Housing for NAS Whiting

[HighDimension]

Hi,

This is my first post but I figured maybe I can help out some with this since I'm from pensacola. The issue with the paper mill depends on where you are in relation to it. I've lived 5 miles SW of the mill for about 6 years, only can remember one or two times that its ever been noticable. Also, Cantonment is probably one of the quickest growing communities around Pensacola so if you are looking for something to sink your money into it is not a bad choice. I'm currently a MIDN at ERAU but if you need any other information feel free to PM me.

 

[KBayDog]

Don't discount Bagdad. I'm a housing bubba, but know a few folks in Bagdad. Close to I-10, and just a few minutes from Milton. Pretty nice area with new houses popping up all the time.

Also, ULIKE PACE, there are no plans to build a 10,0000-house "community" in the next few years. If you think the traffic on 90 sucks now...

 

[handjive]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Living at Whiting Pines was the best decision I've made, yet in flight training.

I'm all about buying a house as an investment opportunity, but with the uncertainty of flight training, Primary is really not the best place to do that. I was making O-1E pay and the house was worth every penny. You can't put a price on the community there. Our neighbors were fantastic (E5B was one of them) and it really felt like I was at summer camp. No one locked their doors, you could drop in by anyone's house anytime (except naked tuesdays), we had bar-b-ques almost every weekend, and answers to flight school questions were never more than a short walk away.

The wives were as tight knit as the students and they always had activities to keep them busy (whether they worked or not). You married folks understand how important it is to keep your spouse occupied and happy. We had friends that lived nearby, but outside of housing, and they just didn't have the same social life as those of us at The Pines. I made plenty of friends in my squadron, but the friends I made in housing there I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life.

I would be willing to go through the pains of primary all over again if it meant I could have the old neighborhood together again.

If you have to go to the coolest bars every night, then housing may not be for you, but Pensacola is not that far away and we got our fill of "culture" there every weekend. The benefits of living in the housing community far outweighed our proximity to the beach.

FYI: I knew far more people that moved from places out in town (incl P'Cola) to Whiting Pines than people who moved out of housing to get a place elsewhere.

Also to clear up any confusion: If you live in base housing, you forfeit your BAH, but pay no rent. You are only responsible for cable and internet (if you want it). Electricity, water, etc. are all included.

 

[KBayDog]

Concur with handjive. True, as an O-1E, I could go bigger and better. For the relatively short time I am at Whiting, though, it works out great. With me in flight school and my wife doing the grad school thing, "free" time together is pretty scarce. When we do have off, we don't want to have to worry about keeping up the house, aside from everyday cleaning. In housing, there is nothing to worry about as far as maintenance. All you really have to do is mow the yard every now and again. This was especially true during this year's hurricane season. The housing folks were really good about ensuring that everyone was well taken care of (generators, food, etc.), and repairs were done quickly. We all even got new roofs out of the deal. (I could not imagine going through Primary and having to worry about paying for roof repairs, flood damage, etc.)

The short commute made the $3 (and even the $2) gas a little less painful. It also made the 0530 simulators a whole lot less painful.

The 24/7 security is pretty nice.

The "free" A/C in the summer kicks ass - but, of course, I always conserve energy . ("It's just a matter of degrees!")

The best part of housing, though, is having the mini mart within crawling distance.

Especially on Sundays. :football_ :icon_zbee

 

[slabicro]

We bought a house in Milton that we will be keeping and renting in the spring. We got a great deal bc it was pre Ivan days. I missed based housing only bc you meet people so much easier but our mortgage was much cheaper than BAH and our home is obviously a lot nicer than base with no wall sharing with a neighbor. Houses have gone up a lot in the last year and a half but still worth it to buy. We have a German Shepherd and an apartment wasn't even an option then most rental homes wouldn't allow him. Big reason we plan to rent and allow a big dog bc we feel for those that have them! On commuting...my Dh opinion is to NOT do it bc in primary and advanced your days are long and 35-40 mins of a drive could be that much more sleep. HWY 90 IS PACKED in rush hour times bc it's the only way in and out of the area (except back roads). He had friends who lived in Pcola and during times like RIs and what not would stay at BOQ to avoid their drive back and forth! You don't think much of it now but when you have a 6 am brief with a 12 hr day at base- you will! Our house is close to I 10 so it takes only 15 mins to get all the way to Cordova area which is nothing.

