Station/Boat Location~
Operations Systems Center
Date there~
May 2001-August 2004
Weather~
Typical Mid-Atlantic weather. In the Winter there will be rain and snow (there was 36" in one day my first year there in 2002!). It is very warm and humid in the summer.
Military facilities~
The closest exchange and comissary are at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, MD about 45 minutes away. They are both very small. The commissary is about as big as a corner grocery store...just the basics.
Medical~
The coasties use Berkley Family Medical Clinic, but for me I used a private local physician at the Martinsburg Hospital.
Housing~
There is no housing as there is a very small contingency of active duty Coasties at this location. Nice rentals can be difficult to find. The cost of buying a house is very reasonable if you are there any length of time.
Shopping~
There is a mall, but I wouldn't consider it anything beyond the basics. A JC Penney, Sears, and small shops. There is a very interesting WalMart as well. Target and Costco are in Winchester VA and Frederick MD about 45 minutes South and North respectively. There is a better mall and outlets in Hagerstown MD about 25 minutes away.
Child Care/Schools~
We didn't have any children while we were there, but friends of ours had great success at a daycare center at a government facility in Shepardstown, WV. I don't remember the name though.
Adult Schools~
This is where this station was fantastic for my husband. There is Shepard College in Shepardstown WV and there is a branch campus of Mountain State University in Martinsburg. The Operations System Center was a place during this time that seemed like everyone was going to school. It was emphasized and encouraged. The Mountain State University Branch Campus is designed for adult education with evening classes.
Fun Activities~
Well, there are not very many cultural events there, but if you like the outdoors it is nice. There was undeveloped land behind our house and my husband and friend hunted deer. There is the C&O Canal where we would go for walks after after visitin the Lost Dog coffee house in Shepardstown. It is also only about an hour to Shenandoah National Park where the Fall Foliage is amazing. Berkeley Springs, WV has some great spas. There are tons of civil war sites in the area including Harper's Ferry and Antietam.
Additional Info~
I wasn't very happy in Kearneysville because I was a city girl and moved from Seattle to this very small town, but my husband who was from the country liked it. I wasn't used to people "huntin" in my back yard. It was very difficult to find a job in the area for me. In fact, when I went to a temp agency in the area out of despiration they laughed and asked, "Do you know where you moved?" Granted, I was an event planner and had done fundraising for non-profits, but I could do anything. I ended up finding a job 45 minutes away in Frederick MD. We later moved there and my husband commuted briefly and found it an easy commute. Never any traffic from Frederick to Kearneysville, just you and the road. Frederick is more expensive in housing, but has many more city conveniences. The best thing about the OSC was that it was mostly 8-4 and my husband was home every night, which is more wonderful than I can put into words.
Homeport WV
Operations Systems Center
Date there~
May 2001-August 2004
Weather~
Typical Mid-Atlantic weather. In the Winter there will be rain and snow (there was 36" in one day my first year there in 2002!). It is very warm and humid in the summer.
Military facilities~
The closest exchange and comissary are at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, MD about 45 minutes away. They are both very small. The commissary is about as big as a corner grocery store...just the basics.
Medical~
The coasties use Berkley Family Medical Clinic, but for me I used a private local physician at the Martinsburg Hospital.
Housing~
There is no housing as there is a very small contingency of active duty Coasties at this location. Nice rentals can be difficult to find. The cost of buying a house is very reasonable if you are there any length of time.
Shopping~
There is a mall, but I wouldn't consider it anything beyond the basics. A JC Penney, Sears, and small shops. There is a very interesting WalMart as well. Target and Costco are in Winchester VA and Frederick MD about 45 minutes South and North respectively. There is a better mall and outlets in Hagerstown MD about 25 minutes away.
Child Care/Schools~
We didn't have any children while we were there, but friends of ours had great success at a daycare center at a government facility in Shepardstown, WV. I don't remember the name though.
Adult Schools~
This is where this station was fantastic for my husband. There is Shepard College in Shepardstown WV and there is a branch campus of Mountain State University in Martinsburg. The Operations System Center was a place during this time that seemed like everyone was going to school. It was emphasized and encouraged. The Mountain State University Branch Campus is designed for adult education with evening classes.
Fun Activities~
Well, there are not very many cultural events there, but if you like the outdoors it is nice. There was undeveloped land behind our house and my husband and friend hunted deer. There is the C&O Canal where we would go for walks after after visitin the Lost Dog coffee house in Shepardstown. It is also only about an hour to Shenandoah National Park where the Fall Foliage is amazing. Berkeley Springs, WV has some great spas. There are tons of civil war sites in the area including Harper's Ferry and Antietam.
Additional Info~
I wasn't very happy in Kearneysville because I was a city girl and moved from Seattle to this very small town, but my husband who was from the country liked it. I wasn't used to people "huntin" in my back yard. It was very difficult to find a job in the area for me. In fact, when I went to a temp agency in the area out of despiration they laughed and asked, "Do you know where you moved?" Granted, I was an event planner and had done fundraising for non-profits, but I could do anything. I ended up finding a job 45 minutes away in Frederick MD. We later moved there and my husband commuted briefly and found it an easy commute. Never any traffic from Frederick to Kearneysville, just you and the road. Frederick is more expensive in housing, but has many more city conveniences. The best thing about the OSC was that it was mostly 8-4 and my husband was home every night, which is more wonderful than I can put into words.
Homeport WV
