relocating to pax riv/ lex park q's!

[ashnavygirl143]

From what I was told the area has build up, but it's still rural so it's a big adjustment for me. It's kind of funny here because you have the Cheasepeake Bay on one side but then you can go down certain roads where it is more rural and see deer, cows, horse farms and even Amish people on their buggies. If you don't live on base a majority of the apartment complexes run over $1,000 a month (real estate is high here). Groceries vary in price depending what market you shop at. If you live close to base you wont be spending too much in gas. I found cable to be cheaper here and electric varies depending on how much you use.

Not sure of your jobs skills, but there are various Contractors in the area if your looking for office work.

Yeah, where I'm from, there's a town where amish are very predominant, at the grocery store there are "buggy parking spots" for the amish! I guess I just want to be somewhere that reminds me of home, and I think MD is going to do the trick . I put our kw/h usage into the estimator on the SMECO website, and it said we could expect to pay about $54 a month...which isn't too bad to me, seeing how I pay about $65 here. We'll be shopping at the comissary, so I know what that usually runs...I don't know, I don't think that off base housing will hurt us more than it would help us, that extra $400 past the rent we're looking at paying would pay the rest of our bills, so that's kind of a big deal. I can't find anything on this glen forest place, makes me sad! I think I'm going to look into working at old navy, jcpenney over in california or something like that...but I love being organized and all that, so I think I'd be good at office work! I'm hoping to go to the cosmetology school there in fall too...

 

[itsbob]

Base housing gets in in as soon as you get here... they wont make you wait. Believe me when I say that it is worth you BAH to live on base... once you get your first electric bill, you will be in shock. I about hit the floor... but you do what you think will benifit your family.

Even though a good portion of the onbase housing has been torn down??

 

[ashnavygirl143]

Even though a good portion of the onbase housing has been torn down??

...speaking of which...i am members of other forums, such as the ones for navy wives, and i've posted questions like this over in those, and i've hardly gotten any response, which is a shock, so I'm assuming that this base is pretty small, and I know that with the alignment/closure contract being up in 2011, I've seen information stating that this base is going to be realigning through the rhode island base, and another in california....lol, i know that has nothing to do with the questions i'm asking, just thought i'd throw it out there, seeing how it may be a concern for not only those of us who are still getting stationed there, but also to the community members

 

[itsbob]

...speaking of which...i am members of other forums, such as the ones for navy wives, and i've posted questions like this over in those, and i've hardly gotten any response, which is a shock, so I'm assuming that this base is pretty small, and I know that with the alignment/closure contract being up in 2011, I've seen information stating that this base is going to be realigning through the rhode island base, and another in california....lol, i know that has nothing to do with the questions i'm asking, just thought i'd throw it out there, seeing how it may be a concern for not only those of us who are still getting stationed there, but also to the community members

This base isn't going anywhere.

BUT the military contingent is a VERY small percentage of the workforce here. If I remember right less than 10%?

They are tearing/ tore down housing for new replacment buildings but I can't imagine they are going to be ready for some time.

Entire housing areas around West Basin Marina are gone. The only thng left standing the last time I drove through there was the community playground.

 

[backagain39]

The utilities here are very high and so are the rent prices........just giving you a heads up.

 

[Sadysue]

Base housing gets in in as soon as you get here... they wont make you wait. Believe me when I say that it is worth you BAH to live on base... once you get your first electric bill, you will be in shock. I about hit the floor... but you do what you think will benifit your family.

The cost of living here is really expensive. You will not find a decent apartment in the Lexington Park, California are for under probably $1150. A nice apartment that you can spread out in will be a couple hundred more. I own my own home (small) and my electric bill can run up to $350 during the summer. I spend about $300 per month for groceries, not counting dog and cat food. Cigarettes are running $40 per carton if you smoke. If you have animals the vet bills are really high. Registering your vehicles, if you are required too, is really really high. Let's see what else..................

Cable internet is about $50
Cable TV is about $50
Verizon national service is $60 (for a home line)
Water is about $20.

