Military Moms - Jan-Feb '09! - Page 57

[sarahb918]

Originally Posted by MovingMomma

It's our top pick b/c it's non-deployable for DH & we would love to visit all the historical sites nearby. But it is more or less a process of elimination & it comes out on top b/c of the negatives associated w/the other options. We really can't wait until we can head back home for retirement.

Yea my husband doesn't have a ton of options. He can go to MCAS Miramar, MCAS Cherry Point (which we are currently at and not thrilled with it), or Quantico. We wouldn't have minded Miramar because we have friends out there and family close in AZ, but his assignment at Quantico is going to give him some great experience.

[MarineWife]

I'm glad I asked because it gives me a different perspective. There is a lot to do just a short drive away (if you don't count the traffic). I grew up in Fairfax (Vienna, technically, but it's all kind of the same) so all those museums and historical sites were taken for granted. We went on field trips to them every year in school. After a while, it all gets old. Actually, it's kind of funny but one of the stipulations to me agreeing to my dh joining the Marines was that he take me away from there. I do like to take my kids to the Smithsonian whenever we visit. My family is there so we can go pretty much whenever we want.

My dh has told me the billets there are non-deployable. I've also heard they work such long hours that they aren't home much, either. Of course, coming home almost every night even if it is only for a few hours is better than not coming home for months.

Have you all looked into housing in the area? Are you planning to live on or off base? I'm curious what the homes and towns are like right around Quantico. Stafford was the country when I was growing up. There wasn't anything there but farms.

[sarahb918]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

My dh has told me the billets there are non-deployable. I've also heard they work such long hours that they aren't home much, either. Of course, coming home almost every night even if it is only for a few hours is better than not coming home for months.

Have you all looked into housing in the area? Are you planning to live on or off base? I'm curious what the homes and towns are like right around Quantico. Stafford was the country when I was growing up. There wasn't anything there but farms.

Your DH is correct (at least about the squadron that my husband is going to). He won't be deploying, but he will be traveling quite a lot. From what we were told, he could be gone up to two weeks out of each month and sometimes he'll only be given a few hours notice that he's leaving. So there are downsides to it.

You would probably be surprised if you saw Stafford today! There is all kinds of housing. We looked at one detached house and a couple of townhomes all in Stafford. We also liked the area because there were plenty of places to shop and a lot of restaurants. It's not a HUGE city, but there is definitely more out there than there is here in New Bern!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by sarahb918

You would probably be surprised if you saw Stafford today! There is all kinds of housing. We looked at one detached house and a couple of townhomes all in Stafford. We also liked the area because there were plenty of places to shop and a lot of restaurants. It's not a HUGE city, but there is definitely more out there than there is here in New Bern!

I know there's more housing in Stafford. Last time I was there was in 2002. My stepsister's uncle is a retired Marine and we visited their home there once, which was nice. I didn't check out all the neighborhoods, though, so I didn't get a sense of what the community was like. I'd guess one thing that's nice about Stafford is that you can get a larger home for less than in the Fairfax area. I wonder what Fredericksburg, Dale City and Woodbridge are like. There are lots of restaurants and shops in Fredericksburg, which is close by. Dale City and Woodbridge are closer to DC. Also, southern Alexandria might be more affordable, although some of the areas are sketchy. You'd be going against traffic going to and from Quantico so the commute wouldn't be quite as bad. I think it's only about 20-30 minutes without traffic. Fredericksburg would having you going with traffic but it might not be too bad that far south yet. I do know that a lot of people who work in the Fairfax/DC area live in or near Fredericksburg so there's still a bit of traffic. There's also the VRE train and metro close by. I think VRE actually stops right at Quantico.

[~Katie~]

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