Station/Boat Location~
USCGC MOBILE BAY (120')
Date there~
July 2004 - May 2007
Weather~
The year we got here everyone told us it had been cold and wet, but right after we showed up it was in the 90's with 60-80% humidity and felt miserably hot to someone used to Alaska's mild climate. The next summer was really hot, we hit 99 with high humidity, and last summer was in the 70's and 80's most of the summer. There was a month or so that it was getting into the 90's. If you are used to hot weather and humidity, you may not need an air conditioner, but if you are not (like us) you will need to get window units because housing does not have air conditioning installed.
The winters seem to vary a lot. Our first winter we had lots of snow (total I think for the whole season it was between 2 and 5 feet). The temperatures were below zero with the wind chill a lot, maybe a month or two. Second winter was very mild, I think the temp only dropped below zero for a week or so. We had very little snow and most of the time the temps were in the 20's. This winter has been extremely mild. Temps in the 30's and 40's a lot. We had one little snow in Nov/Dec and then just had a recent snow in January that has left 3 or 4 inches on the ground. It has been in the teen's and 20's lately and sometimes in the single digits with wind chill.
I guess you should just be prepared for anything here for the seasons. I have been told that normally this town does not get a lot of snow in the winter, mostly ice. You get a lot of wind here off the lake, which can work in your advantage when it is hot to cool you, or to your disadvantage when it is cold and you can freeze your tushy.
Military facilities~
I know there are some facilities in Green Bay, that is where you have to go to get your ID cards renewed, but they offer very little and have very short hours it seems. There are offices scattered around the lakes, but I don't know where the nearest commissary or exchange is. I searched for it once and it wasn't close enough for me to want to drive to and I don't mind a 4 hour drive one way if it is a huge place and can save me a bunch of money.
There is a small base here, but I have never had a reason to go out there so I'm not sure what it even offers. I do know there is supposed to be a nice beach there and there are some CG houses out there and the barracks.
Medical~
There are no military medical facilities close by. I feel like there is a lot to offer medically here in Sturgeon Bay. Right in Sturgeon Bay there are a couple of clinics here I believe. We go to North Shore Medical Clinic in the Door County Memorial Hospital. It has wonderful pediatricians, great family physicians, OB/GYNs and some specialists. There is also a dermatology clinic here. They just built a cancer ward at the hospital and I have only had good experience with all the people that work there. The one time we went to the emergency room the staff and doctor we saw were wonderful. In fact, dd thinks it is a vacation just to go there.
If you can't get the kind of doctor you need here, there are a lot of specialists in Green Bay and Appleton, so you may have to drive a bit, but it can be worth it.
There are a variety of dentists here, but I think only a couple take United Concordia. We have had really good results with Dr. Koutnik's office (they do take U.C.) and I know everyone from the boat goes to Dr. Berg and I haven't heard any complaints.
There are at least 2 eye clinics here, I think there may be more though, I just haven't gone to them. Peninsula Vision Care LLC and they are wonderful! All three of my kids have gone there and had no problems. Everyone there is extremely friendly, they take tricare, and I just feel that overall, they are more concerned about their patients than other places I have been.
Housing~
There are 17 (I believe, give or take a couple) Coast Guard owned houses. I think only 3 of them are 4 bedrooms and the rest are 3. Some are very small, as in, the master bedroom in one place could fit a king size bed in it but nothing else and you would have a small path around the bed for extra room. Where others are much more comfortable. All of them have some sort of yard, some have sliding doors to the yard, some do not (like our house). I think most of them have garages, but there are a couple that don't. The 4 bedrooms are all the same floor plans I believe, but the three bedrooms have 3 different styles. Some of the garages are accessible through the house and some are not. It really varies. There are basements in the houses which is where the washer/dryer hookups are. We have a full basement, but some houses only have half the size of our basement. At this time you can get satellite tv, and there are a couple of options, that I know of, for phone lines and internet(SBC/AT&T, Charter). There are also a few options for cell phones, I don't know all of them though. I had Nextel, but found there were a lot of spots on the county roads they wouldn't have reception.
There are some barracks, but some single people live on the economy. It can be very expensive here to find a place if you have kids, and even more so if you have pets. We have really enjoyed being in housing. The houses are sprinkled throughout a few streets that are all within walking distance (minus the couple of houses that are out at the station). Just on my street there are 6 CG houses I can see from my front yard and it has been great having friends so close together but where we still have privacy within our homes.
Shopping~
There are lots of touristy gift shops on this peninsula. During the summer the population is mostly tourists and summer occupants. There are a lot of great things you can get as souvenirs, but wait until they go on sale at the end of the summer or during the fall/winter. Everything is a lot pricier during the summer.
