Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello,
We are a military family of 6 currently stationed in Fort Bliss, TX. We are moving to Fort Drum November 1st and really looking forward to it! I am just wondering about the area which I've done a lot of reserch on but not everything is on the internet. I found the perfect home for my family in Clayton and 2 blocks from the St. Lawrence River!!! I love the outdoors and the water so I already know I am going to love it there. However, I am having my reservations about moving to Clayton because I hear it is about a 45 minute drive to Ft. Drum. The landlord of the house says there is a shortcut from Clayton to Drum which will take 20 minutes but I cannot find anything such thing online. Does this shortcut exist? I am not interested in moving on post because of the wait list and I want to do a door to door move so we plan to have a home before we arrive up in the North Country. We've done the same for every other duty station we been to. I know about how bad it snows up there and my hubs and I are from DC but I am sure the snow up there is nothing like what we're used to. Does anyone know of any homes available for rent up there closer to post? The home we are interested in now is 4 bed 2 bath 2 livingrooms diningroom but no garage (which is fine with me as long as we have 2 car driveway) the home has been fully renovated for $1200 plus utilities which I find awesome! I am just concerned about the distance. I'm sure it would be fine in the summer months but in the winter with the snow and ice would be a hard drive. So ANY info would be great. I don't hunt or ski but I love to be on the water and love the outdoors. Thank you in advance. I cannot wait to move and just experience North Country!!!
Clayton is about 30-45 minutes from post depending on certain factors. You can take either I-81 south to exit 48 and down Route 342 to base or Route 12. This may be the short cut: Interstate 781 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If you can, you may like something around Sackets Harbor/town of Houndsfield if you want to be near water. It is on Lake Ontario. If you don't mind a river, you may like Carthage, Black River, Philadelphia and Antwerp, along with some others.
There's Whitewater Rafting in the area and you aren't too far from the 1000 Islands or the Adirondacks.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 09-23-2012 at 03:56 PM..
Decent Single Family Rental Home Areas Suggested For Military Families Moving To Fort Drum NY
Quote:
Originally Posted by annayet
Hello,
We are a military family of 6 currently stationed in Fort Bliss, TX. We are moving to Fort Drum November 1st and really looking forward to it! I am just wondering about the area which I've done a lot of reserch on but not everything is on the internet. I found the perfect home for my family in Clayton and 2 blocks from the St. Lawrence River!!! I love the outdoors and the water so I already know I am going to love it there. However, I am having my reservations about moving to Clayton because I hear it is about a 45 minute drive to Ft. Drum. The landlord of the house says there is a shortcut from Clayton to Drum which will take 20 minutes but I cannot find anything such thing online. Does this shortcut exist? I am not interested in moving on post because of the wait list and I want to do a door to door move so we plan to have a home before we arrive up in the North Country. We've done the same for every other duty station we been to. I know about how bad it snows up there and my hubs and I are from DC but I am sure the snow up there is nothing like what we're used to. Does anyone know of any homes available for rent up there closer to post? The home we are interested in now is 4 bed 2 bath 2 livingrooms diningroom but no garage (which is fine with me as long as we have 2 car driveway) the home has been fully renovated for $1200 plus utilities which I find awesome! I am just concerned about the distance. I'm sure it would be fine in the summer months but in the winter with the snow and ice would be a hard drive. So ANY info would be great. I don't hunt or ski but I love to be on the water and love the outdoors. Thank you in advance. I cannot wait to move and just experience North Country!!!
Hello annayet, husband, & family,
I have helped other Military Families who were moving to Fort Drum and I'd be glad to try to help you also. I now live in Syracuse NY but I lived in Watertown NY through many Winters. I know most of the towns/villages around Fort Drum.
