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Pensacola API/Primary living situation.

PrincessGoober

Navy Wife
My husband is in the STA-21 program and will be commissioning in May 2013. We will be headed to Pensacola after that. If he happens to get Milton, Fl. How do we do the PCS? Or are we stuck were ever we get our house in Pcola and he's stuck with the drive?

I would like to be close to base so I can use the Comm., Exchange, Gym, Pool or whatever. But I don't want my hubby having to drive a long time every day.

What did you do? I have been living in Tucson, in a nice town house in crappy part of town. I really want live in a nice area not in a scary part of town. Which is why I'm being anal and doing all this crime rate type research now.
 

OUSOONER

Crusty Shellback
pilot
API in Pensacola is only a couple months, I would just get an apartment and wait until you find out where you are going. Don't buy at all or anything until after flight school. I lived in apartments all the way until I got into the RAG. You have the potential to move 3-4 times during flight school. If you're going to find a house, get a year lease...and don't commit to that even until after he finishes up in Pensacola.
 

millsrawife

Proud Navy Wife!
I know it sucks, but you kinda have to play the waiting game. You won't know anything until your husband gets orders and that probably won't happen until a day or two before he commissions. From what I understand API is unaccompanied orders, so you won't be moving with your hubby unless he has the follow on orders to whiting (I guess technically you could go, just not on the Navy's dime). If his orders have the follow on to Whiting then you can go by the personal property office on base and they will help you set up your pack out. In our case, my husbands orders had the follow on to Whiting, so right now he is in pcola sharing an apartment from month to month with a few other SNAs until my son and I move down. We found a small place in Milton, so while he is in API he will have to commute for a few months (thankfully our car gets 40 mpg!). If you haven't already signed up on ahrn.com then you should. Most of the houses for rent are owned by military members and are near base. Hope this helps!
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
And to tag onto what millsrawife said, it is going to be a waiting game for a lot longer than this. I know it was challenging for my wife while I was in flight school........it's a very long and drawn out process of elimination, where basically every possibility is on the board when you are in API, with the process only really ending 3-ish years later when your dude finishes the RAG and goes to a fleet sqdn, where you know he will no kidding be for a few years. And then it will potentially change again. And again....
 

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
...and once you're in the fleet squadron, you can worry and fret and turn your hair grey wondering what your shore tour orders will be and where they will take you and your family.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
And then second sea tour orders, and if he's going to pick up O-4, etc etc.

As told to me by a reservist O-4 in Primary: "The only people who will be happy in the Navy are the top 1% who always get what they want and those who stop caring where they go and just do well in anything"
 

jtmedli

Well-Known Member
pilot
My husband is in the STA-21 program and will be commissioning in May 2013. We will be headed to Pensacola after that. If he happens to get Milton, Fl. How do we do the PCS? Or are we stuck were ever we get our house in Pcola and he's stuck with the drive?

I would like to be close to base so I can use the Comm., Exchange, Gym, Pool or whatever. But I don't want my hubby having to drive a long time every day.

What did you do? I have been living in Tucson, in a nice town house in crappy part of town. I really want live in a nice area not in a scary part of town. Which is why I'm being anal and doing all this crime rate type research now.

First off, you're married so he's definitely (well, as definite as anything is in the military) going to Whiting so I'd plan on that. The other concern is whether you guys want to live by NASP (in Perdido, on the beach) for API and then deal with moving or just get somewhere in the middle or in Milton and deal with the long drive down to NASP for API.

My advice is that you guys look into Governor's Gate or the Pace area. Pace is about 15-20mins from Whiting depending on where you live and Governor's Gate is about 30 and it's in N. Pcola near UWF (also 2 mins from Target/Publix/Chickfila/etc which is in a shopping center). Governor's Gate is a nice gated apartment complex and quite a few SNAs that live there. Pace is probably the best 'middle ground' because it's over the Escambia Bay Bridge and closer to Whiting. Pace also still has walmart, target, petsmart, publix, and various restaurants.

Look on militarybyowner.com and see if you can scope out a house in the Pace area for a good price. Also, craigslist is a good resource but be wary of landlords (as always) and PCS Realty manages a lot of military owned homes in the area.

Hope that helps. I've been here for all of flight school so if you want to ask some specific questions then feel free to message me.
 

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
As told to me by a reservist O-4 in Primary: "The only people who will be happy in the Navy are the top 1% who always get what they want and those who stop caring where they go and just do well in anything"
I like option two...would be happy to think that was my niche. Good luck for me...my sweetie and both sons thrived in that environment as well. It was a helluva ride...
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
^^^ I agree. Nowhere near the experience level you and your family have had, but out of the 5 PCS moves I've made (3 of which she was with me for), we have enjoyed all places. Some more than others, but I can't think of a place we've been that has been an unhappy time.
 

navybunny

New Member
Hello,
I'm Dee. I am new here and I keep lurking trying to find some answers to complicated questions. My husband is commissioning this month and then heading to Pensacola for IFS/API, and then he will have orders to Whiting. I am just trying to find out WHEN I can move with him once he actually receives his orders. I am juggling school/transferring to UWF so it's a bit more involved of a situation, and I will be moving from Oregon. So, are the odds in my favor of getting accompanied PCS orders right away? It sure sounds like it. Thanks ladies :)
 

cameron172

Member
pilot
My advice is that you guys look into Governor's Gate or the Pace area.

I'm headed to Pensacola in the summer and like this place. But I've heard that Governor's Gate is overrun by noisy UWF college kids and that they're not too military friendly. Have you experienced any of these issues?
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
I'm headed to Pensacola in the summer and like this place. But I've heard that Governor's Gate is overrun by noisy UWF college kids and that they're not too military friendly. Have you experienced any of these issues?

I lived in Eaton Square, down the street from Govs Gate and UWF. Had UWF people in our complex and building. Let's just say UWF isn't a "party school". Quite the opposite in fact. You'll be fine.

And generally PCola locals are tolerant of military but don't love us. We've been stealing and/or knocking up their daughters for 100 years now.
 

jtmedli

Well-Known Member
pilot
I'm headed to Pensacola in the summer and like this place. But I've heard that Governor's Gate is overrun by noisy UWF college kids and that they're not too military friendly. Have you experienced any of these issues?

I dont know where you heard that from, but Governor's Gate has a 24 hour, on-call courtesy officer and this is by-far the quietest apartment complex I've ever lived in. I can't vouch for Eaton Square though.
 
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