For grocery shopping, there are two grocery stores here, Econo Foods and Pick 'N' Save. People seem to prefer one over the other, but if there is something you can't find at one store, a lot of times you can find it at the other. There is a very small natural food store (very small). There is a small Wal-mart and Target here, but a lot of shopping is done in Green Bay. It is about a 45 minute drive from here and they have all the stores I could ever think about needing. I do once a month shopping at Sam's Club, Super Wal-Mart and Woodman's down there, but they have lots of department stores, strip malls, fast food and sit down restaurants. If you want more you can usually go to Appleton (about an hour-and-a-half drive I believe) to get a different variety of shopping.
Child Care/Schools~
I have had kids in school here from pre-school (which they offer as part of the public school system for 4 and 5 year olds) to 4th grade. They have loved school here and I have been very satisfied with it. The class sizes seem to average around 17-20 kids per teacher and all of the schools are very close to the CG houses. There are a couple of private religious schools and I have dd in a private preschool because her birthday was just a little late for public preschool. I have never used daycare here except at the YMCA so I can't help on that.
Adult Schools~
There is a community college here, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, that you can take classes at and there is a bigger campus in Green Bay, so some people end up taking classes down there and commuting a lot. There is also a nursing college in Green Bay (Bellin College of Nursing) and a beauty school (Wisconsin College of Cosmetology).
Fun Activities~
There is so much to offer here! There are lots of state, county and city parks all over the place that have trails to hike and bike and beaches and great fishing and boating. There seems to be something going on at least every weekend and lots during the week in the summer on the Door County peninsula. Most things are family friendly.
Here in Sturgeon Bay there is a bowling alley, a wonderful YMCA, beaches. There are golf courses all over the place. If you are okay with driving, up north there are some fun mini golf courses, down south there is a zoo (N.E.W. Zoo), fun amusement park with a go-cart course close to it, a wildlife sanctuary. I know I am not even touching on a lot of activities, but there is always something to do here. The library is wonderful and seems to always have children's activities going on, especially in the summer.
The YMCA has tons of activities and as of right now, they give the Coast Guard a huge discount off of the membership. You have to pay for most classes and it seems that most afterschool activities happen through the Y, but compared to other places we have been, they are very affordable. Some people haven't felt that way, so I think it just depends on what you have had experience with. They have great workout areas, offer fun classes for kids and adults and the people there are some of the friendliest I have met here.
Additional Comments~
I have been very happy here and met some great people. This area is considered a prime vacation spot and we get to live here all year! It is a small town (population around 9,500) and can feel like it is just a large family. I am extremely glad we came here and would definitely come here again. It is a very family friendly community.
Homeport WI
USCGC MOBILE BAY (120')
Date there~
July 2004 - May 2007
Weather~
The year we got here everyone told us it had been cold and wet, but right after we showed up it was in the 90's with 60-80% humidity and felt miserably hot to someone used to Alaska's mild climate. The next summer was really hot, we hit 99 with high humidity, and last summer was in the 70's and 80's most of the summer. There was a month or so that it was getting into the 90's. If you are used to hot weather and humidity, you may not need an air conditioner, but if you are not (like us) you will need to get window units because housing does not have air conditioning installed.
The winters seem to vary a lot. Our first winter we had lots of snow (total I think for the whole season it was between 2 and 5 feet). The temperatures were below zero with the wind chill a lot, maybe a month or two. Second winter was very mild, I think the temp only dropped below zero for a week or so. We had very little snow and most of the time the temps were in the 20's. This winter has been extremely mild. Temps in the 30's and 40's a lot. We had one little snow in Nov/Dec and then just had a recent snow in January that has left 3 or 4 inches on the ground. It has been in the teen's and 20's lately and sometimes in the single digits with wind chill.
I guess you should just be prepared for anything here for the seasons. I have been told that normally this town does not get a lot of snow in the winter, mostly ice. You get a lot of wind here off the lake, which can work in your advantage when it is hot to cool you, or to your disadvantage when it is cold and you can freeze your tushy.
Military facilities~
I know there are some facilities in Green Bay, that is where you have to go to get your ID cards renewed, but they offer very little and have very short hours it seems. There are offices scattered around the lakes, but I don't know where the nearest commissary or exchange is. I searched for it once and it wasn't close enough for me to want to drive to and I don't mind a 4 hour drive one way if it is a huge place and can save me a bunch of money.
There is a small base here, but I have never had a reason to go out there so I'm not sure what it even offers. I do know there is supposed to be a nice beach there and there are some CG houses out there and the barracks.
Medical~
There are no military medical facilities close by. I feel like there is a lot to offer medically here in Sturgeon Bay. Right in Sturgeon Bay there are a couple of clinics here I believe. We go to North Shore Medical Clinic in the Door County Memorial Hospital. It has wonderful pediatricians, great family physicians, OB/GYNs and some specialists. There is also a dermatology clinic here. They just built a cancer ward at the hospital and I have only had good experience with all the people that work there. The one time we went to the emergency room the staff and doctor we saw were wonderful. In fact, dd thinks it is a vacation just to go there.