The drive from Clayton to Fort Drum (about ***21.5 miles***) will take a minimum 30 or more+ minutes in good, non-snowy-icy road conditions. In heavy snow storms or in blizzards it could easily take one hour or more, depending on the road conditions and your ability to see beyond your car hood. Of course, there will probably not be blizzards every day. That short cut commute from Clayton to Fort Drum involves using several separate state & county route numbers. The current cheapest unleaded regular gasoline prices in Watertown would be a low of $4.10 per gallon (if you can find that low $4.10 gas price).
The Clayton to Fort Drum short-cut route is: from Clayton drive south on State Rt. 12, turn onto County Rt. 10 go a short distance, then turn onto County Rt. 181, at LaFargeville take State Rt. 411 to Orleans Four Corners continue on St. Rt. 411, at Interstate 81 Exit-49=get onto Interstate 81 south, at I-81 Exit-48 get off I-81 turn onto State Rt. 342 east to the Fort Drum gate.
In years past, I've seen 3 to 4 feet of snow on the ground in Winter in parts of Jefferson County; when there would be 12" - 18" of snow on the ground in the suburbs of Syracuse. Last Winter, snowfall was very much reduced, >>> slight <<< because of global-warming and last year's Earth jet-stream air-flow kept the snowfall farther north and eastward of a lot of upstate New York State. >>***BUT, when the snow decides to come onto land on winds blowing OFF/FROM huge Lake Ontario, every place directly East-Northeast-Southeast of Lake Ontario has a great chance of receiving varying amounts of snowfall for 40 to 60 miles inland measured from Lake Ontario.*** There is no way of knowing how bad any particular Winter snowfall will be or if you'd experience ANY bad driving conditions anytime during the whole Winter.
Is the house you are considering in Clayton on the water? Probably not.
Is the following home rental description what you would be interested in? Let me know, I might be able to send you some additional single family rental home listings=I'm not sure what is available until I check. You want: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms or more, a diningroom, a kitchen, one livingroom, and garage. WHAT IS YOUR TOP RENT PRICE YOU WANT TO PAY?=No use me finding you places that are too expensive for your budget. Is this correct? Anything else? Most homes in New York State have either partial or full basements=storage or whatever.
If you had asked me what would be the easiest decent towns/villages to commute to Fort Drum in Wintertime, I would give you the following list. Look at your Jefferson County Map or NY State Map or internet map to see the areas I will be listing.
Towns/villages for you to consider: 1.) Black River village (Township of LeRay & Rutland) westward on streets off-along Route 3 to the city limits of Watertown city=not INTO this section of the city (2-3 miles to Fort Drum gate). 2.) Calcium village (Township of LeRay)(2 miles to F.D.). 3.) MAYBE a FEW newer homes in the village of Evans Mills (mostly older homes there)(4-5 miles to F.D.). 4.) There >> MIGHT << possibly be a >> FEW << okay homes in the hamlets (tiny towns) of>>Felts Mills, Great Bend, Deferiet, or Herrings. 5.) West Carthage or Carthage (I prefer West Carthage because of more nicer homes altho there are decent homes in Carthage)(about 9 miles to F.D.). 6.) There are many decent homes on various streets in the south side (not every single house) of Watertown city=probably from Flower Avenue southward in the city=Thompson Blvd., Iroquois Ave., Green St., Butterfield Ave., Cosgrove St., Richards Dr., Barben Ave., Newman Dr., Lackenhauer Dr., Bugbee Dr., Elm St., Chestnut St., Weldon Dr., Harris Dr., Schley Dr.<<all would be good streets, also newer homes at the extreme southwest neighborhood of Watertown on these streets>>Ives Street, Woodside Dr., Hillside Dr., Sunset Ridge, Orchard Drive, Birch Lane, Spindle Lane, Loomus Dr., Marra Dr., Holcomb St. Extension<< (some other okay streets of older decent homes)(10 miles from south side Watertown to Fort Drum). There might be some good decent areas that I have not mentioned.
