Military Move to Lemoore, CA from UK! (Los Angeles, San Francisco: home, employment)

[Wilsoke]

Hi All, just need a little advice.
My fiance and i are due to marry this year however he is in the UK military and recently was told he is to go over to california, lemoore for 2 years to work there. Once married i can go with him, but obv i have a few concerns and unanswered questions, hoping this post may help me out? Im torn wether to go or stay with him, it took me alot off courage to move from my home in the north to agree to move to the south of the uk to be with him, so this is a massive thing for me to decide, and life changing.

* How likely/easy will i be able to get a job myself, or will i struggle?
* Seems to me (looking on google maps!) that Lemoore is very remote as the biggest cities all seem to be 2.5-3.5 hours drive away? Is there much there, and does anyone have any pictures of the place?
* Random, but is the weather like all year around? i know it will be warm in some parts of the year?
* Any UK military wives on here already done this move or somwthing similar?
* Living lifestyle will completely change, for the better?
* What is the local airport?

this is all completely new to me and i know nothing about the place, so anyhelp would be amazing.
i appreciate all your help and thank you in advance.

[Curmudgeon]

Lemoore is hardly the garden spot of California but it's not quite as remote as it may appear. It's located in the heart of California's Central (San Joaquin) Valley which is heavily agricultural. I'm assuming that your fiancé will be stationed at the Naval Air Station there. That would be your best bet for jobs as well.

Fresno, which is a relatively large city (500K+), is just about 40 miles away. Visalia (127K), which has most amenities, is much closer. Fresno has a regional airport and Los Angeles (LAX) is about 180 miles south.

As I said, this is agricultural country so there's going to be bad air quality and you're going to hear a lot of Spanish due to the farm workers. You'll also be introduced to periodic tule fog from about November through March which is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Lemoore is quite centrally located in CA so you can easily visit L.A. and the southern CA beaches, the Central Coast with Big Sur, Monterey and other delights, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and the gold country, the beautiful northern coast and redwood forests, Yosemite National Park and much, much more.

By the way, in case you're wondering what someone from the MO Ozarks is doing responding, I'm a native Californian who was born and raised in the southern part of the state, lived in the central part for several years, last lived in Sacramento and whose former wife's family was all in Tulare; another farm town near Lemoore where we spent quite a bit of time.

All I can say is good luck and enjoy the adventure.

[Another Place]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Lemoore is hardly the garden spot of California but it's not quite as remote as it may appear. It's located in the heart of California's Central (San Joaquin) Valley which is heavily agricultural. I'm assuming that your fiancé will be stationed at the Naval Air Station there. That would be your best bet for jobs as well.

Fresno, which is a relatively large city (500K+), is just about 40 miles away. Visalia (127K), which has most amenities, is much closer. Fresno has a regional airport and Los Angeles (LAX) is about 180 miles south.

As I said, this is agricultural country so there's going to be bad air quality and you're going to hear a lot of Spanish due to the farm workers. You'll also be introduced to periodic tule fog from about November through March which is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Lemoore is quite centrally located in CA so you can easily visit L.A. and the southern CA beaches, the Central Coast with Big Sur, Monterey and other delights, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and the gold country, the beautiful northern coast and redwood forests, Yosemite National Park and much, much more.

By the way, in case you're wondering what someone from the MO Ozarks is doing responding, I'm a native Californian who was born and raised in the southern part of the state, lived in the central part for several years, last lived in Sacramento and whose former wife's family was all in Tulare; another farm town near Lemoore where we spent quite a bit of time.

All I can say is good luck and enjoy the adventure.

I'm curious why you chose to settle in Missouri?

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Another Place

I'm curious why you chose to settle in Missouri?

My wife spent most of the 70s farming organically in the Arkansas Ozarks a little over 50 miles from here. She returned to Sacramento having left her husband who had become abusive. Ever since she dreamed of returning to the Ozarks but she had two young daughters (2 and 4) to raise with no financial support from their father, whom she divorced, so she stayed in Sacramento and eventually went to work for the state.

I fell in love with the Ozarks on a number of trips along Rte. 66 in the 50s and early 60s, thanks to my father's military career, and again in the 70s due to my time in the military. I also ended up working for the state.

My wife and I met in Sacramento, married and when we both retired it was a no-brainer to move in retirement to a place we both missed. It was an added bonus that the COL is less than CA's but not the major issue for us. We missed four seasons all in one place, the peace, quiet and tranquility, the unique society and topography and the abundant nature. We do not miss California's governance, especially as we were both political and legislative analysts and knew it way too well.

Back on topic, I hope the OP found something useful in the information I provided.

[Another Place]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

My wife spent most of the 70s farming organically in the Arkansas Ozarks a little over 50 miles from here. She returned to Sacramento having left her husband who had become abusive. Ever since she dreamed of returning to the Ozarks but she had two young daughters (2 and 4) to raise with no financial support from their father, whom she divorced, so she stayed in Sacramento and eventually went to work for the state.

I fell in love with the Ozarks on a number of trips along Rte. 66 in the 50s and early 60s, thanks to my father's military career, and again in the 70s due to my time in the military. I also ended up working for the state.

My wife and I met in Sacramento, married and when we both retired it was a no-brainer to move in retirement to a place we both missed. It was an added bonus that the COL is less than CA's but not the major issue for us. We missed four seasons all in one place, the peace, quiet and tranquility, the unique society and topography and the abundant nature. We do not miss California's governance, especially as we were both political and legislative analysts and knew it way too well.

