Moving to Ellsworth AFB

[Ldryer1]

Originally Posted by Brechan

Hello All!
Just found out my husband has received orders to Ellsworth AFB...we (my husband and I and four kids -11, 9, 8 & 6) will be heading there in June. I would love any information on the local area...is there a lot for kids to do? Are there a lot of family activities? What is the city name where the base is located? I have had a hard time finding a lot of information on the local area.
Is anyone familiar with the base?
We are leaving NC, so this is a big change for all of us, but we are excited for the new experiences!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi Brechan-

We received orders here to Ellsworth AFB a little over a year ago. I'm guessing you are relocating here from Pope AFB,NC. Well, to be honest, it's going to be a big shock. We've also been to Pope AFB so I can give you a realistic comparision. Ellsworth AFB is located in Box Elder. We live about 6 miles east of base. It's VERY Windy here. The town itself is really really small...nothing here. Any shopping needs, etc. will be in Rapid City...a short 10-15 minute drive from base. The shopping choices are great considering its not a big city. The school in Box Elder is Douglas Schools right outside of the base. The high school, elementary, and middle schools are all right next to each other which is nice. Good school. Not sure if you are planning to live on base housing or buy. I would suggest living on base until you get a feel for the area. Home prices here are a bit higher than I think they should be considering the area. Property taxes are HUGE. Are you planning on working? Employment here can be challanging and wages are much lower than I'm used to. The base has a medical clinic only for routine appointments. But beyond that, you and your kids will go to Rapid City Regional Hospital for care. It's actually nice to be able to go to a civilian hospital. If you and your family like the outdoors...this is a GREAT place to be. Lots of hunting, fishing, hiking and camping opportunities. The Black Hills are definately the gem to this place. It's beautiful! Unless you are willing to drive 45 minutes (or longer in the winter) to get to base, you are better off living in Box Elder or the Rapid City area. Traffic here is mostly no exsistent...makes it really nice to get around. Winters here are hard. Last winter was bad...from what I hear worse than years before. This time last year we had a blizzard. My opinion is that this place is more or a tourist area during the summer and most places being closed the rest of the year. The summers are beautiful. If you like skiing, snowmobiling and winter sports, there are ski resorts here for that. Otherwise, you'll spend alot of time inside.
If you want to know more, feel free to email me! Good thing you are coming out during a good time of year!

[Brechan]

Wow! Thanks so much for the information! We are pretty excited now that we have gotten over the initial shock...lol. We are actually at Seymour Johnson AFB in NC..which is a small town that has just started to grow in the last year.
That is so great to hear about the schools..I've been looking all over the web for information on the schools...I have four kids who will be in three different schools!
It looks like we'll be taking up skiing next winter! My oldest son is already talking about learning how to snowboard. The weather in SD is going to be a BIG change for them. They've only lived in FL and NC!
Yes, we are definitely going to live on base when we get there. Someone was nice enough to email me some great pictures of the base housing! It looks really nice.
The job market where we are now is terrible too. I was hoping it wouldn't be so bad in SD. I was actually in an alternative licensing program to teach elementary school, only to learn that in SD they only have this program to teach secondary school (don't know if I'm brave enough for that!).
Again, thank you so much for the great info! I am sure I will have more questions!!

[branumtc]

Ok all about Ellsworth....my husband and I grew up there....if you choose to live on base they have just put some new houses in, the town is called box elder, seems more like a suburb of rapid city now. There are many things to do in South Dakota....black hills, mt. rushmore, crazy horse monument, custer state park the badlands....for the kids there are all kinds of caves, flinstone park, water slides, maze...if you want to travel you are not to far from Yellowstone national park....or aberdeen to the corn palace, or even wall drug...woohoo! (sorry if you go there you will understand)
there are only 3 "major" events that happen in rapid city....the stock show and rodeo (in Jan) the sturgis bike rally (in beginning of aug) and the central states fair (in late aug)
there are pretty much just two seasons...kinda warm and really cold (or at least to most outta staters).....not sure what else I could tell you without really knowing what you are looking for.
if you have any other questions let me know

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by branumtc

....or aberdeen to the corn palace,

Slight correction. The Corn Palace is in Mitchell.

[kikikans]

How did that turn out for you? Are you still there? I love updates.