USMC Wives -- Cali or NC?

yvonneg89 · May 2011

Hubby has to check into a deployable unit soon. I keep telling him I want to move to NC, but he is absolutely in love with Cali. I have no idea why I want to move to NC, I've never ever been there or Cali for that matter, so ladies...which is better and why?

samanthadarneille · May 2011

I am from the west coast and absolutely HATE Washington DC. The weather is really crappy and super humid, I have never been to NC but since its kind of close to DC I figure it will be about the same. My husband and I grew up in Oregon (I have lived in about 8 states though) and the weather over here seems about the same as there, cloudy one day-nice the next. And I don't like that. California is nice, mostly always sunny days, and hot days you don't have 80% humidity along with it.

I am tend to go for drier climates than wet ones.

Where have you lived though?

yvonneg89 · May 2011

Oh my gosh you've been everywhere!!! I can't even imagine! I've only lived in TX. We're from Houston, but we're stationed in San Antonio right now so it's not far from home at all. Houston is extremely humid all the time and in San Antonio it's not as humid, but I think that's just right now because of the drought we're having. I'm a city girl so I love Houston, San Antonio is a little too country for me.

RyansWifey5 · May 2011

We're at Lejeune and love it! Jacksonville is a huge city to us (we're from NH). I have a great group of friends, he likes who he works with. If you dig deep there is a ton of fun stuff to do here. And in the summer we're at the beach every weekend.

MandaGail · May 2011

We're at Cherry Point. We've been here one year. We lived here for about a year and a half 2005-06 then in Fort Worth for four years. It was an adjustment moving back, but we like it here. The weather is very similar to Houston. (I'm from a tiny town in SW Louisiana.) Like a PP mentioned, there are things to do here but you might have to search for it. The beach is only about 30-40 minutes from base if you like to do that. Let me know if you have specific questions about this base.

Lissa832 · May 2011

I have never lived in CA. I have lived at two different USMC bases in NC though. I HATED NC. We are now at Quantico in VA, just outside DC, and I love it here. If I had to choose a base in NC that was more desirable, it would be Lejeune. I hope to avoid Cherry Point like the plague, lol. As for CA, I have visited 29 Palms. There is not a lot to do there, but everyone I know at San Diego love it there.

SamSam31 · May 2011

::Butting in (I'm an Army girl and Army wife)::

I dated a Marine for about six and a half years and went to see him when he was at CP Lejune for his logistics officer course. I didn't see much that I liked, but it's unfair to say that NC is boring, because it really isn't. There is a lot to do in the surrounding area and if you're willing to drive, you can always see Wilmington, or check out other parts of the state. NC is actually a pretty state and I think it may get a bad rap from others who have never been there. I've spent time at Bragg down in Fayetteville and while I think parts of that town suck, I've had the good fortune of having friends in the area who have shown me other towns that are fun to be in.

I can talk about Cali all day long. I picked up and moved 3,000 miles from NYC to San Diego and it was the best decision I ever made in my life. Depending on what he does, he may get stationed closer to San Diego or he may end up at Pendleton, which is north San Diego county between Oceanside and San Clemente. There is also 29 Palms which is not fun unless you like the high desert. Not to knock it but I like beaches and city.

San Diego was tons of fun. Depending on where you are, you can have an early chilly morning (marine layer coming in from the Pacific) or if you're living a little further east, it can get warm (was about to say HOT, but that's relative). The closer to the ocean you are in San Diego, the better chance you'll see the 75 and sunny we always talk about. Further inland, it can get into the 90s sometimes. There is a lot of beach to play with, and if you get stationed there, you can go onto the Coronado Navy base's beach, which is open to DoD only.

Oceanside is ok, but I never had a great experience up there. San Clemente, however is just awesome. It still has that SoCal vibe even if it isn't San Diego.

I miss San Diego terribly. I got transferred to San Jose last year for my DoD job. SJ is ok, but if I can find my way to San Diego, DH and I will take it in an instant.

I hope that helps!