I will find you some more street names in a village neighborhood where there are good homes and I'll send you that list. If I can find any good single family rental homes that fit your requirements, I'll sent you that info too. Keep watch for additional info from me. LET ME KNOW YOUR RENT PRICE RANGE=if you want to.
A side note. There is some minor shopping opportunities in many of the villages, but the largest major shopping area in Jefferson County is in Watertown city along Arsenal Street/Rt. 3 at the intersection of Interstate 81 where you will find numerous shopping plazas, a Mall, movie theaters, restaurants, gas stations, building materials sales, motels/hotels, and other businesses.
The school district which serves Fort Drum children south of F.D. from Black River village southward to the Carthage area is Carthage Central School. The children living in the several towns immediately west of Fort Drum (Calcium-Evans Mills-Theresa-Philadelphia-Antwerp) attend Indian River Central School. Children living in or near Watertown city attend Watertown City School District.
My family and I just moved from Watertown ,where we own a home, to my husbands present duty station. We rented our home out just a few weeks ago, which is located a block from Thompson Park. Thompson Park is wonderful park with a zoo, pool, large play ground for kids, and many trails. It was designed by Fredrick Olmstead, the same man who designed Central park in NYC. I'm going on about it because of all the things I do miss in Watertown, Thompson Park is high on the list.
I understand about wanting to go door to door, but would encourage you to look before signing a contract. Rents can sometimes be high as people are aware of what the soldiers get for BAH.
Clayton is not going to be 20 minutes to Drum,even on a great day, a bad winter day can make for a very painful and long drive. Clayton is a beautiful town and a good little place to visit, as is A-Bay. Sackets Harbor which itself is about 30 minutes* from Drum is a fantastic little town, with some terrific restaurants, But houses on the water there are prime real estate and may be pricy. Not sure how high you would like to go for rent. My husband used to live in Madison Barracks located in Sackets, which is right along the water, but I'm not sure the maximum amount of bedrooms available.
grdnrman mentioned some nice towns/villages fairly close to Drum.. You may also check Dexter, which is about 20-30 minutes out as well depending.
Keep in mind the snow can make a big difference and will make every drive a lot longer. We lived 15 minutes form Drum on a good day, but 45 minutes to an hour during a good Lake Effect Storm. SnowFall is even heavier through the Tug Hill area, which often sets snowfall records in the United States. This area begins south of Watertown towards Copenhagen.
It is beautiful country up there, and no matter where you live, you will not be far from water. It is all around you.
Being military I'm sure you've already checked the AHRN - The Automated Housing Referral Network site which is sponsored by the DOD and lists homes for sale/rent by owners(military families)
Also, we had originally listed our home for sale, but there were many, many houses for sale everywhere. We had a military family ask us to rent it to them as they owned two houses of their own and needed it for only two years. We agreed. You may be able to find a house to rent that way as well.
Good luck with your search. If you have any questions about the area at all I will be happy to help. We lived in Watertown for the last 3 years, but I am originally from Utica NY, and used to be stationed in Rome, NY.( a drive I did every day from Watertown) If you have any questions about Drum or the Watertown /Sackets area please feel free to ask.
*As we were leaving the Drum area, work was being completed on a new exit off of I-81 that will lead straight to the Fort Drum RT 11 Gate (near Evans Mills) This may help shorten the trip from some outer lying areas.
Wow, thanks to all of you that researched the area! We will be moving to Drum in the summer and have been debating living on Post or in a nearby area. You have provided a lot of good information!!!
Good luck living on post. The waiting list for E7 was 24+ months. The local economy housing is DISGRACEFUL, the entire town of Watertown is a ghetto. And rental prices are astronomical. If you want or need employment...again Good Luck. I have over 15 years in Administration, a Masters degree and I can't even get a call back in seven months. This duty station is financially ruining us. Hiring managers are unapologetically anti military. I have been told cow fleas ties now, they only consider local candidates, and they do not consider military local.
Visit the news station's blog or Craigslist rants/raves or just walk about in town...the town HATEs the military.
