Need advice on where to live

[MidWestEwo]

Hey I am going to flight school as an SNFO and I am looking for a place to live near NAS Pensacola. I have nothing in the way of furniture, so a furnished place would be a plus. Any good apartment complexes that anyone would recommend? I also wouldn't mind moving in with people already down there if they have room available. I will be traveling down at the end of this week. PM me if you want a room mate and I will give you my contact info.

 

[SynixMan]

You single or married? What's your social life like? Have buddies from OCS coming down too? I'll run down what I've seen people do including myself.

Perdido Key: Highrise condos and vacation homes people want to rent. 4 decent bars and the beach nearby, hopefully walkable. Generally more money as you pay the "Beach Tax". A lot of single dudes will get a 3br place with roommates from their commissioning source. 15-20min drive to NASC/Sherman depending on traffic.

NASP Back Gate: Apartment complexes and some bigger houses. Don't stray too far as it get's pretty redneck quickly. Closer to base (10-15min drive to NASC/Sherman), but farther away from social things. You'll be driving to either Perdido or downtown for bars/food. The apartment complexes tend to be more expensive.

NASP Main Gate: Very hit or miss. I lucked out with an okay neighborhood. Small apartment buildings and houses, but good deals. 15 mins to downtown, 10 to NASC/Sherman, 15 to Perdido, 20 to Pensacola Beach. About the middle of everything fun, but close to work.

Downtown Pensacola: Close to downtown (duh), about 15 to NASC/Sherman, 15 to Pensacola Beach. Gets nicer/more expensive the closer you are to city center and south. Some nice historical districts that are good as well. Downtown nightlife is close, hopefully walkable.

Gulf Breeze/Pensacola Beach: Similar to Perdido, you're paying extra $$ to be near the beach. Lots of bars/restaurants here and the beach obviously. 20-25 mins to NASC/Sherman, 15 to downtown.

Cordova Mall-ish: Close to the mall, and the restaurants there. That's about it. Most people up here are splitting the distance between Whiting and PCola because they're married SNAs. No reason to live up here as a SNFO, especially if you're single.

If I had to do it again, I'd live downtown. I kick myself every time I take a $20 cab ride home from downtown, when I could've lived right there and stumbled 5 minutes home. You'll go to the beach during the day, probably with friends, so getting home isn't as much of an issue than at night. You'll notice I put a lot of emphasis on driving times, as you'll be driving EVERYWHERE. Literally nothing is close to anything here and the roads in and around NASP suck for moving quickly. Don't waste 1.5-2 hours a day in a car.

 

[MidWestEwo]

So downtown is a good bet for a single snfo? What about room mates? I didn't graduate with too many aviators, and the ones I did graduate with seem to already have plans to live by themselves or in a 4some. When I go report will there be a lot of opportunity to meet people and get a place with them? Like are there boards posted with people wanting room mates? OCS doesn't quite prepare people with adequate information about this sort of thing. We were pretty much told to go home, get your car, and report before the 16th. Thanks for the good info so far Synix.

 

[FastMover]

I lived in the Countrywood at Blue Angel apartments for just over a year when I was in VT-10 and liked them very much. About 5 mins from the back gate, pool, fitness center, and a brand new Target right up the street. Also check out Snug Harbor on Perdido Key. I had some buds that lived there and loved it.

 

[SynixMan]

There's a bulletin board at NASC you can peruse for people's listings. Most of them are people trying to rent their 3br house though. Not a lot of roommates wanted.

Oh, and I forgot. http://pensacola.craigslist.org

That's where I found mine.

 

[OUSOONER]

There's a bulletin board at NASC you can peruse for people's listings. Most of them are people trying to rent their 3br house though. Not a lot of roommates wanted.

Oh, and I forgot. http://pensacola.craigslist.org

That's where I found mine.

Your missed connection?

 

[CommodoreMid]

Why are you looking for a furnished place? As an ENS, unless you have some kind of ridiculous debt right now, you definitely can afford to buy furniture.

In terms of location it all depends on your priorities. I also lived at Countrywood, because the way I saw it, 5 days a week I'm commuting to base, and especially during primary if you have the 5 AM brief, it's pretty nice to take less than 10 minutes to get to work. Even if you party hard every weekend and during the week that's still less that you're going to work. Again, that was my personal preference: I'd rather have to deal with a drive when I want to party than deal with it for work. Living on the beach, by Cordova, same deal. It's all your priorities, each has pros/cons.

 

[OUSOONER]

3 words....Rooms To Go.

 

[cfam]

^^What they said. It all depends on what kind of scene you're looking for. I've lived on Perdido for two years, and I love it. Decent bars, the beach, and Orange Beach/Gulf Shores AL about 15mins down the beach (shopping, restaurants, etc...) Personally, the drive to downtown wasn't a big issue, especially since I only head out there on the weekends. You can almost always find someone to drive, or splitting a cab four ways isn't bad. Keep in mind that you'll be (especially in advanced) way too busy to go out during the week. Unless you really need to be in the middle of things, either beach (Perdido or Pensacola Beach) is worth the extra ten mins drive to work.