Pluses and Minuses for Wright-Pat

[RBA]

Wrigth-Pat is open for me on my assignment listings. However, there is no guarentee that I would get picked for it.

What are the +'s and -'s for living in the area? Granted I will probably do 2 more years of active duty and retire. So, I'm interested in job oportunities for my career field: Law Enforcement/Security/Force Protection, etc. once I get out at the old age of 45 years old.

Me and my wife are from the west coast, so the would be a big negative as it will not close to family members.

But I have alway been interested in living in the area and having all 4 seasons for a change. I really have never experienced that.

Also my wife is a medical assistant and she would be looking for a job in that career field. Any Doctors out there who need a real good Medical Assistant?

Thanks for your help..

[cincinnati chili]

I'm speaking about Southern Ohio, generally, rather than Dayton specifically, but:

The ONLY reasons I would consider moving back to Southern Ohio are: 1. I have family there, 2. cost of living is relatively cheap, and 3. It's relatively low stress compared to most of the country, 4. the Reds play there


However, there are a lot of negatives. Dayton/Cinci. aren't small enough to have small town charm, yet they still have many of the negatives of the big cities (high crime). Also, personally I think that the weather sucks. If you want four seasons, there are probably other spots in the country where you can get them without the extreme humid AND extreme cold. I suggest Denver if you can possibly get transferred to Buckley or one of the other bases in the metro area. There's more political diversity in Denver (which I imagine you appreciate, given your posts on the other board), more to do for people of all ages, all four major sports, and it's not SUPER expensive (more expensive than southern Ohio, but not like the megacities).

Southern Ohio strikes me as a better place to be FROM than to retire TO.

[guttle11]

Well, the area aroud Wright-Pat is growing ten-fold. If you moved in to Beavercreek, you would live in a pretty nice, growing town. Also, the area down by Springboro/Centerville/Miamisburg is growing quite a bit.

Sports wise there is plenty to do. UD, the Dragons, the Bombers, lot's of good HS teams/events, and even Wright State. Pretty close to the Reds/Bengals as well.

The crime thing is a bit off. If you live in the suburbs it's not anything more than anywhere else. But because of the city of Dayton itself, the area gets a rep hit.

Picture your average surburban area and you've got the greater Dayton area.

Also my wife is a medical assistant and she would be looking for a job in that career field. Any Doctors out there who need a real good Medical Assistant?

There are plenty of good local doctor's offices that are always looking for help. Not to mention quite a few hospitals as well.

[RBA]

I suggest Denver if you can possibly get transferred to Buckley or one of the other bases in the metro area.

Well, it's not on the list. Hill AFB, Utah, Edwards (Palmdale, CA), Beale (Marysville, CA), Travis, CA (outside San Fran), Washington D.C. and New Jersey are the best of the list I got.

[wheels]

That's where Hangar 18 is located.

I'd would soooo be there.

[paintmered]

That's where Hangar 18 is located.

I'd would soooo be there.

You'd soooo be disappointed.

[Reds4Life]

You'd soooo be disappointed.

You mean there aren't alien bodies on the shelf, along with that uber cool Roswell spacecraft?

[Redsland]

Of course not.

They're in Hanger 19 now.

[cincinnati chili]

Well, it's not on the list. Hill AFB, Utah, Edwards (Palmdale, CA), Beale (Marysville, CA), Travis, CA (outside San Fran), Washington D.C. and New Jersey are the best of the list I got.

Gotcha. Well, personally I'd rather live in suburban Dayton than D.C. or NJ. I don't think you get what you pay for in DC. There are some parts of NJ that aren't all bad (e.g. Princeton and the stuff along the Penn. border). I can't speak from experience about the other areas.

[M2]

RBA, wild guess here, but are you talking about McGuire AFB in Jersey?

It's a fairly decent suburban area in that neck of the woods (just south of Trenton, not too far from Philly). Your wife shouldn't have any trouble landing a job, though the price of living can be pretty high in some of the better towns around there. When I was a kid, I had a friend whose brother was stationed at Fort Dix (right next to McGuire) and I remember hearing that the guy's family was trapped in base housing because they couldn't afford the going rate in the area (the wife was at home with wee ones).