(Disclaimer* I could be off on some of the prices. Please correct me if I am wrong.)

The rent alone would eat up most of your BAH. With that said, you can look through the real estate rentals section of the classifieds on this site. Sometimes you can find a good deal. Just remember, any of the apartments listing for $800 or so are mostly likely tiny one bedrooms. I mean teeny tiny. I would try to find a 3 bedroom house for $1100 - $1200 a month before I would look at apartments.

 

[backagain39]

Gas here is running between 2.95 and 3.00 a gallon. Cigarettes are 5.24 a pack. A gallon of milk is almost 5.00. Sodas vary with being on sale but not on sale they are about 4.79 for a 12 pack. My electric bill is running 350.00 a month (my house is about 1800 sq ft and one level), the cable is running between 62.00 and up depending on the package, and my house is heated by propane and don't get me started on that!!! Last year it was 1900 for 5 months..........this year I am afraid to add up what I have paid. My rent is 1200 and that is cheap because I have been in the house for almost 5 years.......

 

[backagain39]

One more thing, if you have kids then check out this website

greatschools.net

this will give you the test scores, the schools ratings, the teacher to student radios and the demographics of the school. This could help you choose an area to live in..............

 

[ashnavygirl143]

The good news is I don't smoke, lol. Yeah, we'll be shopping at the comissary, so that will save us some. The apartments I'm looking at are called Indian Bridge and they are owned by cherry cove. It's a two bedroom apartment, 865 sq ft, which is similar to what we're living in now, and it's comfortable for us, seeing how it's only my husband and myself. The rent there is $850 per month, and yes, that's the cheapest I've found. That's why I wish I had some info about them, because if we got in there, we'd definitely be saving money by living off base. They also cover water, sewer, and trash, which is nice. Hmm, I don't understand why the electricity is so high, I guess I'll have to call the company or something because that would kill us, a $300 a month elec. bill...being military, we don't have to register our vehicle. which is nice. As far as whether or not the base is going anywhere, you can go look right at the BRAC info, all the northeastern bases are pretty much being realigned, and this was on there...we wanted to be stationed in Brunswick, ME, but they're already moving squadrons down to Jacksonville. Maybe they decided not to realign this one though, I don't know for sure, all I know is that it could affect us, so that's what matters to me, lol! Anyone have any suggestions on real estate agents? I've been searching online for houses for rent, there isn't squat listed.

 

[BS Gal]

The good news is I don't smoke, lol. Yeah, we'll be shopping at the comissary, so that will save us some. The apartments I'm looking at are called Indian Bridge and they are owned by cherry cove. It's a two bedroom apartment, 865 sq ft, which is similar to what we're living in now, and it's comfortable for us, seeing how it's only my husband and myself. The rent there is $850 per month, and yes, that's the cheapest I've found. That's why I wish I had some info about them, because if we got in there, we'd definitely be saving money by living off base. They also cover water, sewer, and trash, which is nice. Hmm, I don't understand why the electricity is so high, I guess I'll have to call the company or something because that would kill us, a $300 a month elec. bill...being military, we don't have to register our vehicle. which is nice. As far as whether or not the base is going anywhere, you can go look right at the BRAC info, all the northeastern bases are pretty much being realigned, and this was on there...we wanted to be stationed in Brunswick, ME, but they're already moving squadrons down to Jacksonville. Maybe they decided not to realign this one though, I don't know for sure, all I know is that it could affect us, so that's what matters to me, lol! Anyone have any suggestions on real estate agents? I've been searching online for houses for rent, there isn't squat listed.

The Indian Bridge apartments are right next to a high school and not in a very good area.

 

[backagain39]

Yeah, where I'm from, there's a town where amish are very predominant, at the grocery store there are "buggy parking spots" for the amish! I guess I just want to be somewhere that reminds me of home, and I think MD is going to do the trick . I put our kw/h usage into the estimator on the SMECO website, and it said we could expect to pay about $54 a month...which isn't too bad to me, seeing how I pay about $65 here. We'll be shopping at the comissary, so I know what that usually runs...I don't know, I don't think that off base housing will hurt us more than it would help us, that extra $400 past the rent we're looking at paying would pay the rest of our bills, so that's kind of a big deal. I can't find anything on this glen forest place, makes me sad! I think I'm going to look into working at old navy, jcpenney over in california or something like that...but I love being organized and all that, so I think I'd be good at office work! I'm hoping to go to the cosmetology school there in fall too...