 

[KimberlyD]

I understand the sense of community but honestly, my husband is prior, we briefly lived in housing in Newport News, VA (Woodbridge-2 months) & we lived in housing during NSI in Newport, RI (Coddington), it was AWFUL. The worst experiences of my life, nosey neighbors going on & on ab what you drive, wear, eat, when you have sex (& yes, we could hear the neighbors who were at 0445 every morning-I pray they haven't signed on here!)... It was awful, not the experience I remember fr growing up (in O housing). Those that are prior, do you notice a difference in the housing "sense of community"? I hear fr lots of people at Flight School, NPS, NWC & programs like that that housing is the way to go for all the reasons many of you listed but noone has been able to compare E to O housing in present day for me. I like living in a neighborhood where we can party w/ our neighbors (& that's what I'll miss most ab living here!) but where they also keep their distance & aren't all up in our business other than to drink to our victories (Commissioning & Flight School selection so far) & vice versa. Moreover, how is housing for an O1E w/ 2 kids? Is my husband going to have room to study w/out having to listen to the 2 & 3 year old as they begin their nightly "I don't wanna go to bed" routine? That's our main reason for thinking we should buy, we can buy a 4 BR & he can have an office... Anyone want to weigh in w/ their opinion on that?

 

[slabicro]

With two kids I would say you would get a three bedroom which at Whiting Pines are single homes and not connected. You are not separated from enlisted though bc it's just based on availability at the time and there are even single guys sharing houses at Whiting Pines. When my husband was enlisted in the AirFforce we didn't live in the same housing as officers and there was no chance of one being a neighbor. We liked it a lot bc like you said we could BBQ and all with our friends but there was ALWAYS drama. I know some of our friends at Whiting say there is a lot of that but it's all what you make of it and how much you allow yourself to get in it. That is one thing I have not missed about having our own home! I would at least go look at it and see what is available bc some of the 3 bedrooms are more spacey and you might feel your husband has enough room to study away from the kids. Even our home didn't have much of that with just my DH and me! Good luck!

 

[trvsmrtn]

KimberlyD, I'm a prior who lived in base housing in Millington, TN and Newport, RI. I got commissioned and now I live in Whiting Pines and it is 100 times better than any of the other housing areas I've lived in. I also have 2 kids. You'll get a decent sized 3 bedroom house. The only problem with the 3 bedroom O housing is the floors. They're tarazzo, or something similar, so plan on getting lots of rugs. The community is great, nobody seems real nosy and in your business. My wife and I were really caught off guard because all our new neighbors stopped by to welcome us and 2 of them even cooked us dinner the first couple of nights we were there. There's a nice big park for the kids, a community center that has activities for the kids and adults and there are base police patrolling all the time. Middle school is right next to the community and the elementary school is 5 minutes away, and the bus picks the kids up at the house.

 

[KBayDog]

They do a pretty good job of separating enlisted and officers at the Pines. There are a few exceptions, of course. The houses are in a constant state of renovation, with priority going to the "permanent personnel" housing first. No, as a flight student, you are NOT "permanent personnel" for the 6-12 months you are stationed here. Hence your tarazzo (or whatever you call it) floors, while the folks who are stationed here for three years have carpeting.

The community atmosphere is, just like anywhere else, what you make of it. Is it like the "real" military, in which everyone is home on the weekends with no responsibilities other than mustering on time on Monday? No.

First is the overall relative stress of flight school. While the SNA may put his feet up every now and again, it is hard to really relax when he is not in the cockpit. Unfortunately, he can't leave his work on base at 1630. There is always something to study, something to prepare for, and the majority of it has to be done at home.

Second is the crazy, literally day-to-day scheduling. SNAs do not find out Tuesday's schedule until Monday night, and Saturday's schedule until Friday night. Therefore, it is hard to plan liberty activities too far in advance. In fact, since you never know the schedule until the evening, you almost have to plan on flying at 0530, until you see otherwise. Also, you may brief at 0530 and be home by noon, your neighbor may brief at 1130 and be home at 1700, and your other neighbor may brief at 1600 and not be home until 2100. The schedules are never in synch.