If you like four seasons, the mid-Atlantic is a pretty good pick. The winters are a little warm, but most people don't really like winter that much anyway. That area still gets a decent bit of snow, then it warms up a bit and everything melts. It's far enough south to get a good spring, far enough north to get a good fall. The summer's are humid as all get out, but there's a primo bit of ocean not too far away. Arguably the best stretch of beachfront in the U.S. runs from Jersey to North Carolina.

You'd probably enjoy the bloodsport politics in the area.

Philly tends to be a bit xenophobic. I don't know how much of that bleeds over the Delaware River or how far into the northern suburbs (which are right next to McGuire) it goes.

The DC area is an odd grab bag of stuff. I'm not too wild about the city itself, at least as a place to live (too violent, rolls up too much on the weekends when the government workers are at home). The immediate suburbs around D.C. are mega-expensive, but once you get outside Fairfax County, VA and Montgomery County, MD (northern Prince George's County too) the prices drop as things get a lot less gentrified. Striking the balance between upscale and affordable is always a tricky act, though. Like the Jersey area, your wife shouldn't have an ounce of trouble finding a job.

D.C.'s got a bit more spring. The summer's a little more oppressive (90+% humidity is a mid-Atlantic staple, but D.C. runs hotter). The spring is spectacular. The fall is all right (New England's spoiled me). The winters are fairly mild, though sometimes a nor'easter blows through. One piece of advice: Your life will be a misery if it involves a daily trek along the D.C. beltway. The traffic on that road during the rush hours is a killer.

The defense industry in the D.C. area might offer more opportunities for you after you retire from the Air Force as well.

[creek14]

The plus for WPAFB - close to the Reds.

The minus for WPAFB - you'd have to be on the same base as me.

[KronoRed]

The plus for WPAFB - close to the Reds.

Sounds like a negative to me

[RedFanAlways1966]

I think the Dayton area is nice. I might be biased, since I have lived here my entire life.

If you like the big-city thing, then you will not like the Dayton area. Dayton does not have any of that big-city thing. Even compared to Cincinnati & Columbus, it is much-much less of a big-city atmosphere. Traffic jams? The worst will mean an extra 10 minutes on your trip (if that).

Lots of good communites to live in and schools for the kids.... except for Dayton Public Schools which shows bad test scores year in and year out. I highly doubt that you'd be moving in the Dayton city limits though. As someone else mentioned, the Dayton city limits is where the majority of the crime is located. And it seems to usually be a situation where the victim knows the suspect (not much "random" crime if you will).

Dayton does not have an overabundance of activities itself. There is the Air Force Museum, which is quite impressive and free. If you are into theatre, they have a fairly new complex in dowtown called the Schuster Center. You are only an hour (if not less) form Cincy and Columbus as well (Ohio State, UCincy, Xavier, Ohio State Fair, REDS, Bengals, Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, etc.). You also have Wright State and Univ. of Dayton sports (both D-1). You are not far from the Indy 500 and the Kentucky Derby if those things are enjoyable.

Car travel on a trip is made easy too. You have two major highways that intersect 7 miles north of downtown Dayton... I-70 and I-75. Whether you want to go east, west, north or south... it is easy to get started!

There are also a lot of good colleges nearby if you want the kids to be "not too far away".

[Roy Tucker]

I'll echo the comments that RFA made.

I've always maintained that us folk here in the Midwest keep it secret that this is a great place to live. It may not be the world's most sexy and prestigious place to live, but it's a wonderful place to raise a family.

The cost of living is better than most places in the US, schools and hospitals are great, housing costs are relatively low, and our economies tend to be more recession-resistent than other parts of the country (more Cinci than Dayton though). Lots of universities around as well.

For the 4 seasons thing, getting wintry weather is hit or miss. Like this winter, we've had about 6 weeks now of relatively mild weather. Mild like highs are 40's-50's, most precip is rain, and the sky is midwest gray. The falls and springs are nice, summers are pretty good but it does get hot and humid.

WPAFB is a good place to make connections for future employment. And the people I know in medical professions don't seem to have trouble finding good work.

[paintmered]

RBA, if you have a clearance or have the opportunity to get one at your future job, you are virtually guarenteed a job at WPAFB after you retire - especially with your veteran's preference.

I was born and raised in this area and work at WPAFB now. The midwest and Ohio gets a bad rep for what it's not, but it really is a great place to raise a family. And plus you are only a day's drive from the majority of the country.