Moving to Ft Drum! HELP (Clay, Watertown: housing, rent, travel)

[matoman]

Hi,we are moving to Ft drum in March 2008. We are currently stationed at Ft Bragg, NY. We are looking for housing already as there is a shortage for on post housing (8-12 months!!!). We want to purchase a home since we do have 2 medium sized dogs. Does anyone know of really nice subdivisions to live in that are pet and child friendly and safe??? Where should we look for housing?? Carthage, Evan Mills, Watertown, Black River?? Who has lower taxes and lower electric in the winter time??? Who has lower rates for mortgage?? Also, which has an excellent school system for our children?? We plan on traveling to check things out sometime this month. Please give us some insight so we can know where to look. I have checked a lot of websites but not really gotten any real answers. It is hard to try to find a home by just looking at pictures if you don't know anything about the place. Thanks so much for your help.

[msmcc301]

When we got here: June 10, 2007 the "waiting list" for a home was 18 months or more. We received housing on August 10, 2007. The waiting list is not as bad as it says online. New housing is being finished everyday, and there is plenty of on post housing it is really only a 60 to 90 day (or less) wait.

About schools: from what I understand all of the schools around here are pretty bad. My kids are enrolled just off post and ride the school bus back and forth. The bus company is good, the teachers communicate pretty well, it isn't so bad.

The neighborhood and area around here is very nice, actually quaint.

Houses around here are very exspensive, and the sellers are raising the prices because the market is tight. As far as utilities, the electric company up here offers an "averaging" plan so that your bill is averaged over the year, and you don't have to worry about massive bills in the middle of the summer and winter.

Good Luck!!

[JiminCT]

There are towns like Clayton and Sacketts that have cheap land and good schools. You are farther out, and may not be right on the water (waterfront in those towns is prohibitive...), but you can get a good school and a good lifestyle.

[moving to Ft. Bragg]

its been along time since I lived at Ft. Drum. Last I heard they were building some stores right outside of post. The Black River area was nice, it had a nice school. There are some nice areas in watertown, but they were older homes.
We are moving to the ft. Bragg area- have any suggestions on good elementary schools? or nice places to live?
Good luck in Ft. Drum - there is alot to do up there if you like the outdoors.