We lived on Ft Polk for 4 years, which people consider the worst duty station in the Army and we made tons of lemonade out of those lemons...that is impossible here. Ft Drum is absolutely the worst duty station in the continental US.
Good luck living on post. The waiting list for E7 was 24+ months. The local economy housing is DISGRACEFUL, the entire town of Watertown is a ghetto. And rental prices are astronomical. If you want or need employment...again Good Luck. I have over 15 years in Administration, a Masters degree and I can't even get a call back in seven months. This duty station is financially ruining us. Hiring managers are unapologetically anti military. I have been told cow fleas ties now, they only consider local candidates, and they do not consider military local.
Visit the news station's blog or Craigslist rants/raves or just walk about in town...the town HATEs the military.
We lived on Ft Polk for 4 years, which people consider the worst duty station in the Army and we made tons of lemonade out of those lemons...that is impossible here. Ft Drum is absolutely the worst duty station in the continental US.
While the city has its worn or run down looking parts, it also has its nice parts. Historically, the North side of the city is more blue collar/working class/poorer and the South side of the city is more middle class and upper middle class. Drive down washington street and check out some of the side streets, for example. So, it does vary within the city of Watertown. There is a town of Watertown, which is more rural.
Try looking into NY Air Brake or Stream in terms of employment, as well as on post or with the Air Freshener Company. There are others and I would be glad to offer up any other potetntial places, if you ask for them. perhaps a company like Fulton companies in Pulaski, which is close enough, but also a bit out of the sphere of the Fort drum/Watertown military love/hate dynamic.
There is a love/hate relationship with the military in the area, as some feel that the people associated with the military bring problems to the area, but many also know that the military provides a great source of local employment. There is also a love/hate relationship with Fort Drum in terms of the duty station with soldiers, but it is commonly known that if you want to be stationed there, you can get easily.
As for fort Polk, I've been there a few times for JRTC and I can see how people don't like it, but it depends on what you make of anything.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 01-28-2013 at 11:10 AM..
An icebox that makes Buffalo and Syracuse feel warm in the winter. The Black River has low grade kayaking and 19 year olds can get drunk an hour away in Kingston Ontario. YIPPEE !!!!!!!
Janvier- im looking to buy a rental property in fort drum. This property would be strictly business, I was wondering why there were so many homes for sale and so many for rent? Especially if the military can get mortgage very easily? What do military families prefer ? Those old houses 3 bedroom? Or a newer townhouse smaller to rent? It also seems that the newer military guys are in a slim budget? So would it be difficult to rent my property? Information would be appreciated
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am just wondering about the area which I've done a lot of reserch on but not everything is on the internet. I found the perfect home for my family in Clayton and 2 blocks from the St. Lawrence River!!! I love the outdoors and the water so I already know I am going to love it there. However, I am having my reservations about moving to Clayton because I hear it is about a 45 minute drive to Ft. Drum. The landlord of the house says there is a shortcut from Clayton to Drum which will take 20 minutes but I cannot find anything such thing online. Does this shortcut exist? I am not interested in moving on post because of the wait list and I want to do a door to door move so we plan to have a home before we arrive up in the North Country. We've done the same for every other duty station we been to. I know about how bad it snows up there and my hubs and I are from DC but I am sure the snow up there is nothing like what we're used to. Does anyone know of any homes available for rent up there closer to post? The home we are interested in now is 4 bed 2 bath 2 livingrooms diningroom but no garage (which is fine with me as long as we have 2 car driveway) the home has been fully renovated for $1200 plus utilities which I find awesome! I am just concerned about the distance. I'm sure it would be fine in the summer months but in the winter with the snow and ice would be a hard drive. So ANY info would be great. I don't hunt or ski but I love to be on the water and love the outdoors. Thank you in advance. I cannot wait to move and just experience North Country!!!
Decent Single Family Rental Home Areas Suggested For Military Families Moving To Fort Drum NY
