For service members who love to travel, youll be happy to know youre only 1 mile away from Miami International Airport. Learn more here and be sure to check out more great stories on our homepage. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Check out online forums like Reddit for open discussions. The one that turned Matt Damon into a bad guy? Best Military Bases OCONUS: Okinawa, Japan. On your off-duty days, you can do everything from tasting the best key lime pie around to snorkeling, diving, or fishing off the coastline. Related Article Pros and Cons of joining the Air Force. We'd wager school quality, for example, is a greater concern than the sales tax rate. Its cheaper to live in the place you never wanted to! The base is small but accommodating. Home of the Space and Missile Systems Center and the 61st Air Base Group, Los Angeles Air Force base is situated in El Segundo, California. And the last four categories pollution levels, climate, unemployment rates and sales taxes got no additional weighting. This list is subjective, of course there are too many duty stations to post here so do your research before submitting your wishlist. Base: Naval Air Station LemooreUnlucky call sign: Armpit of the Navy -- supposedly because of the smell and air qualityWhy it's not great: Never heard of Lemoore? The program will embed 16 mental health providers with units across the base. Landscaping and repainting the parking lots was one of many projects for the Dorm Transformation process. The military base has multiple things going for it as mentioned above. Share with us in the comments below! The primary duties of this station include supporting the Alaska National Guard with its key mission of monitoring security and operation of the Missile Defense Site. Bedford is a great place to raise children, said Lisa Pizarro, the school liaison officer at Hanscom. Southwest Airlines. Luke Air Force Base has an excellent location west of Glendale and the greater Phoenix metro area. Also worth mentioning: Freedom Crossing, the first-ever, on-base, open-air shopping center offers tons of restaurants and shops. The massive base serves 20,000 American service members and families so youll never feel alone. On base, youll find everything from medical care to housing to take care of your daily needs, and off base youll discover a world rich in music, French culture, and history that cant be found elsewhere. Sarah Sicard Kadena Air Base is another location in Asia to get lost in along with Guam. The amenities at the military base are excellent and Colorado Springs is an excellent community to call home since so many residents are either active duty or retired military personnel. If youre traveling near the Delta Junction area, keep your eye out for rare sightings of wild buffalo. While McConnell has a large commissary, its small medical clinic and disappointing base exchange also hurt the base's ranking. 4. Image: Wikimedia.org. 6. The UK Royal air force is also referred to as the Royal Air Force and it boasts of over 890 aircraft and a large number of workers, making it Europe's largest air force. San Antonio is one of the most underrated cities in the United States with mild year-round temperatures, entertainment options, and a thriving nightlife. A new report of the 100 U.S. cities with the highest rates of sexually transmitted disease lists seven military towns in the top 20, all Air Force and Army installations.. A study published . Nellis AFB features more military schools and squadrons than any other Air Force base in the country. 5. Located on the Canadian border, winters here are long and brutal as the snow piles up and temps dip down to thirty below. United Airlines. If you have children, they will have to drive roughly an hour to the nearest international school. The Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns National Park are also within reason. Depends on your AFSC honestly, generally speaking, Andersen AFB, Hickam AFB, Yokota AB, anywhere in England, and Germany is the best (Ramstein is the most American place in Germany) Avoid Ghedi, incerlick, and Eielson. Located some 80 miles away from London and much closer to Cambridge (some 25 miles) this area features towns with populations up to 10,000 and there are many things to do in the local area. Fort Polk resides in Louisiana where the hot summers and mosquito problems can make the area unpleasant. One review compared it to Hawaii but without the crowds. Therefore, its plausible that you will get to spend time at Nellis and ideally when you are young and single. If you cant fit in smaller sized clothing, you will be forced to order online. Traffic is notorious for being some of the worst in the entire country. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. If you want to experience the culture, you will need to learn to drive on the opposite side of the road and cope with the narrow roadways. Regardless of how tough our soldiers are, no one should feel completely discounted at their military base. Unlucky call sign: "Fort Piss," "Hell Paso". Or towns that led otherwise supportive military spouses to casually be, like, Heeeey, just an idea here, but maaaaaaybe -- now hear me out -- maybe we do the long distance thing until your next assignment, when they got their orders. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class J.T. Read the article to learn more about the top Air Force bases in the country and overseas, along with specific demographics like best for singles or families. Not like you typically have a choice, but this list might help anyway. Typically, nothing is open in the city from noon to three. When you arent heading out to the coastline, youll find theres plenty to see and do on base, including bowling, swimming, working out, movie-going, and dining. Military personnel get a discount, too. And at the end of each school year, Pizarro said, Bedford High School holds a party for students whose families are transferring away from Hanscom, which is attended by base leaders. Egyptian Air Force - 1,062. Nevertheless, it is great during the winter. This list is subjective, of course there are too many duty stations to post here so do your research before submitting your wishlist. Langley AFB, VA Randolph AFB TX MacDill AFB, FL Charleston AFB, SC Patrick AFB, FL. There are about 26,000 US military. U.S. Marines with Combined Anti-Armor Team, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division practice ground fighting techniques during a deployment for training exercise at Twentynine Palms, CA., Feb. 22, 2018U.S. Yet these are the top Air Force bases overseas relying on the same factors as the top-rated in the U.S.: Anderson AFB also serves as naval