Back on topic, I hope the OP found something useful in the information I provided.

Thanks for your reply. I've never been to that area but from the pictures I've seen it's very nice and seems peaceful.

The air here in the SJV is very bad. Besides the influx of people and their vehicles in the last 25 years, there is the problem with the chemical laiden agricultural dust. There is also something now called microscopic soot that's in their air. As you know, the air here gets trapped because of the bowl effect. This means that the lower San Joaquin County has the worst possible air. I am now being affected by it. There are days that my nose is swollen shut and I have nights where I can hardly breathe. I will soon have to move out.

I once read one of those Forbes reports that showed Redding had good air. Redding being at the furthest point north of the greater valley.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Another Place

Thanks for your reply. I've never been to that area but from the pictures I've seen it's very nice and seems peaceful.

The air here in the SJV is very bad. Besides the influx of people and their vehicles in the last 25 years, there is the problem with the chemical laiden agricultural dust. There is also something now called microscopic soot that's in their air. As you know, the air here gets trapped because of the bowl effect. This means that the lower San Joaquin County has the worst possible air. I am now being affected by it. There are days that my nose is swollen shut and I have nights where I can hardly breathe. I will soon have to move out.

I once read one of those Forbes reports that showed Redding had good air. Redding being at the furthest point north of the greater valley.

I survived three years in Bakersfield. It's the only place I ever lived where it rained mud. Got out as soon as I could.

Redding is in a beautiful area but hotter than blazes in the summer.

[Wilsoke]

Thank you for the reply, is a huge help.
I haven't no clue on California or the best areas to live but just speaking to my fiancé they said NAS give us married quarters to live in until we are settled if we want to move, are these any good and are they on the base or like UK quarters are are outside the base??

I'm so scared about this as it's such a big move, I think I need to find it more about potential jobs, health & medical help & more about the area for my reassurance!

Also I think driving on opposite side of the road is something il have to get used too!!!!

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Wilsoke

Also I think driving on opposite side of the road is something il have to get used too!!!!

If you don't, you won't

[Another Place]

Originally Posted by Wilsoke

Thank you for the reply, is a huge help.
I haven't no clue on California or the best areas to live but just speaking to my fiancé they said NAS give us married quarters to live in until we are settled if we want to move, are these any good and are they on the base or like UK quarters are are outside the base??

I'm so scared about this as it's such a big move, I think I need to find it more about potential jobs, health & medical help & more about the area for my reassurance!

Also I think driving on opposite side of the road is something il have to get used too!!!!

Lemoore is really out in the middle of nowhere. The closest town is Hanford although there is a small rural community called Armona halfway between both of them. The two closest large cities would be Visalia to the East and Fresno to the North. You can easily travel to both of them using either Highway 41 to get to Fresno or Highway 198 to get to Visalia. They are both closer than the 2-3 hrs. you've mentioned. About fifty minutes to Fresno and about 45 minutes to Visalia. I am from Hanford and worked in Lemoore so I can tell you anything you need to know.

By the way - you will notice that the townspeople will pronounce the town name as Lee Moore because I believe this person was an original founder.

My mother belongs to a group of volunteers who work for the local hospital and they have a weekly sewing bee and there are several British women in the group who's origins are the same as yours.

I won't lie, the heat and the air quality may have an adverse affect on you. Also, the town of Hanford is pretty corrupt. Everyone in the city and county jobs are related to each other. The women in the city and county employment offices openly admit to only hiring friends and family. It's a town that has remained isolated from the rest of the world for a long time.

I would suggest living in Lemoore if you choose off base housing.

You shouldn't be afraid but instead look at this as an adventure. You don't want to remain in England while your husband is in the states. As I understand it there are numerous jobs on the base itself. Now, driving on the opposite side of the road...I've always wondered how I would handle that if I ever went to Europe.

I don't know much else about the base but I can tell you anything else you need to know about the county.

The only other airport other than the base is a small one in Hanford and a bit larger one in Visalia and then the bigger one in Fresno.

As far as your concern about lifestyle - This area is really behind the times so you don't have to worry about being hip or modern.

[BeauCharles]

Lemoore (NAS) | Installations | Lincoln Military Housing

Here's a link for the military housing on base. Sounds like they have quite a range of offerings. Lemoore itself is a town of almost 25,000 people. There really is no public transportation to speak of so you will need to drive if you want to have any sort of freedom. The weather in the San Joaquin Valley is warm/hot in the summer (90F to 110F) with low humidity. The winters are cool but fairly mild (30s-40s at night, 50s-60s during the day) with some winter rain and ground fog. Springs and Autumns are quite nice - 60s to 80s. The area is pretty arid - only gets about 8 inches of rain a year. Its not desert brown though - irrigation keeps the fields and gardens green. Agriculture is HUGE there and there is a large Mexican population (so as Curmudgeon said, you'll hear Spanish spoken quite a lot - although English is absolutely the dominant language of business, government and education). Employment for you is a total unknown - I don't know if you'll be allowed to work here or if so be restricted to base jobs.

Basically, a few years in California will be a great adventure for you and your husband. The state is beautiful and there is so much for you to see within a few hours drive of the base (coastline, beaches, famous cities, amazing national parks). The people are friendly too and will fall all over themselves being nice when they find out you're from England. By all means don't miss the opportunity. I would wager it would be a good experience for a newly married couple (rely on each other more), plus an opportunity for personal growth.