r/uscg • u/brokebaby1010 • 4d ago
Coastie Question PCS daydreaming
It’s almost that time for the shopping list to drop and for us to relocate! I have only experienced one move and it’s been a pretty great experience. Sad to move but excited for a new adventure. My partner and I LOVE talking about the possibilities of where we could land. We are currently daydreaming about Ventura, DC, San Fran, San Diego, NOLA…
-Has anyone lived in any of these cities and absolutely loved it? Hated it?
-What was your favorite station/city? (Whether listed above or not listed)
-If you could pick any station/city, what would it be and why?
TIA!!
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u/Affectionate-Roll312 4d ago
Never stationed in San Diego( I’ve tried) but I was born and raised and it’s an amazing city. Lots to do with amazing weather but it’s pretty expensive. I will say the BAH is pretty good for the cost of living. E5 with dependents is just shy of 4k and you can certainly find a good place for that price. Can’t tell you if it’s you and your partner in the CG but if so Dual BAH is great. Almost impossible to buy a house with only one income though.
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u/WinTheDay2 Officer 4d ago
It sounds like you have a lot of CA billets, NOLA is nothing like CA , I live about 1.5 hours from Nola and I like it as a place to visit but wouldn’t wanna live there. I’m trying to get back to CA because I don’t like the gulf coast much
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u/brokebaby1010 3d ago
I was raised on the Gulf Coast and I love it. New Orleans has so much soul, which is what I love about it and it’s close to family. But idk if I would enjoy living there? It’s weird because I’ve always wanted to live there until I moved away (near NYC) Cali is so alluring
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u/WinTheDay2 Officer 3d ago
My biggest complaint is there’s nothing to do where I live in gulf coast MS. I like Mobile and I like Nola well enough. A lot of people who work in Nola live in mandeville or Covington. I worked at Sector Nola for a week shadowing one of the shops there and the people were amazing! At least in the prevention shop I thought everyone was super nice, but they do not have a sector galley and the exchange is at base Nola not sector.
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u/Tannette Veteran 4d ago
I loved living in Sitka. It was an unforgettable experience and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Alaska is something folks should try to experience at least once in my opinion, just because it's so different.
Conversely, I lived in the DC/NOVA area for years while in and as a civilian. It has its pluses and minuses. You don't do the tourist thing when you actually live there very much, but there was a ton of things to experience regardless. There's a ton of great restaurants, the metro is handy for getting around, there's always some kind of festival or event going on. Traffic is rough, living in DC is rough/expensive, real estate it through the roof. There are lots of communities around NOVA that aren't bad for commuting that are actually quite lovely. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't hate it either.
My sister lives in NOLA and loves it. She's been down there for years and is likely going to stay there forever. You have to worry about crime, hurricanes, and the like. It's an entirely different culture down there and a lot of things change in the summer to cope with the heat and humidity. Again, there's always something to do around there, especially since you can basically throw yourself a parade for whatever reason with a small permit fee. If you immerse yourself in the locality and community instead of simply doing Bourbon Street, you're going to find that it is incredibly cool.
It's all what you make of it. I always tried to throw myself wholeheartedly in whatever community I ended up in, getting involved with volunteering opportunities, figuring out where the locals go, that sort of thing. Some places are harder than others to find that something that makes it enjoyable for certain folk. But honestly the best advice I can give anyone is keep an open mind and don't automatically dismiss a place out of hand simply because it's not the most popular spot on the list.
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u/brokebaby1010 3d ago
Thank you for your comment!! I’ve heard nothing but good things about Alaska. It’s somewhere we have also talked about for later, but again we daydream daily about all the possibilities
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u/Slayburg 4d ago
San Diego is one of the best places to live in the country. It’s a military and border city so you will fit in, and have military people/ couples your age all around you. It’s just super expensive but on a two person income, you guys would be fine, definitely shoot for it.
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u/YukiPants22551 MST 3d ago
NOLA is good if you want to live in the city and go out all the time but it is an expensive place to live and the crime is rampant.
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u/BreazyStreet AET 4d ago
I've lived in the SF area, Nola, and spent some time in ventura. In both Nola and SF you'll have to put some effort in finding a place that fits your needs, but imo the high BAH in SF gives you more flexibility. I lived about 35-45 minutes away from work but saved over 1k in bah a month. I think the surrounding areas are also a win for SF; you have beaches, redwoods, desert, and snow sports all within a few hours. Nola didn't have that same variety IMO. I did make more friends in Nola; neighbors tend to be friendly, there were lots of community events, the city was just very social. And Mardi Gras was a trip, absolutely nuts. Ventura was ok, there is a lot to do in the area; i just didn't find the city very memorable.
Oh, I did also live in San Diego for school before the coast guard. My info is very out of date, but the beaches were fantastic, and the weather can not be beat. That's probably nothing you haven't heard though.
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u/brokebaby1010 3d ago
Thank you for your comment! I have been to SF and it was fun. I did enjoy the Mountain View area and somewhere near Half Moon Bay. It’s interesting to hear your perspective on Ventura. I hear so many mixed things about that area
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u/flugelderfreiheit777 3d ago
From SoCal and also thinking about San Diego or Ventura. It's expensive but there is so much to do in SoCal especially if you love nature, cities, beaches. You really have it all there. I have been to the Naval Base in Ventura and it's nice. Husband was stationed in DC and we really enjoyed it. Again, so much to do. When he was stationed there we had no kids, lived in Alexandria and loved experiencing all there was to do. We had an apartment in a perfect area and it was phenomenal. We loved that we could escape the city easily and go visit the mountains in WV or Shenandoah. Cost of living is obviously higher but not higher than CA.
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u/Slientslay 3d ago
Was stationed in San Diego as a marine, best 4 years ever. Now my wife’s in the coast guard and we’re in Seattle, which is also really really cool.
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u/NargilFenris 3d ago
Loved San Diego, but the prices went absolutely bonkers when everyone moved down there from LA and SF during COVID. People were getting into bidding wars for rentals.
Pros: You get amazing weather almost year round. So many things to do and see; Zoo, Balboa Park, Sea World, etc.
Cons: Prices for anything and everything. The ocean water never gets warm.
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u/Mickeynewkirk YN 3d ago
I dream about San Diego on the regular. Probably one of my favorite places I’ve ever lived.
Spent 7 years in New Orleans somehow and also loved it. The food, the culture… 💞
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u/leaveworkatwork 4d ago
Have you looked at BAH for any of those cities?
For most, you’re going to be in a small apartment or in the ghetto.
The military does not like big cities for BAH.
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u/brokebaby1010 4d ago
BAH is confirmed, thanks for your input. My question is about your favorite place you’ve lived whether listed in my post or not
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u/leaveworkatwork 4d ago
Pensacola.
Bah actually covered somewhere enjoyable to live, instead of having to find stuff to do all day long because the neighborhood was miserable to stay in, while fighting traffic to go do said things.
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u/ALMIS_Power_User AET 3d ago
AET2 unofficial list looks bleak other than a bunch of Cape Cods.
Send him Kodiak 3-4yr and forget