|
|
|||||||
|
|
FORT CAMPBELL
Your Name (if you would like it to appear): Michele
Base Location: On the state line between Clarksville, TN and Oak Grove, KY. Most of the post is in Tennessee, but the post office is on the Kentucky side, so they call the whole post Kentucky.
How long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present) December 2004 -present What is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post? Any areas to stay away from? Average price to rent or buy? On post housing is pretty decent. They are in the process of remodeling the old housing and building lots of new houses. The wait lists are fairly long right now because of the 101st Airborne's recent redeployment. Right now we are on the list and were told 4-6 months for 2 bedrooms. It was about the same when we got here in 2004. As with most places, the list gets longer the more bedrooms you need. We live off post (and have since we got here). We are moving on post because the crime rate in north Clarksville has gotten pretty bad recently. Prices range greatly for off-post housing - our house cost about $80,000, but you can pay a lot more than that (and also get a lot more house). Rentals run about $600-$800 for a single family, 3 bedroom home. The New Providence area in Clarksville is off limits to military personnel, and there are a lot of trailer parks off limits as well. If I had to choose a place to live off-post, I would move to the Tiny Town Road area. We have never lived on the Kentucky side of post so I'm not sure what it's like up there, other than I know housing prices are cheaper.
Rate the PX & Commissary. The PX is almost completed being remodeled and it will be the biggest one in the world. It's incredible and I love it. The commissary is a medium-large one, and it has a good selection. There are a lot of retirees living around here, so it can get really crowded, especially on weekends. The only complaint I have about the commissary is the produce selection, but it has been improving lately.
Activities on base? There is just about everything you could want on post. Bowling, movie theater, craft center, several restaurants, golf course, child care facilities/preschools, horse stables, parks, lots of playgrounds, hunting/fishing areas, cabins and camping, and I'm sure more things that I have forgotten.
Active Spouses Club? I have not joined the Enlisted Spouses Club, but I do know that they do a lot of volunteer work, especially with the newly built Fisher House (place for families of inured soldiers to stay near the hospital). The Officer's Spouses Club had a craft fair recently, but I honestly don't know anything about them either.
Things to do in area? There is a large national park with two lakes about an hour away (Land Between the Lakes). There's also a Civil War battlefield -Fort Donelson. We went there recently and it's really interesting. There are two caves nearby - Dunbar Cave in Clarksville and a haunted cave in Adams, TN (they based the movie "An American Haunting" off of it). There are malls in Clarksville, TN, and also in Hopkinsville, KY. We have almost any restaurant you could want as well, along with several movie theaters.
School System? The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (TN) is quite good. I am working on a degree in education and I've spent a lot of hours in those schools. I would have no problem with my kids going to any of the schools I've been in. The student-teacher ratios are low and most of the buildings are well-equipped and fairly new (or updated). The on-post schools are excellent as well. I haven't spent as much time in them but I have enjoyed it when I've been there. I've been told they have free preschool at the public schools for kids who live on post. All of the schools in the area seem to be very supportive of military kids and welcome parents to come in and visit any time. I don't know much about the public schools in Kentucky. There are also several private and church-run schools in the area.
Any colleges in area? Austin Peay State University is in Clarksville. They also have a satellite campus on post, and are working on building their own facilities there. It is a good school, made up of mostly commuters and Army wives/ex-military. I have been taking classes there since we got here, and I've enjoyed it. There are also several junior colleges in the area - Hopkinsville Community College, Draughons Junior college, Miller-Motte Technical College, and maybe a couple more I forgot.
Jobs? (on post and off) I personally have not looked for a job either place since we got here. Most people I know who want to work have found jobs easily, however.
Favorite aspect of this base/surrounding city? The area is beautiful in the autumn, especially around the lakes or the Cumberland River. There is always something to do outdoors, and we love to just go driving and find something to do. We've been here 2 years and are still discovering new places.
Least favorite aspect? Honestly we're not big fans of my husband's unit, and because of that we have been wanting to leave for a while. It's hard to get out of here - people here refer to Fort Campbell as the "black hole" of the Army. Once you're here, it's hard to get out (I've met people who have been here 10-17 years at a time.)
Local websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.)
Any other tips? It's a good duty station, but like any place, it is what you make of it. Overall, we are happy with the post. |
|
|||||
|
All rights reserved. Copyright Simply Creative, Inc. |
|||||||
