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Old 01-06-2023, 08:50 AM
 
14 posts, read 8,414 times
Reputation: 10

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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant View Post
I've lived in:
DC
Oahu
Norfolk

DC (5/10): not affordable, your pay is good but you won't be well off there. You have to trade distance from the city for space, and the traffic is some of the worst imaginable for people on "normal" hours. It is not unknown for some Federal office jobs to start very early and have the work day end by 3 to 3:30 to get out before the gridlock starts. Nice parks and all the perks of being in the capital city.

Oahu (7/10): not affordable, your pay is good and you can make it but you won't be living in exceptionally good areas (they'll be fine, just not top of the line). You will probably not get as much space as you hoped for regardless of where you live, either. They are not making more land on Oahu. Absolutely stellar outdoor recreation, though, particularly if you are into water related stuff-SCUBA, surfing, swimming, beaches. As a major tourist destination, it's nice to be able to do the touristy stuff and head home to your house afterwards. Some people suffer "island fever" of not being able to drive long distances. I never understood that, the island isn't that small, but it really does bother some people.

Norfolk (8/10): much more affordable, your pay is pretty high-end for that area, and space is possible. A rule of thumb is if you can, live and work on the same side of the water (e.g., if you are at the Norfolk Naval base itself, live in Norfolk or possibly VA Beach; if you are at the Naval Shipyard, live down around Suffolk or Portsmouth or Chesapeake, etc.). Follow that rule and traffic is not going to be awful. Reasonable outdoor stuff just outside the main metro areas and you are in a good location to get to mountains and beaches easily.
I totally hear you on the DC traffic thing. I did work with another agency a few years ago, and was living near Baltimore, heading toward the city each day. Some of the things I witnessed on that commute were insane! Like most people not in the ES pay scale, I'd likely have to live outside of the district in MD or VA and deal with the commute.

I've never truly been to Norfolk, but used to vacation a lot in Virginia Beach/Sandbridge. Thanks for the tips about Norfolk--it's hard enough to scramble to relocate, let alone try to get neighborhood advice from people you don't know yet. That may be very close to the top of our preference list!
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Old 01-06-2023, 08:53 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,249 posts, read 60,994,380 times
Reputation: 30134
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobabrew719 View Post
... I still do not get to pick where I end up (based on the needs of the agency), but they try to drop people in one of their top 5 choices.
Then you really have very little say at this point.
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Old 01-06-2023, 08:56 AM
 
14 posts, read 8,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM View Post
Was last in Norfolk in 1994. The base itself has many recreational activities. Outside the base there are the usual beaches and boating. Not too long a drive from Norfolk and you’re in some nice mountain areas.

Florida has plenty of options. One downside to Florida is it is the state most often hit by hurricanes. If you move there then get insurance to cover flood and hurricane damage for your vehicle and apartment.

I would stay away from DC and Chicago.
I didn't realize how unaffordable Chicago was until I started browsing for apartments--wow! We love DC because we're history lovers, but I don't think I'd want to live in-district even if I ever made it to the ES pay scale. Living in MD/VA is probably what we'd do.
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Old 01-06-2023, 08:58 AM
 
14 posts, read 8,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Submariner View Post
Then you really have very little say at this point.
Yeah, pretty much. They say they "try" to match people with preferences, but there are always going to be those hard-to-fill locations that need new bodies as the aging workforce moves away towards retirement in more affordable locales. I'm going to rank them as best as I can and hope for the best!
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Old 01-07-2023, 09:39 AM
 
Location: Honolulu/DMV Area/NYC
30,488 posts, read 17,934,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobabrew719 View Post
I'm a few weeks away from accepting a position with the DoD, and have to rank my office location preferences. I still do not get to pick where I end up (based on the needs of the agency), but they try to drop people in one of their top 5 choices.

I am married, no kids (and none in the future), with pets. I would like to live near somewhere with outdoor recreation (trails, parks, places to walk the dog, etc.) with decent access to grocery stores and other shopping. I currently live in an area with a low cost of living, so affordability for the first few years will be very important. To give you an idea, my 4BR/2.5BA only cost us a tick over $200K. I'm in for a rude surprise! Ha

Combined income is about $150K annually, with annual grade and step increases expected each year. I'm 100% willing to sacrifice living space for affordability, but having an extra bedroom for visitors or office space would be great if we could swing it. I am going to spend as much time on my own researching costs and livability, but figured I'd ask those who have already lived in one or more of these areas for general advice.

Renting would be great since we'll only be in this first city for a handful of years, but having 3 pets is going to be an issue, so we may have to rent or buy a home instead of renting an apartment.

