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Old 07-16-2018, 02:13 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,393 times
Reputation: 12

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Hello
My husband has been offered a 103k a year job at Ft.Irwin. This is a permanent job so we are looking to buy a house for 300k. We were looking at living in Barstow but have heard nothing but bad things so then we were thinking of Helendale but have heard even worse things about Helendale!
We really want him to take this job as it would be great for our family. We home school our children so schools are not an issue and we also are not into parties or nightlife we are home bodies.
My husband and I currently live in a really bad town and its rated number 6 in our state for worst places to live but we live in the "good part" of our town.
We also don't want him to have a super long commute either (an hour mabye a little longer).
Thank You
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Old 07-16-2018, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Boydton, VA
4,596 posts, read 6,350,757 times
Reputation: 10584
Irwin is in the middle of nowhere, lotsa luck. Even Barstow is 37 miles away....Victorville is 70 miles. Neither one is on any "best places to live" list. If you have not visited the area, do so prior to accepting the job....then decide.

Regards
Gemstone1
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Old 07-16-2018, 07:52 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
626 posts, read 625,661 times
Reputation: 941
Quote:
Originally Posted by movingonup26 View Post
Hello
My husband has been offered a 103k a year job at Ft.Irwin. This is a permanent job so we are looking to buy a house for 300k. We were looking at living in Barstow but have heard nothing but bad things so then we were thinking of Helendale but have heard even worse things about Helendale!
We really want him to take this job as it would be great for our family. We home school our children so schools are not an issue and we also are not into parties or nightlife we are home bodies.
My husband and I currently live in a really bad town and its rated number 6 in our state for worst places to live but we live in the "good part" of our town.
We also don't want him to have a super long commute either (an hour mabye a little longer).
Thank You
Do you know if he will be a Contract worker or a DA Civilian? If he is a DA Civilian then you two can find a house to rent on base so that you can house hunt. I have known several people that worked in Ft. Irwin and lived in Victorville. Yes, it is a commute but you will find more amenities and decent houses there than in Barstow.

https://www.villagesatfortirwin.com
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Old 07-16-2018, 10:58 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,552 times
Reputation: 10
If you move to Victorville, Spring Valley Lake is a great place to look. Also, there is a gated community in Apple Valley, StoneBrooke, StoneBridge, one of those two, that is gorgeous. Best of luck on the move!
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:48 PM
 
58 posts, read 65,809 times
Reputation: 201
I agree with Gemstone; that is, you should pay a visit to Barstow before moving there. I worked at Fort Irwin for more than three years. A couple of comments. 1. The military have no choice when stationed there, but the civilians do, and the best and the brightest do not go to Barstow unless they are just passing through for a promotion and/or job experience (or they got RIFed and Barstow is the only place that had vacancies at their grade). 2. If you live in Victorville, it will be a 1.5 hour commute each way, and plan on gassing up your car every third day. At the end of the week, your husband will be dead tired and the last thing he will want to do it go on a weekend drive. 3. Do you speak Spanish? If will help in town if you do as I think 2/3 of the population is Spanish speaking. 4. Folks will tell you "it's a dry heat". Well, who gives a crap when it is 115F. Hot is hot. Our hours at Fort Irwin were 0600 to 1430 to avoid the heat. 5. And then you have the occasional thunderstorm with resulting flash flood. Those are interesting. 6. And then you have the occasional sand storm that will etch your windshield if you are driving.



My wife never complained while we lived there, but on the way out of Barstow to a new assignment, she looked me in the eye and told me she NEVER EVER WANTED TO LIVE IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY AGAIN.
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Old 08-01-2018, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Yucaipa, California
9,894 posts, read 22,015,751 times
Reputation: 6853
I am sure not all of Barstow is bad. What is so bad about Barstow besides the summer heat & lack of rain ?
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Old 08-02-2018, 01:03 PM
 
Location: Studio City, CA 91604
3,049 posts, read 4,542,867 times
Reputation: 5961
I would recommend looking into the community of Silver Lakes.
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Old 08-02-2018, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Jurupa Valley, CA, USA 92509
1,377 posts, read 2,128,580 times
Reputation: 722
Maybe Apple Valley? Or, possibly Hesperia?
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Old 08-03-2018, 09:02 AM
 
136 posts, read 140,619 times
Reputation: 239
Irwin Estates, just north of Barstow is nice and low crime. Homes run about 150k to 250k. It probably would be the closest nice area to Ft Irwin. As I remember there is also a grade school with a decent reputation in the area.
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Old 08-06-2018, 06:47 AM
 
4,538 posts, read 10,624,896 times
Reputation: 4073
Hi OP,

If you are still thinking...

If you can live on base, do it. The Officers living quarters were very nice as of about 6-7 years ago. Modern townhomes surrounding a park/community center. The enlisted quarters weren’t so nice but there were plans to fix that.

If you can’t live on base, most civilians take a commuter bus from Apple Valley. Keep in mind that Apple Valley/Victorville is a metro area of about 400,000 people so it’s decent size. There are good and bad parts. Factor in time getting to the bus stop and it’s about an hour and a half trip each way.

The other option is Barstow and the surroundings. I don’t recommend. Stop by the Walmart there if you want to see who your neighbors will be
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