Thankfully, many of the USAF bases in the United States have quick access to the outdoors and are in rural locations. 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. Single life has its advantages and disadvantages. Not like you typically have a choice, but this list might help anyway. This time, though, we wanted to know where they absolutely HATED being sent. 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! While there are numerous overseas locations worth considering for singles, this list focuses on bases in the United States. It could be because of how close it was to family, the location around the installation or based on what the work hours were for the service member. Maryland 5. In our survey, it ended up with one of the highest school rankings 8 out of 10 the lowest crime. There are just under 60 active U.S. Air Force bases in the country. Fairbanks is near the base which also provides an outstanding commissary and exchange with a mall and shoppette. Sperling's Best Places also provided data it collected on the size and type of on-base commissaries, exchanges and health care facilities, and rankings on a 10-point scale. Fort Irwin is located in the desert of California near the Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. McConnell's crime score was 3 out of a possible 10, lower than the nationwide average score of 6. If you have time to research, do the following: The above list is by no means an exhaustive list of the potential options for duty stations. Thankfully, the Air Force Base has a private beach available to those in service when the weather becomes unbearably hot! 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. There are no schools on base. Similar to Hampton Roads, the San Diego area has several installations near by which makes the possibility for a local PCS to extend your time there. The military base has multiple things going for it as mentioned above. Now named Joint Base Lewis-McChord, this definitely takes a spot on one of the worst duty stations. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. A list of the best Air Force bases for families can be helpful to family-oriented service members that know the importance of landing their loved ones in a solid place. Did you know that there are nearly 800 Air Force bases around the globe? Fayetteville, North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg, listed as No. Serving the United States Air Force could land you in one of these premium locations depending on what you are seeking during service. Related Article List of Air Force Bases in the US. Its a great base for singles because of its proximity to downtown San Antonio and Austin which are paradises for this type of crowd. There are tons of national parks, plus all the skiing and rock climbing you can . *The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. (tied) Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. source GAIA package: Sx_MilitaryTimes_M6201410307210028 . The year-round sunny weather. Junior sailors, geographical bachelors, and families can all find base housing here, too. 6. According to Sperling's Best Places, average July temperatures in Wichita hit a scorching 93 degrees. Service members also have the choice of journeying north to Alburqurqe and many destinations in Colorado for extended leave vacations. 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. And New Orleans is a five-hour drive, so at least you can get a beignet for your troubles.Surprise silver lining: In recent years, Fort Polks base amenities have undergone an impressive facelift. 2002-2023 LoveToKnow Media. Some even deliver to your door. Bolling's crime score was 3 out of 10, much lower than the nationwide average of 6. As for day-to-day operations, the commands area of responsibility includes Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, including U.S. resources located in those areas. The median home cost there is a whopping $766,000. With forty nearby museums to choose from, families will never tire of learning and exploring. Most families report that the base is a black hole that you never leave. Military personnel get a discount, too. As a service member, theres a good chance youre going to move around a lot. Additionally, Joint Base San Antonio Lackland offers its own mall on the base and several other amenities. An island, Okinawa is just about 70 miles long and an average of seven miles wide. Word has it that the family-friendly community here is so good that you dont just cry when you get there, you cry when you leave, too. Located in Miami-Dade County, get an introduction to the melting pot that is nearby Miamis culture. Holloman AFB is between White Sands National Park and Lincoln National Forest. Landscaping and repainting the parking lots was one of many projects for the Dorm Transformation process. Grandparents can make amazing babysitters, but there are some things to keep in mind. Regardless, they're all ones you won't want to miss: 1. 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Phan Rang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam (Closed 1972) Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, (Closed 1971, Reopened 1972-1974) Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam (Closed 1973) Tuy Hoa Air Base, Republic of Vietnam (Closed 1970) U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand, (Closed 1976)**. A not cool thing about Minot it seems to have an endless winter being so far north in North Dakota. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. If you find yourself stationed on the beautiful island of Oahu, consider yourself among the lucky few who get this coveted duty station. Here are the finest locations for the outdoors: What else could you want in an outdoor paradise than Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and its incredible backyard to the Great Outdoors? This base is an area that encompasses the live, work, play mentality and helps military families achieve a work-life balance. Mississippi 8. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. "It's better for my family.". Related Article Pros and Cons of joining the Air Force. The number remains high and far above any other country in the world despite closing down hundreds of bases recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, many despise the climate as usually being wet, cold, and gloomy. The average commute in the Washington area is roughly half an hour, and hits nearly 40 minutes in the area right around Bolling well longer than the average 25-minute commute nationwide. Also, according to residents, the smell from a nearby water treatment plant makes the area very undesirable, especially during the hot and humid summers. Advertise Bring giggles and glee with these hilarious April Fools' Day jokes! If youve always wanted to have the island experience without feeling trapped on the actual island, living in the Keys is the closest you can get to that opportunity. Plus, its located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, so the mountain views dont get much better from a military installation than Fort Carson. Armee de lAir Get Customized Quotes For a complete directory of U.S. and overseas military installations, visit the Department of Defense Military OneSource network. Fort Polk resides in Louisiana where the hot summers and mosquito problems can make the area unpleasant. Average winter temps hover in the low teens in a place where cows outnumber people three to one.Most common escape: Only ninety minutes away is the Worlds Largest Buffalo monument, in case your version of escape is looking at a larger version of your natural surroundings.Surprise silver lining:For a while Minot was at the center of the North Dakota oil boom, jolting the local economy into overdrive, providing loads of jobs for military dependents, and causing rent prices to soar. Read the article to learn more about the top Air Force bases in the country and overseas, along with specific demographics like best for singles or families. 8 Best U.S. Military Bases for Families | Extra Space Storage Reserve a self storage unit today and get up to 20% off! Base: Camp LejeuneUnlucky call sign: J-actionvilleWhy it's not great: The deal breaker here isnt the backwoods location or the fact that legitimate social functions are called pig pickins. No, the complaint we heard most often from Marines is that waaaaay too many Marines live here. Families also benefit from no state income or sales tax in the Anchorage area. We then assigned each category a score on a 10-point scale. So even though the base may be a bust, it might just prompt enough personal growth to make a really excellent online dating profile. Team Little Rock Airmen help landscape the dormitory parking lot for Dorm Transform at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas July 17, 2020. Many love the beach and surf life, and the location puts you near several things to visit and see. If Age is Just a Number, Can the Military Remember Were Still Here. The current version has been updated to reflect the change. The perk? These are the highest ranking Air Force bases for couples: Do you really need an excuse to live in Hawaii? Considering the number of advanced aircraft with large personal strength and the future fleet of IAF, it is one of the most powerful and best air forces in the world. At No. And these were their picks for the Best Military Towns in America -- some truly beautiful parts of the country. Updated Nov 24, 2021 10:41 AM EST, Editors note: This article was originally published in March 2016. On base, youll find dental care, vet services, dining, and other recreational activities for a low-key day off. What are your hobbies? As the second-oldest city in South Carolina, history lovers will adore Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort located 70 miles southwest of Charleston. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Nellis AFB features more military schools and squadrons than any other Air Force base in the country. 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