Station/Boat Location~
Sector Mobile
Date there~
May 2007-Present
Weather~
HOT HOT HOT and incredibly humid in the summer months! Very mild winters. There have been a couple of hurricanes since we've been here, but no real damage to our area. During the summer it rains just about every day.
Military facilities~
ATC in West Mobile has an exchange, sector Mobile has a very VERY small exchange. I have never had a reason to go there so I'm not sure what all they have.
Medical~
We use Tricare Prime, lots of good doctors in the area! I recommend Dr. Wells for pediatrics if you have small children, she's great! One of the best pediatricians I've known.
Housing~
You need to be REALLY careful where you live! West Mobile and Semmes are the best locations in my opinion...there are a lot of subdivisions where you can rent a small 3 br. house for around $1000.00 per month. Finding a rental house within BAH is difficult, but I would recommend to pay a little more to live in a better area--there is a LOT of crime down here!
Shopping~
Two malls right across the road from each other, shopping centers EVERYWHERE, there is an outlet mall not too far away.
Child Care/Schools~
I have found that Child Care was my biggest obstacle here. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! There are some reasonable places, about $175.00 per week for 2 kids under 4...but my kids were sick, watched T.V. and didn't get read to in the entire year that they were there. They are at a good daycare now, but it's costing me about $220.00 per week.
My kids are not in school yet, but my son will go to Faith Academy next year if we are still here. Other than that, Semmes is probably the only public school I would let my kids go to.
Adult Schools~
There are plenty of good schools in and around Mobile. Kind of the opposite of Childcare, I think that the colleges here are a bargain compared to college prices in the North. USA and Springhill college are probably the two biggest in the immediate area.
Fun Activities~
There are plenty of parks and museums in the area. My kids dance, play soccer, and taekwando. The instructors are great, prices aren't bad, and it keeps them occupied. If we have some spare time, we usually go to Fairhope in Baldwin County--my kids love the pier! It's much more charming on the other side of the bay.
Mobile is only 45 from Pensacola and they have a hockey team, concerts, etc... Stennis Space Center in MS is about 2 hrs away, Dauphin Island and Bellingrath Gardens are favorite daytrips for the family.
If you're single, Mobile has a great downtown area with lots of bars. Everything from dive bars to martini bars, something for everyone.
There are quite a few festivals and concerts in the Fall, Bayfest, Jubileefest, etc... so if you're willing to brave the local population, there's always SOMETHING
Additional Info~
Mobile is an OK place to live. There is a lot of crime, and you really need to be careful (especially if you have kids!!) but once you learn the area and get used to the HEAT and HUMIDITY, it's not that bad.
Homeport AL
Sector Mobile
Date there~
May 2007-Present
Weather~
HOT HOT HOT and incredibly humid in the summer months! Very mild winters. There have been a couple of hurricanes since we've been here, but no real damage to our area. During the summer it rains just about every day.
Military facilities~
ATC in West Mobile has an exchange, sector Mobile has a very VERY small exchange. I have never had a reason to go there so I'm not sure what all they have.
Medical~
We use Tricare Prime, lots of good doctors in the area! I recommend Dr. Wells for pediatrics if you have small children, she's great! One of the best pediatricians I've known.
Housing~
You need to be REALLY careful where you live! West Mobile and Semmes are the best locations in my opinion...there are a lot of subdivisions where you can rent a small 3 br. house for around $1000.00 per month. Finding a rental house within BAH is difficult, but I would recommend to pay a little more to live in a better area--there is a LOT of crime down here!
Shopping~
Two malls right across the road from each other, shopping centers EVERYWHERE, there is an outlet mall not too far away.
Child Care/Schools~
I have found that Child Care was my biggest obstacle here. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! There are some reasonable places, about $175.00 per week for 2 kids under 4...but my kids were sick, watched T.V. and didn't get read to in the entire year that they were there. They are at a good daycare now, but it's costing me about $220.00 per week.
My kids are not in school yet, but my son will go to Faith Academy next year if we are still here. Other than that, Semmes is probably the only public school I would let my kids go to.
Adult Schools~
There are plenty of good schools in and around Mobile. Kind of the opposite of Childcare, I think that the colleges here are a bargain compared to college prices in the North. USA and Springhill college are probably the two biggest in the immediate area.
Fun Activities~
There are plenty of parks and museums in the area. My kids dance, play soccer, and taekwando. The instructors are great, prices aren't bad, and it keeps them occupied. If we have some spare time, we usually go to Fairhope in Baldwin County--my kids love the pier! It's much more charming on the other side of the bay.
Mobile is only 45 from Pensacola and they have a hockey team, concerts, etc... Stennis Space Center in MS is about 2 hrs away, Dauphin Island and Bellingrath Gardens are favorite daytrips for the family.
If you're single, Mobile has a great downtown area with lots of bars. Everything from dive bars to martini bars, something for everyone.
There are quite a few festivals and concerts in the Fall, Bayfest, Jubileefest, etc... so if you're willing to brave the local population, there's always SOMETHING
Additional Info~
Mobile is an OK place to live. There is a lot of crime, and you really need to be careful (especially if you have kids!!) but once you learn the area and get used to the HEAT and HUMIDITY, it's not that bad.
Homeport AL
