Hey all,
I am finally making the big move down to Jacksonville in June (we applied for base housing..no word yet) so we have to find a decent place for the time being. What areas are good, family oriented as well as shopping etc? We are not really looking for apt living b/c we have a dog so... any imput is appreciated
Re: Moving to Jacksonville,NC where to live
If you are wanting to be close to shopping then you will want something close to Western Blvd (5 minutes to base). That is the main road that has most everything on it (the mall, Target, movie theater, restaurants).
We live right outside of town (15 min drive to base) closer to Richlands. We are a couple minutes drive to the new Walmart (there are 2 in town) and it is nice because we aren't near all the base traffic when it is time to get off work.
If you have any more specific questions I can try to answer them. I have been here since November.
I agree that Hunter's Creek is nice especially for families. Its not very close to shopping, but its only like 5-10 min away from Western, where all the shopping is at. And its literally like a mile away from 2 of the gates to get to base. I live in Midway Park, which is the base housing literally right next to Hunter's Creek. My husband never has any issues with traffic getting to or from work, other than getting off base around 4-5 o'clock, and really, there's no avoiding that traffic as its actually on base with everyone trying to get off base at once.
We have also lived in Hubert, and it was awesome. We were renting a room from family while waiting to get on base. We lived 10 min from the Hubert gate, which is probably the least popular gate. I've never seen it backed up at all. But Hubert is probably 20 min away from Jacksonville, so its further away from shopping.
I recommend checking it out for yourself. The area is very spread out-- people live anywhere from Wilmington to New Bern (which are like 1.5 hours away from each other) for lots of different reasons.
Jacksonville proper is close to base, but due to traffic, the commute is often just as bad as coming from further away, FYI. And each area has it's own positives and negatives.
I live in New Bern (1 hour from Lejeune) and love it here. It is a very family-friendly area, and some people do commute to Lejeune, but we're Cherry Point. I lived on Lejeune before, and honestly, I would want some distance from Jacksonville. It is a lot of traffic (relatively speaking) and you feel like you are always on base, because everyone there is a Marine. I would want Hubert or Swansboro, to get a little separation distance.
Also, do you know where at within Lejeune your husband will work? It might be better to live out in Sneads Ferry if he works on the southern side of base.
I agree, we're moving to Jacksonville and I know we don't want to be right off western. We lived in New Bern for about a year while DH was at Cherry Point. DH did move to Lejuene about half way through and commuted to Jacksonville. Although I like New Bern better than Jacksonville, I don't think the commute is worth it. It's about a 45 minute driving, depending on where you live, and because lejuene is so congested and traffic is horrible, it could easily turn into 90 minutes + lost on the roads one way. If you don't mind driving, then New Bern may be an option for you. I think I'm going to take the suggestion to seek a realtor and look for something family oriented and away from the traffic.
DONT DO ITTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!
jkjk =]
Im from there and DH and I are probably moving back there in the summer...
I would recommend Hubert by the back gate, they have awesome houses by there. For me a total package would be to live in Old Hunters Creek, right in between Midway Park and Piney Green. Its 5 mins to either Front or back gate of C.L. and 12 mins from New River. There are a gaggle or places to eat, shop and get out in walking distance... And Western (Where the malls are and the shopping centers and the college) is about 10 mins. Great school district too. Elem- I wanna say its the school off of Old 30.. Ill edit this post when I remember. Middle- Hunters Creek (different sub division about 7 mins away) and White Oak High School (GO VIKINGS!)
I lived right off Piney Green when I was in high school and it was so easy to get around.
Good luck!