I bet the SMECO website didn't add in the (I am looking at my bill now for all the extras that they charge) following:

the customer charge 8.60
the distribution charge 45.81
the demand side mgmt surcharge 2.17
public service company franchise tax 1.98
the electric universal service charge 1.37
the St. Marys county energy tax 4.10
the MD environmental surcharge. 1.23 .................................

and no I am not making this sh#t up. I have never figured out how they legally get away with this ripoff......

 

[ashnavygirl143]

The Indian Bridge apartments are right next to a high school and not in a very good area.

really? Well that's slightly discouraging...how about st. mary's landing, or spring valley? anyone have any contact info, and rent info for this glen forest place i keep hearing of? I can't find anything for it online...wow, this is so frustrating, I can't go talk to anyone on base yet because my husband hasn't got a hard copy of his orders...I just want to make the right decision for us, and I feel like I'm being steered in so many different directions. I'm really thankful for all the help you guys have given me though, I've never been there so I'm totally clueles...this is just rough

 

[ashnavygirl143]

I bet the SMECO website didn't add in the (I am looking at my bill now for all the extras that they charge) following:

the customer charge 8.60
the distribution charge 45.81
the demand side mgmt surcharge 2.17
public service company franchise tax 1.98
the electric universal service charge 1.37
the St. Marys county energy tax 4.10
the MD environmental surcharge. 1.23 .................................

and no I am not making this sh#t up. I have never figured out how they legally get away with this ripoff......

45.81 distribution charge? that is ridiculous...so basically, I'd be looking at, at the least, around $150 a month...that's real cute...thanks for the heads up though!

 

[backagain39]

really? Well that's slightly discouraging...how about st. mary's landing, or spring valley? anyone have any contact info, and rent info for this glen forest place i keep hearing of? I can't find anything for it online...wow, this is so frustrating, I can't go talk to anyone on base yet because my husband hasn't got a hard copy of his orders...I just want to make the right decision for us, and I feel like I'm being steered in so many different directions. I'm really thankful for all the help you guys have given me though, I've never been there so I'm totally clueles...this is just rough

This website has rentals, homes for sale and jobs listed, just go to the main page which is somd.com and look on the right side of the page.

One realtor web site that has all the homes for sale in the area is obrienrealty.com

Best of luck to you!

 

[backagain39]

45.81 distribution charge? that is ridiculous...so basically, I'd be looking at, at the least, around $150 a month...that's real cute...thanks for the heads up though!

Yes 150 sounds about right for the sq footage that you are talking about..........

 

[ashnavygirl143]

didn't someone mention that lusby was over a bridge to get to the base? Because if it's the bridge I'm thinking of, i've heard alot of complaints about the traffic

 

[RangerJohn]

As Navy Vet, who was used to being stationed in high-cost areas (try living in San Diego or the Bay area) housing is going to be your best bet. The apartments next to Great Mills High always seem to have police 'visiting' late at night. And the two people I knew who DID live there had their vehicles frequently vandalized, in spite of the frequent police presence!

SMECO (Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative) will request a tidy little deposit, and so will the phone and cable companies. The Glen Forest Housing is pretty nice and outside Gate 2 off Willow Road. You will also have to get local auto insurance and living on base, that will be significantly less for you. Living on or near base will costs you a whole lot less in gas. And considering that you have one vehicle, living in housing will make it easier to carpool and rideshare.

Pax can be an especially challenging place for a young enlisted couple that are just starting out. Thankfully you won't have to deal with deployments for awhile (when I was an E-2 at Miramar California in F-14's, we were gone for 19 months out of my first two years in the command.) But it will be frustrating as Pax tends to cater to an older group and is not as focused on the needs of a young family as would a command in a fleet concentration area such as Jax/Mayport, Norfolk, or San Diego.

