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We are living in base housing for the first time. Probably this will be the ONLY time we do, just because it's hard to get on base-housing and hopefully the next place we go will be where we stay for a very very long time. (Moving sucks.)
So, I have to say that I am really enjoying it. This base housing isn't run by the military exactly. At one point it was, but since then the BRAC shut down this active base and there is just a little group of military housing for military members assigned to the Bay Area for whatever reason. There are recruiters here, people doing medical fellowships (here here), people doing academic fellowships, people working in research at the NASA base. All in all there are only around 200 housing units, mostly townhomes. The property management company sends out the handyman to deal with ALL home maintenance issues. YESSSS!!! After being a homeowner for 9 years this is SO REFRESHING! The guy has already been to our house 2 times in only 10 days of living here!!
This base doesn't have a lot of ammenities of other bases, since this is not an active base. There is pretty much just housing and there is a small clubhouse type of place that I haven't been to. The kids have though. I don't think there's much to it. Some weights maybe, a couple of treadmills... This base does have a commisary that I haven't been to yet either. It's small-- I went to see it when we were out here house hunting in June. It was tiny and prices were comparable to Safeway. This base has no gas station, no medical, no restaurants. Just the military housing and the commisary and then the other NASA buildings and what not that are based here but not really part of my day to day life.
I don't like having to show my ID every time I come home. It's a pain to have to strictly remember my wallet EVERY TIME I leave the house. My daughter has to show her ID to get on base too-- she takes the city bus home from high school and the bus comes onto base, and the officer comes onto the bus to check the IDs of all the people riding the bus.
This is a very secure area, but even then there was some graffiti on the playground the other day. Kids will be kids I guess? I don't know who did it of course, but it was cleaned up lickety split.
The first day we moved in there were a ton of other kids roaming about checking out the new kids. After living here for all of 5 days, we felt like the "old timers" in the neighborhood because someone had moved in every other day of the week! The kids are mostly very friendly, some more so than others, and the parents are all pretty on top of things. The kids do tend to bike around the entire base in groups, not worried about where they are or where they are going. My kids love this freedom as our previous neighborhood was safe, but still not so safe that I would let them out of my sight. I rarely let them play at our tot lot across the street from my house!! Here though all the kids are together, the speed limit is 25 and strictly enforced (and I've never seen anyone actually drive that fast in the neighborhoods-- there are speed bumps all over etc et). So it's a very nice environment for kids. Very safe, lots of kids who know the system already, etc.
All in all, I would totally recommend base living to anyone who gets the chance in the future. You don't have to deal with a landlord, you don't have to pay a huge security deposit (although they will charge you when you vacate if you do damage to the property of course), and the security of living in base housing is just amazing. We left our door unlocked accidentally one night (we won't make it a habit) but I wasn't freaked out by it... You feel like you can leave your door unlocked all the time and there will be no problems... Lulled into a false sense of security perhaps?
Anyway, if anyone has questions about base living, let me have them!
In other news-- we are part of the Tricare Prime Remote program which so far has been maddeningly slow at getting my referral for DS's specialists. We got in to see a doctor with no problem--she's new to the clinic and had openings, but the referrals!!! Ugh!!! Why can't your referral go with you if you are already under the care of a specialist at one duty station? It makes no sense to make you go back through the referral process. DS is going to miss one allergy shot increment which means he's going to need 2 extra shots to make up for it... Just the way that works. That's IF we find an Allergist who will accept his special blend of medicine-- if they insist on their own medicine, he'd have to start all over!! And he's almost 2 years into the shots so he's not interested in that... But anyway, I suppose relocating and managing health care while relocating is the same PITA for all people!!
So, I have to say that I am really enjoying it. This base housing isn't run by the military exactly. At one point it was, but since then the BRAC shut down this active base and there is just a little group of military housing for military members assigned to the Bay Area for whatever reason. There are recruiters here, people doing medical fellowships (here here), people doing academic fellowships, people working in research at the NASA base. All in all there are only around 200 housing units, mostly townhomes. The property management company sends out the handyman to deal with ALL home maintenance issues. YESSSS!!! After being a homeowner for 9 years this is SO REFRESHING! The guy has already been to our house 2 times in only 10 days of living here!!
This base doesn't have a lot of ammenities of other bases, since this is not an active base. There is pretty much just housing and there is a small clubhouse type of place that I haven't been to. The kids have though. I don't think there's much to it. Some weights maybe, a couple of treadmills... This base does have a commisary that I haven't been to yet either. It's small-- I went to see it when we were out here house hunting in June. It was tiny and prices were comparable to Safeway. This base has no gas station, no medical, no restaurants. Just the military housing and the commisary and then the other NASA buildings and what not that are based here but not really part of my day to day life.
I don't like having to show my ID every time I come home. It's a pain to have to strictly remember my wallet EVERY TIME I leave the house. My daughter has to show her ID to get on base too-- she takes the city bus home from high school and the bus comes onto base, and the officer comes onto the bus to check the IDs of all the people riding the bus.
This is a very secure area, but even then there was some graffiti on the playground the other day. Kids will be kids I guess? I don't know who did it of course, but it was cleaned up lickety split.
The first day we moved in there were a ton of other kids roaming about checking out the new kids. After living here for all of 5 days, we felt like the "old timers" in the neighborhood because someone had moved in every other day of the week! The kids are mostly very friendly, some more so than others, and the parents are all pretty on top of things. The kids do tend to bike around the entire base in groups, not worried about where they are or where they are going. My kids love this freedom as our previous neighborhood was safe, but still not so safe that I would let them out of my sight. I rarely let them play at our tot lot across the street from my house!! Here though all the kids are together, the speed limit is 25 and strictly enforced (and I've never seen anyone actually drive that fast in the neighborhoods-- there are speed bumps all over etc et). So it's a very nice environment for kids. Very safe, lots of kids who know the system already, etc.
All in all, I would totally recommend base living to anyone who gets the chance in the future. You don't have to deal with a landlord, you don't have to pay a huge security deposit (although they will charge you when you vacate if you do damage to the property of course), and the security of living in base housing is just amazing. We left our door unlocked accidentally one night (we won't make it a habit) but I wasn't freaked out by it... You feel like you can leave your door unlocked all the time and there will be no problems... Lulled into a false sense of security perhaps?
Anyway, if anyone has questions about base living, let me have them!
In other news-- we are part of the Tricare Prime Remote program which so far has been maddeningly slow at getting my referral for DS's specialists. We got in to see a doctor with no problem--she's new to the clinic and had openings, but the referrals!!! Ugh!!! Why can't your referral go with you if you are already under the care of a specialist at one duty station? It makes no sense to make you go back through the referral process. DS is going to miss one allergy shot increment which means he's going to need 2 extra shots to make up for it... Just the way that works. That's IF we find an Allergist who will accept his special blend of medicine-- if they insist on their own medicine, he'd have to start all over!! And he's almost 2 years into the shots so he's not interested in that... But anyway, I suppose relocating and managing health care while relocating is the same PITA for all people!!
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