headquarters yet is largely considered the premier place to live and serve overseas in the USAF. Colorado Springs is also home to the scenic Air Force Academy and right along the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Columbus is a career-ending base, where many have retired [or] separated due to just being stuck at the base.". Base: Minot Air Force BaseUnlucky call sign: Why Not Minot? It seems like a rhetorical question, but: Freezins the reason.Why it's not great: Remember the ice planet in Intersteller? And with Vegas, Palms Springs, Lake Havasu, Big Bear, and Los Angeles all within a two- to three-hour drive, there really are lot of places to get away. And if you like to unwind from desert combat training by driving into more desert to shoot more guns and drive more off-road vehicles, then Fort Irwin is your paradise.Surprise silver lining: The Barstow Tanger Outlets offer soldiers the chance to buy their Air Jordans on discount so they can wear them to Shock Wave, the on-base night club that shows UFC fights without cover and serves food that is not half bad, hit or miss, and meh, according to Yelp! 7. As the Home of the Rugged Professional, this base is perfect for adventurous service members who dont mind the cold. For those that like to hunt and fish, there are plenty of outdoor activities. He was also one of the first enlisted members in the Air Force to experience working with near real time satellite imagery. You also wont be far from beautiful natural attractions like the Florida Keys and the Everglades. Near Washington, D.C., Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is unpopular among airmen. Learn more about Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort here. And since that Canadian border is only 30 minutes away, youre never in short supply of maple syrup.Surprise silver lining: The way to survive Fort Drum is to bundle up, get outside, and start adding ice to the front of all your favorite activities: ice fishing, ice climbing, ice walking, ice dining. For the most part, you will have to live off base and may feel that Italian houses are not up to par with Western style housing. Both families and singles can easily find plenty of on-base housing, including single-family, duplex, and townhome floor plans (up to 5 bedrooms). It has all the usual complaints of a remote base town with one notable difference: it is regularly ranked among the nations worst for air pollution.Most common escape: We could talk about the nearby cities of Visalia or Fresno, but who cares about that when the most beautiful place on earth is literally in your backyard? Published Jun 5, 2018 7:48 PM EDT. And it's hot, too. Most families report that the base is a black hole that you never leave. Why is Russia wasting so many troops to capture Bakhmut? Republic of Korea Air Force. Base: Fort Irwin National Training CenterUnlucky call sign: A string of expletives that we cannot repeatWhy it's not great: Fort Irwin is the vast desert training area for the Army, a severe and remote landscape that could easily double as the Mad Max set. Nearby towns include: At one point it was home for German POWs during World War II. McConnell's crime score was 3 out of a possible 10, lower than the nationwide average score of 6. The Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex (CMSC) is a 400-acre site near the base thats open daily for practice, including trap and skeet shooting. If you drive to the middle of nowhere, then keep driving a little farther, youll hit Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, considered by many airmen to be one of the least desired military bases in the nations vast expanse. From an amazing median home cost of just over 57K near Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, to having access to major league sports teams in every field at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, there's some amazing bases across the country that have a lot to offer. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Craig spent many years on active duty service in the Air Force stationed in such places as Okinawa, Japan and SAC Headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Oh, and theres also that small thing about the contaminated drinking water.Most common escape: Although theres basically nothing to do in Jacksonville except get a fresh tattoo or payday loan, Wilmington is just an hour away, Myrtle Beach is a little over two, and Nicholas Sparks lives nearby where he pens novels for your romantic escapism, I mean, for your reading pleasure. A home in nearby Fairfax County, Virginia, has a median cost of $455,300. Holloman AFB is deserving even if Luke AFB and MacDill AFB also need to get considered on this list. Related Article How To Join The US Air Force. This made us wonder which military towns in the US are the safest and which aren't as secure for military personnel and civilians. Related Article Air Force Bases in Florida. Consequently, narrowing down a list of hundreds of overseas USAF bases is not a simple matter. Flickr/U.S. If thats not enough to get you excited about this duty station, just remember youre living in one of the top-rated cities along Floridas coastline. Ranking the premier Air Force bases in the United States is not an easy task as there are several worthy of top honors. What are the best Air Force bases in the United States? If you consider every relocation an adventure, it will be easier to think of every duty station as the best military base. Considering the number of advanced aircraft with large personal strength and the future fleet of IAF, it is one of the most powerful and best air forces in the world. If you love the water, youll love it here. If you love the great outdoors and dont mind a little rain, Naval Base Kitsap is one of the prettiest places to be stationed. One review stated that the school system is out of date (but I am unsure as to what that means). (tied) Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, formerly Bolling Air Force Base, ends up in our bottom five primarily due to the Washington area's abysmal traffic year after year, ranked the worst in the country and high cost of housing. Staff Sgt. Of course, not all categories are equally important to service members. The U.S.s northern fortress of military strategic solitude, Minot Air Force Base, has long been a prime destination for career-ending mishaps. The hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque is also within reach, but it will take you at least eleven attempts to spell Albuquerque correctly before your GPS will be any help.Surprise silver lining: From what we can tell, Fort Bliss has the best on-base amenities of any military installation ANYWHERE.