::Butting out::

o_so_in_love · May 2011

We lived in NC and we now live in CA. While NC is way more humid and hot I liked it way better than CA. The schools suck here, at least where I'm at. I heard from someone, but never confirmed it myself, that CA ranks 48 in education. I know you don't have kids yet, based on your sig, so maybe that might not be a big deal to you yet. In that case maybe you might not mind living here while you don't have school age children. Also, coming from a Christian woman's point of view, this state is way to liberal and there aren't as many churches that follow the Bible as there were in NC. There are lots of creeks and rivers in NC if you or hubby like fishing. It's a whole other fishing "game" here in CA, IMO more difficult with gear, bait, etc.

Lissa832 · May 2011

I lived in NC for 6 years, so I feel as though I'm fully qualified to say it sucked, lol. Wilmington, IMO, isn't that great either. As for the humidity, I'm from the Midwest. NC humidity is nothing, lol. The best part of eastern NC is the weather. It has been colder in the winter in the last couple of years, but overall, it can be in the 70s through the winter, which I liked. Lejeune is much better than Cherry Point, but I don't really want to live at either again.

theaustins05 · May 2011

Nc sucks, highly rec against nc

Junebug060609 · May 2011

Others have pretty much covered NC. The humid part and the pollen in the spring are the two things that stand out in my mind from our time in Virginia. Well, that and the food...I think I put on 20 pounds with all the Southern cooking Stick out tongue .

We're in San Diego now. The weather out here is wonderful. No freezing winters, sunny most days, and the humidity that is in the Carolinas...yeah, that's not here. The COL is high, but the housing allowance takes that into consideration. The only downfall I'm really seeing to living here right now is the distance to loved ones (we're both from the East Coast) and the job market out here.

MilitaryIssued · May 2011

We are at Cherry Point, in NC...and it was pretty horrible at first, but it has gotten better. It is awesome if you love fishing/crabbing...the beaches are beautiful with white sand, but there isn't a whole lot to do around New Bern/Havelock/Morehead City. But we have been here for 2 years, and I am ready for a change...

chulita425 · May 2011

Im from NY and were stationed in Cali....We HATE it!!! We wouldve given anything to be in NC not only because it was closer to home but because its nicer there. 29 Palms is the absolute worst!!!! Camp Pendleton is way better but Id still rater be back on the East Coast. Its all about personal preference I guess. NC and Camp Pendleton you can go to the beach and there are things to do but 29 Palms theres absolutely nothing to do, you have to drive at least an hour to go to someplace nice to eat, shop or get to a real theatre its isolated in the middle of the desert basically. I was in love with the thought of Cali too but Im an East Coast girl all the way !!!!

ishootnikon · May 2011

A place is what you make of it. I personally could not stand the thought of living in California. It's a nice place to visit but I love the south and small towns. North Carolina is NOT awful, and I've been here most of my life. If you're miserable, it's your own doing and has nothing to do with where you live.

gwenathan · May 2011

I'm born and raised in southern CA, I met my husband (a marine) because he was stationed here at Camp Pendleton. I love southern CA because I'm really comfortable here. There is a lot to do and you don't have to go very far for it (IE: San Diego, zoo, sea world, beach, disneyland, LA, etc) But I've been trying to convince my hubby to go east coast to NC. He's very outdoorsy and HATES that socal is so dry and brown(he's from WA)..and I agree. I'd love to live somewhere green and just different than what I'm used to. Yes it's humid there, but for how long? 3, maybe 4 months? in socal it's HOT for like 7mo straight. I'd like to actually experience different seasons rather than just summer and a mild winter.

ishootnikon · May 2011

No, it's humid May through September, even into October some years. We have a very short spring (it's already in the 90's here).

Pippa84 · June 2011

I love Cali. I'm from the east coast originally and moving to Cali was like heaven for me. We were at Pendleton, and I really like the vibe of Carlsbad (just south of Pendleton, not that far from San Diego)... we could walk to our fave restaurants and bars, the farmer's market, the beach. Loved it. There's a lot to do and we were never bored. Plus, the weather's perfect and as a runner/soccer player/water sports person I had so much fun!

newnew08 · June 2011

CALI FOR SURE! Yes I'm bias because its my homestate, but we're curently stationed in Washington DC and we hate the east coast! I have met many wives that have moved to and from NC and they always complain about humidity and bugs. In SoCal the worst you'll need to worry about is Santa Anna winds...and what to wear to the beach

Ashley E.

USMC Wife est.9.5.9.

USMC Wives -- Cali or NC?

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