If you can't get the kind of doctor you need here, there are a lot of specialists in Green Bay and Appleton, so you may have to drive a bit, but it can be worth it.
There are a variety of dentists here, but I think only a couple take United Concordia. We have had really good results with Dr. Koutnik's office (they do take U.C.) and I know everyone from the boat goes to Dr. Berg and I haven't heard any complaints.
There are at least 2 eye clinics here, I think there may be more though, I just haven't gone to them. Peninsula Vision Care LLC and they are wonderful! All three of my kids have gone there and had no problems. Everyone there is extremely friendly, they take tricare, and I just feel that overall, they are more concerned about their patients than other places I have been.
Housing~
There are 17 (I believe, give or take a couple) Coast Guard owned houses. I think only 3 of them are 4 bedrooms and the rest are 3. Some are very small, as in, the master bedroom in one place could fit a king size bed in it but nothing else and you would have a small path around the bed for extra room. Where others are much more comfortable. All of them have some sort of yard, some have sliding doors to the yard, some do not (like our house). I think most of them have garages, but there are a couple that don't. The 4 bedrooms are all the same floor plans I believe, but the three bedrooms have 3 different styles. Some of the garages are accessible through the house and some are not. It really varies. There are basements in the houses which is where the washer/dryer hookups are. We have a full basement, but some houses only have half the size of our basement. At this time you can get satellite tv, and there are a couple of options, that I know of, for phone lines and internet(SBC/AT&T, Charter). There are also a few options for cell phones, I don't know all of them though. I had Nextel, but found there were a lot of spots on the county roads they wouldn't have reception.
There are some barracks, but some single people live on the economy. It can be very expensive here to find a place if you have kids, and even more so if you have pets. We have really enjoyed being in housing. The houses are sprinkled throughout a few streets that are all within walking distance (minus the couple of houses that are out at the station). Just on my street there are 6 CG houses I can see from my front yard and it has been great having friends so close together but where we still have privacy within our homes.
Shopping~
There are lots of touristy gift shops on this peninsula. During the summer the population is mostly tourists and summer occupants. There are a lot of great things you can get as souvenirs, but wait until they go on sale at the end of the summer or during the fall/winter. Everything is a lot pricier during the summer.
For grocery shopping, there are two grocery stores here, Econo Foods and Pick 'N' Save. People seem to prefer one over the other, but if there is something you can't find at one store, a lot of times you can find it at the other. There is a very small natural food store (very small). There is a small Wal-mart and Target here, but a lot of shopping is done in Green Bay. It is about a 45 minute drive from here and they have all the stores I could ever think about needing. I do once a month shopping at Sam's Club, Super Wal-Mart and Woodman's down there, but they have lots of department stores, strip malls, fast food and sit down restaurants. If you want more you can usually go to Appleton (about an hour-and-a-half drive I believe) to get a different variety of shopping.
Child Care/Schools~
I have had kids in school here from pre-school (which they offer as part of the public school system for 4 and 5 year olds) to 4th grade. They have loved school here and I have been very satisfied with it. The class sizes seem to average around 17-20 kids per teacher and all of the schools are very close to the CG houses. There are a couple of private religious schools and I have dd in a private preschool because her birthday was just a little late for public preschool. I have never used daycare here except at the YMCA so I can't help on that.
Adult Schools~
There is a community college here, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, that you can take classes at and there is a bigger campus in Green Bay, so some people end up taking classes down there and commuting a lot. There is also a nursing college in Green Bay (Bellin College of Nursing) and a beauty school (Wisconsin College of Cosmetology).
Fun Activities~
There is so much to offer here! There are lots of state, county and city parks all over the place that have trails to hike and bike and beaches and great fishing and boating. There seems to be something going on at least every weekend and lots during the week in the summer on the Door County peninsula. Most things are family friendly.
Here in Sturgeon Bay there is a bowling alley, a wonderful YMCA, beaches. There are golf courses all over the place. If you are okay with driving, up north there are some fun mini golf courses, down south there is a zoo (N.E.W. Zoo), fun amusement park with a go-cart course close to it, a wildlife sanctuary. I know I am not even touching on a lot of activities, but there is always something to do here. The library is wonderful and seems to always have children's activities going on, especially in the summer.
The YMCA has tons of activities and as of right now, they give the Coast Guard a huge discount off of the membership. You have to pay for most classes and it seems that most afterschool activities happen through the Y, but compared to other places we have been, they are very affordable. Some people haven't felt that way, so I think it just depends on what you have had experience with. They have great workout areas, offer fun classes for kids and adults and the people there are some of the friendliest I have met here.
Additional Comments~
I have been very happy here and met some great people. This area is considered a prime vacation spot and we get to live here all year! It is a small town (population around 9,500) and can feel like it is just a large family. I am extremely glad we came here and would definitely come here again. It is a very family friendly community.
Homeport WI
