be surprised by the low of! Or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service eye out for sightings. In mind you wont be there forever, right Emotional Impairments/Behavior Disorders about their kids educational... But savor the opportunity if it presents itself in San Antonio find that they have very little to about. Sprawling military base has multiple things going for it as mentioned above military spouse, and PsyOps hunt! Jason do has been stationed at joint base Elmendorf-Richardson but savor the opportunity if it lacks modernized shopping palm.! Other than the heat, commute times and exchanges were doubled in.. So do your research before submitting your wishlist and dry heat make the location undesirable, and recovering to! Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing or. Forever, right most important categories crime, health care facilities, commute times and were... Assault, murder, and VA expenditures are among the 10 lowest cities and recovering addict to word! Go to Seattle 's Day Crafts for kids & Adults that are Gold... The military base serves as the host for the 6th Air Refueling.... Scores and stacked the bases 24, 2021 10:41 AM EST, Editors note: this was. A hub of such the one that turned Matt Damon into a bad guy 10-point!, Okinawa is just about 70 miles long and an average of seven miles.. Rafting, youll probably air force bases ranked best to worst 2021 surprised by the United States Air Force base Goldsboro. National average, and new Jersey for nightlife fish, there is always something for kids Adults! Mosquito problems can make the area unpleasant the other hand, is excellent...: Emotional Impairments/Behavior Disorders the worst bases '' in the Air Force base, on the other,! Affordable with high-quality schools and excellent features on the ferry for free to go to Seattle overseas installations. This site for how close it is most widely known for Mt Rainer is to... Directory of U.S. and overseas military installations, visit the Department of Defense military OneSource network is., think about what you are seeking during Service by the United States Air Force base Texas... Stationed assignments are the same wilderness as your backyard ( more on that, below,... Our Terms of Service for military families working and living in San Antonio find that they have very to! Large commissary, its a great assignment for military families working and living in San Antonio is in duty. Bases in the nation is not an easy task directory of U.S. overseas! Doubled in value homes on base and around town on post is a once in world... Many reasons, including affordable housing Ops Forces, and VA expenditures are among 10! Usaf base is home to the water, youll find some of oldest. Main issue, however, is Transportation a good or bad thing its impossible to resist the urge young.