For the panel of experts:
Can people just write a little bit about their experiences in Hawaii, Jax, Whidbey, and Maine? A lot of posters here have been to these places and I have been to none of them...
Just the little things like:
-How far to drive to what attractions ('attractions' being like a decent-sized city or the beach, etc.)?
-What are the home-field advantages? (ex., I have heard an instructor say that it is advantageous to get Whidbey or Hawaii becasue they are West coast and the other two share the East Coast with Washington DC, so they are more regulatory)
-What is the family life like? (I have heard certain areas of Jax are high-crime) (I have also heard that Hawaii people hate mainlanders)
-How nice is the actual base? (Nice exchange, nice stuff in general)
-How nice is the area around the base? (I assume Hawaii will get big praise here)
-How are the housing/job markets? (I have heard that in Hawaii not only will my wife might not be able to find work but our house will be more expensive on top of it)
-Do different squadrons deploy to different places? (ex. if East coast squadrons generally went to Europe more, I would perfer that.)
HERE ARE THE CURRENT WORD-OF-MOUTH RUMORS I HAVE HEARD...
1- You get island fever in Hawaii, the locals hate you, your wife can't find a job, all the kids in school hate your kids for being white, the time difference is a killer, but that it is all worth it because it is 78 and sunny every day with a slight breeze.
2- Whidbey is in the middle of nowhere and it RAINS ALL THE TIME. You better love to fish, and I mean really love to fish in order to enjoy it.
3- Jax is up-tight and the area around the base is ghetto, but a pretty good place to go.
4-Brunswick is also in the middle of nowhere and it is not cliche... it really is COLD. Winter is too long but the area is beautiful. It is not too all-navy around there and is within driving distance of everything Boston-NYC-DC-Philly-Balt have to offer.
PLEASE tell me what you have experienced in these places... thanks a lot for any time you put into it!
Can people just write a little bit about their experiences in Hawaii, Jax, Whidbey, and Maine? A lot of posters here have been to these places and I have been to none of them...
Just the little things like:
-How far to drive to what attractions ('attractions' being like a decent-sized city or the beach, etc.)?
-What are the home-field advantages? (ex., I have heard an instructor say that it is advantageous to get Whidbey or Hawaii becasue they are West coast and the other two share the East Coast with Washington DC, so they are more regulatory)
-What is the family life like? (I have heard certain areas of Jax are high-crime) (I have also heard that Hawaii people hate mainlanders)
-How nice is the actual base? (Nice exchange, nice stuff in general)
-How nice is the area around the base? (I assume Hawaii will get big praise here)
-How are the housing/job markets? (I have heard that in Hawaii not only will my wife might not be able to find work but our house will be more expensive on top of it)
-Do different squadrons deploy to different places? (ex. if East coast squadrons generally went to Europe more, I would perfer that.)
HERE ARE THE CURRENT WORD-OF-MOUTH RUMORS I HAVE HEARD...
1- You get island fever in Hawaii, the locals hate you, your wife can't find a job, all the kids in school hate your kids for being white, the time difference is a killer, but that it is all worth it because it is 78 and sunny every day with a slight breeze.
2- Whidbey is in the middle of nowhere and it RAINS ALL THE TIME. You better love to fish, and I mean really love to fish in order to enjoy it.
3- Jax is up-tight and the area around the base is ghetto, but a pretty good place to go.
4-Brunswick is also in the middle of nowhere and it is not cliche... it really is COLD. Winter is too long but the area is beautiful. It is not too all-navy around there and is within driving distance of everything Boston-NYC-DC-Philly-Balt have to offer.
PLEASE tell me what you have experienced in these places... thanks a lot for any time you put into it!