Third is the training syllabus - each stage is front-loaded, requiring more study time early in the stage than later. Basically, while the syllabus is standard, flight school as a whole is pretty dynamic. It is not a M-F, 0700-1600 school, which makes get-togethers a little more challenging to plan.

However, the community is great. If you want to make it work, if you want to have parties, you will. The best thing, in my opinion, about Whiting Pines is the fact that the Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coasties all live, train, and party together. I'm a Marine, but have learned more about the Navy in the past six months than in the past nine years, simply by knowing and getting close to our Navy neighbors. Until flight school, I never even knew any Coasties. The Air Force was just a group of guys with nice bases, but now I have two Zoomies as neighbors. After my stay in the Pines, it is back to the Marine community, so I am trying to learn as much as I can about the sister services as I can right now. All in all, it has been a great experience getting to know folks (and their families) during my stay here.

 

[handjive]

Community is everything

I understand the sense of community but honestly, my husband is prior, we briefly lived in housing in Newport News, VA (Woodbridge-2 months) & we lived in housing during NSI in Newport, RI (Coddington), it was AWFUL. The worst experiences of my life... Those that are prior, do you notice a difference in the housing "sense of community"?

Housing at WP is different (for the better) than anywhere else in the military. Nowhere else will you have such a tight knit community. Everyone is in the same boat and going through the same experiences, so it lends itself to friendly neighbors. It's not like other locations where you have an admin clerk living next to an artillery officer, next to a pilot. There is a common bond to begin with and it makes life there much more enjoyable. They don't specifically screen out a-holes, but neither do they do that out in town. I might have been lucky, but I honestly can't remember one person in the neighborhood that I didn't get along with.

I like living in a neighborhood where we can party w/ our neighbors (& that's what I'll miss most ab living here!) but where they also keep their distance & aren't all up in our business other than to drink to our victories (Commissioning & Flight School selection so far) & vice versa.

See my answer above regarding everyone being in the same boat. Who better to understand and share in the joy of selection, first solo, etc. than fellow flight students. They will throw you a party. Also, those same neighbors know not to come within 100' of you when you are buried in the books for RI's. However, if you are an introvert then maybe you should look elsewhere.

Moreover, how is housing for an O1E w/ 2 kids? Is my husband going to have room to study w/out having to listen to the 2 & 3 year old as they begin their nightly "I don't wanna go to bed" routine? That's our main reason for thinking we should buy, we can buy a 4 BR & he can have an office

At WP, you will at least have a 3 bedroom. You can try and do some talking if your hubby has significant prior time. I didn't know this until after the fact, but you rate better housing if you have more than "x" number of years prior service. The larger houses are free-standing (as someone else mentioned). No thin-walled sex shows and a larger yard for the kids to play in.

I obviously loved WP and am a little biased, but from everything I've seen from other military housing, WP is truly unique. You are guaranteed to make good friends there and it is an extremely family-friendly location.

 

[trvsmrtn]

I didn't know this until after the fact, but you rate better housing if you have more than "x" number of years prior service.

9 years

 

[KimberlyD]

9 years is the magic prior number? Geez, guess I should send my husband in to ask (he only has 8 years prior but swears he got selected for STA-21 the first time up due to his lack of a gag reflex!) for the "better" housing!

Anyway, my husband has officially cancelled my upcoming week of fun in the sun (house hunting) & is fast & furiously painting the main portion of our home in prep for the sale of it so that he can detach, leave the kids & I while he moves into the BOQ to await housing at WP & the sale of our home here. Yay. At least we won't be painting any walls there!

 

[KBayDog]

Let us know when you're moving into the Pines so we can plan the party.

 

[KimberlyD]

Let us know when you're moving into the Pines so we can plan the party.

I'll hold you to that!

 

[Circle K]

Let us know when you're moving into the Pines so we can plan the party.

Must've missed that part in the move in packet...

Move to Whiting Pines... post on AW... have party thrown...

Although the wives club did show up with cookies the day after turkey day, beat the movers by 6 days.