Good luck on your assignment, and I hope that you realize your good luck in NOT being assigned to a deployable fleet command.

 

[backagain39]

didn't someone mention that lusby was over a bridge to get to the base? Because if it's the bridge I'm thinking of, i've heard alot of complaints about the traffic

Lusby is in Calvert County, the base is in St. Marys County so you cross a bridge called the Solomons Island Bridge (Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge). The bridge is very high, narrow (one lane each way) and short.

That comment about traffic complaints strikes me funny, but I guess it's a matter of perception. I traveled the capital beltway for years (Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland) and sometimes I would sit in traffic on bridges and overpasses for hours....one example is....yesterday the overpasses on interstate 395 on the capital beltway were shut down for 11 hours due to ice....so the Solomons Island bridge is really not a major problem....yes it gets backed up, yes it gets nasty when we get snow and ice but it is nowhere near as bad as the locals seem to think it is.....again a matter of perception.

 

[ashnavygirl143]

As Navy Vet, who was used to being stationed in high-cost areas (try living in San Diego or the Bay area) housing is going to be your best bet. The apartments next to Great Mills High always seem to have police 'visiting' late at night. And the two people I knew who DID live there had their vehicles frequently vandalized, in spite of the frequent police presence!

SMECO (Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative) will request a tidy little deposit, and so will the phone and cable companies. The Glen Forest Housing is pretty nice and outside Gate 2 off Willow Road. You will also have to get local auto insurance and living on base, that will be significantly less for you. Living on or near base will costs you a whole lot less in gas. And considering that you have one vehicle, living in housing will make it easier to carpool and rideshare.

Pax can be an especially challenging place for a young enlisted couple that are just starting out. Thankfully you won't have to deal with deployments for awhile (when I was an E-2 at Miramar California in F-14's, we were gone for 19 months out of my first two years in the command.) But it will be frustrating as Pax tends to cater to an older group and is not as focused on the needs of a young family as would a command in a fleet concentration area such as Jax/Mayport, Norfolk, or San Diego.

Good luck on your assignment, and I hope that you realize your good luck in NOT being assigned to a deployable fleet command.

Thanks for your input...yeah, apparently my husband is working a "minimal military" job. You're right, I count my lucky stars all the time now that we've got these orders, knowing that he won't get deployed, but this seems to just be becoming more and more stressful. I feel like if we live off base, yeah, we'll have the extra money to pay for things *if we chose to live in some questionable apartments* and would be sacrificing our safety, which I am not about to do...and then it's like if we live on base, I have to hope that my job will help cover the bills! Does anyone know what minimum wage is there? I plan on getting a full time job as soon as I possibly can...I'm just so scared that we're not going to be able to make ends meet, and hearing all these things is about to give me a panic attack, seeing how I have no other reliable info...don't want to sound like a sissy, it's just hard being so young and trying to figure all this out with only the help of some nice strangers who will take the time to listen!

 

[backagain39]

Thanks for your input...yeah, apparently my husband is working a "minimal military" job. You're right, I count my lucky stars all the time now that we've got these orders, knowing that he won't get deployed, but this seems to just be becoming more and more stressful. I feel like if we live off base, yeah, we'll have the extra money to pay for things *if we chose to live in some questionable apartments* and would be sacrificing our safety, which I am not about to do...and then it's like if we live on base, I have to hope that my job will help cover the bills! Does anyone know what minimum wage is there? I plan on getting a full time job as soon as I possibly can...I'm just so scared that we're not going to be able to make ends meet, and hearing all these things is about to give me a panic attack, seeing how I have no other reliable info...don't want to sound like a sissy, it's just hard being so young and trying to figure all this out with only the help of some nice strangers who will take the time to listen!

We are not trying to scare you, just trying to get you prepared for moving here....it is very expensive. My husband died in 05 so I only have one income coming in and I just can't afford to live here anymore. I am looking for jobs in Central Virginia and as soon as one comes through I am moving.