Choices:
San Diego, CA
Washington, DC
Mayport, FL
Oahu, HI
Chicago, IL
Jacksonville, NC
Newport, RI
Norfolk, VA
Silverdale, WA
I assume that you're a civilian. I'd, thus, highly recommend that you do not rank Hawaii high on your list. I live on Oahu (in Honolulu) today and love it, but that's because it works for me. As a civilian, you cannot claim your state of residency as somewhere else, so would be stuck paying the very high state income tax here. Not to mention that everything else is more expensive out here, which would eat into your savings.

Also, on the point of having pets, rental properties tend to be very pet unfriendly here, especially for dogs. If you do find one, expect to pay a premium for being allowed to have a dog. Unless you have substantial savings, buying a property here in any decent area will likely be limited to a condo; doable, perhaps, but probably not for the kind of room/space that you're looking for and expecting.

If you are intent on living in Hawaii, it can be done, but just some things to keep in mind.
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Old 01-07-2023, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,249 posts, read 60,994,380 times
Reputation: 30134
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobabrew719 View Post
Yeah, pretty much. They say they "try" to match people with preferences, but there are always going to be those hard-to-fill locations that need new bodies as the aging workforce moves away towards retirement in more affordable locales. I'm going to rank them as best as I can and hope for the best!
I served on Active Duty for 20 years, during my career the Navy was never able to send me to any of the locations where I had requested.

On the other hand, during my career, I had opportunity to work alongside civilian DOD a few times and to talk to them about their career paths.

Once you are working somewhere you can log-onto OPM.gov and review all the 'in-house' openings the federal government has. As an 'in-house' opening, all existing DOD employees are encouraged to apply and it becomes a lateral transfer.

Each opening lists prerequisites. The idea is that as you are working, you want to accumulate as many additional certifications as possible. So when you find an opening that lists the certifications you have, when you apply for that opening, you will already be on their 'short list'.

One man I worked with in a Police Department, had previously been a plumber and he got tired of working in a Police Department. He found an opening in the Public Works department at the same base. The listed prerequisites were all things that he already carried. He applied for the position and he got it. One day he turned in his gear at the Police Department, and the next day he parked over at Public Works and started working over there. With the transfer, he got a pay raise and he maintained his seniority.

I also saw DOD security officers [gate guards] who once they had gotten sufficient qualifications recorded in their files, found other openings for the next higher pay grade at other bases, and did those as lateral transfers [even though those transfers sent them to live in other states].

When I retired from the Navy, my Dw returned back stateside and started working at DeCA. Five years later, we were ready to make our final move, where I built a retirement house. My Dw was able to find an opening at a DeCA location near our retirement home, and she did a lateral transfer here. She was able to continue her career here until she reached pension eligibility.

In her case, she stayed within the same federal agency. But not all lateral transfers are within the same agency.

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Old 01-08-2023, 03:20 PM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,206,492 times
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Okay. You're history lovers. You've got to go to Norfolk. First permanent settlement (Jamestown). Cornwallis surrendered to Washington ending the revolutionary war (Yorktown). Colonial Williamsburg. Kittyhawk NC where the Wright Brothers flew. Appomattox Courthouse where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the civil war. Appalachian Trail. Beaches. Seafood.
BTW dod civilians can get on-base housing at many places including Norfolk. It's not cheap but I believe it's all inclusive. Plus security means a lot.

I'd avoid NC with the contamination issue. That's just me.

I was at Pearl Harbor as a DOD civilian. Too overpopulated. But get your pet titer tested immediately if you are considering that. I left my dogs with a friend until their time was up after the titer so I could pick them up right from the airport.
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Old 01-08-2023, 03:26 PM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,206,492 times
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Oh! DeCA? That's a great org!
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Old 01-08-2023, 10:18 PM
 
Location: SC
629 posts, read 317,737 times
Reputation: 1439
Glad this topic exists because my knowledge of Naval/Marine bases is pretty much zilch. So this thread will be nice for seeing some opinions of different bases and areas, because that would open up some more possible locations to work and live. I have only worked alongside a few contractors or civilians who were in the Navy and the only opinion I've heard from them is that Norfolk sucks, but I love going up to Norfolk and VA Beach for vacation.

Since getting out over a decade ago I've only ever looked at locations around Army and Air Force bases. Going off those I've decided on the Colorado Springs-area being one of the best places to be located just by sheer numbers of DoD jobs. I mean, you've got the AF Academy, Cheyenne Mountain, Schriever, Peterson, and Fort Carson all located around the city. Though I guess some of the Space Force jobs may wind up moving more to Alabama in the future and causing a build-up of the Huntsville-area (but as much as I want to get back into the space industry, Alabama is a no-go for me).

Anyway, I look forward to reading through the comments in here and learning a bit.
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Old 01-10-2023, 05:56 AM
 
Location: Boydton, VA
4,539 posts, read 6,232,577 times
Reputation: 10427
You want affordable and outdoor activities...look at MCAS, Yuma AZ.
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