:: Mayport, FL - witchirsh Station/Boat Location~
Station Mayport
Date there~
March 2003 - sometime 2006
Weather~
Most people love it here, but I find it too hot. The summers get extremely hot and muggy (100% humidity and actual temp. of up to around 98 degrees making it seem much hotter).
The winters here can get down into the low 30's, though winter only lasts a couple of months.
Fall and spring are very wet with a lot of thunderstorms (and the associated power outages!). Of course, there is always hurricane season which lasts from June 1 through October 31.
Basically, if you love a lot of weather changes, this is the place to be!!
Military facilities~
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Sector Jacksonville
Medical~
Medical facilities at both NS Mayport and NAS Jacksonville.
Tricare Prime is also an option and there is no co-pay for civilian doctors with this. Since JAX is so large (the largest city as far as area in the country), there are a lot of options as far as civilian doctors go.
Housing~
There is no military housing for CG. Navy does have some. You can go through the navy to get an apartment which will get you reduced rent, no credit checks, and little or no deposits but you will have to sign a contract to stay in the apartment for a certain amount of time.
Houses are springing up everywhere and the rents are decent. A new 3 bedroom, 2 bath home to rent will average $1800/month, depending on where it is located. Housing to buy is also fairly decently priced, though the prices have been going up. A nicer 3 bedroom/2 bath apartment runs about $1100/month, again depending on where you look.
Shopping~
Shopping is everywhere. There is one brand-new mall, and several more are in various stages of the building process. In addition to that, there are a few that are already here. A nice bonus: the malls around here have nice play areas for the kids with plenty of seating for adults.
NAS JAX has a commisary and exchange that is good-sized and NS Mayport has a small exchange. Sector Mayport has a very small CG exchange as well.
There are many little shops not associated with malls as well. Basically, shopping is not a problem!
Adult Schools~
Lots of options for adult education as well. One of the best is FCCJ - Florida Community College Jacksonville. Their rates are good, they have a wide variety of options as far as classes, and they have several different locations (as well as a large selection of online classes). In addition, there are 3 or 4 regular colleges.
Fun Activities~
Of course, the beach is always first in everyone's minds. There is also Orlando which is only about 2.5 hours away. Adventure Landing is here. Lots of festivals every year, along with a couple decent size fairs. Sea and Sky spectacular every year. Jacksonville Jaguars. Florida Suns (baseball). Tons and tons of flea markets. As a bonus, Jacksonville is the fireworks capital of the southeast, if not the country!
Additional Info~
If it weren't for the heat, I would truly love it here. Most people are very friendly, and even though it's a big city (land again), it still feels very small town (which can have it's own connotations, especially in the south). All in all, really not a bad place to spend a couple of years.
Homeport FL
Station Mayport
Date there~
March 2003 - sometime 2006
Weather~
Most people love it here, but I find it too hot. The summers get extremely hot and muggy (100% humidity and actual temp. of up to around 98 degrees making it seem much hotter).
The winters here can get down into the low 30's, though winter only lasts a couple of months.
Fall and spring are very wet with a lot of thunderstorms (and the associated power outages!). Of course, there is always hurricane season which lasts from June 1 through October 31.
Basically, if you love a lot of weather changes, this is the place to be!!
Military facilities~
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Sector Jacksonville
Medical~
Medical facilities at both NS Mayport and NAS Jacksonville.
Tricare Prime is also an option and there is no co-pay for civilian doctors with this. Since JAX is so large (the largest city as far as area in the country), there are a lot of options as far as civilian doctors go.
Housing~
There is no military housing for CG. Navy does have some. You can go through the navy to get an apartment which will get you reduced rent, no credit checks, and little or no deposits but you will have to sign a contract to stay in the apartment for a certain amount of time.
Houses are springing up everywhere and the rents are decent. A new 3 bedroom, 2 bath home to rent will average $1800/month, depending on where it is located. Housing to buy is also fairly decently priced, though the prices have been going up. A nicer 3 bedroom/2 bath apartment runs about $1100/month, again depending on where you look.
Shopping~
Shopping is everywhere. There is one brand-new mall, and several more are in various stages of the building process. In addition to that, there are a few that are already here. A nice bonus: the malls around here have nice play areas for the kids with plenty of seating for adults.
NAS JAX has a commisary and exchange that is good-sized and NS Mayport has a small exchange. Sector Mayport has a very small CG exchange as well.
There are many little shops not associated with malls as well. Basically, shopping is not a problem!
Adult Schools~
Lots of options for adult education as well. One of the best is FCCJ - Florida Community College Jacksonville. Their rates are good, they have a wide variety of options as far as classes, and they have several different locations (as well as a large selection of online classes). In addition, there are 3 or 4 regular colleges.
Fun Activities~
Of course, the beach is always first in everyone's minds. There is also Orlando which is only about 2.5 hours away. Adventure Landing is here. Lots of festivals every year, along with a couple decent size fairs. Sea and Sky spectacular every year. Jacksonville Jaguars. Florida Suns (baseball). Tons and tons of flea markets. As a bonus, Jacksonville is the fireworks capital of the southeast, if not the country!
Additional Info~
If it weren't for the heat, I would truly love it here. Most people are very friendly, and even though it's a big city (land again), it still feels very small town (which can have it's own connotations, especially in the south). All in all, really not a bad place to spend a couple of years.
Homeport FL
