I'm looking for general info / recommendations for apartments / condos / town home rentals in the local area for BAMC / SAMMC in San Antonio. If you have general guidance it would be appreciated.. will be new to the area.
I'm generally looking for general areas that you'd recommend to look or even specific names of locations. Commute to / from is important.. otherwise I don't mind paying a bit more in order to live in a community that is safe, has trails for exercise, easy access to grocery shopping etc. Any mass transit I should take into consideration? Large good parks in the area? etc.
Please shoot me a private message or reply to general thread. Thanks in advance!
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg. Telemetry.
Hi everyone! I just graduated in December and passed my boards in Feb. I was the only one chosen from Hawaii in the April USAF NTP boards. I am scheduled for Oct. 17, 2011 at Maxwell Air Force base in Alabama, and then Nurse Transition Program is from Nov. 28-Feb. 15 in Cincinnati, Ohio. We will be stationed in Lackland Air Force base, TX working in the Med-surg.
It is confusing, I just read some stuff about AF teaming up with Army and joining at one hospital. I know that this is an old thread, but by now, you all should have had a lot of experience and I was wondering if there are any helpful things I should know about rent and housing. I am trying to get things planned, and my wife is also concerned about our children and having to leave school in the middle of the year and transfer to another school, housing, etc. We have two kids, age 5 and 3.
I am looking for a safe and nice neighborhood to raise our family while putting them through the military experience. Anyone got any links, resources, etc.? Things you've learned and would have done differently or better? This is a big move for our family and I want to make it a good experience for them, so that we can adapt for the 20 yr.+ career in military.
Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
Superman, Congrats!!
Sounds like a big adventure for your family. Your family should not go with you to COT or NTP. They should join you in San Antonio.
Google map the area. Look for Brooks Army Med Center - BAMC is where you will be. Lackland's hospital Wilford Hall is right now in the processes of combining with the Army's BAMC. So when looking for a place to live, you have to pay attention to where you will be working. With a family, you may very well want to get on the list for base housing.
Just keep asking questions. I find that I have to actively seek info in the Air Force.
I agree with looking at on-base housing, Superman. We were stationed in San Antonio in 2007, and we are hoping to go back there when we're done with this OCONUS tour. We loved it.
The first time around, we lived in Universal City, in the Sunrise Canyon apartments. They were nice, but they were kind of expensive for the size. I don't know much about the schools in the area, as our kids were not school-age at the time. We were 5 minutes from Randolph AFB, and my husband worked at BAMC (now SAMMC). It was about a 20-minute commute, door-to-door. Traffic can get ugly on I-35, but you learn a few of the back roads, and it's ok.
Converse and Schertz are right next to Universal City and Randolph AFB, and they are very nice. It seemed like you got more house for your money in Converse and Schertz. The downside is they'll be a little bit farther from SAMMC (like 10-15 minutes extra).
Does anyone know much about the Bandera Road area? I was only on that side of San Antonio a few times. The husband and I will be at the UTSA Health Sciences Center, so being closer to that side would be good for us next time around.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg. Telemetry.
Thank you guys for your helpful tips. We would really like to live on base, but I heard there is a very long waiting list. Any suggestions on how to get on base housing?
Since you're not technically attached to Ft Sam Houston, that might be where they wouldn't/couldn't accept you. Brooke Army Medical Center isn't even inside Ft Sam's gates- it has its own separate security ~1 mile away from post.
Hopefully, you'll be notified on which unit you'll be assigned to by NTP at least! By then, our new med/surg floors should be up and running. AND, the walkway from the parking garage to the new wing of the hospital could be open!!!
Since you're not technically attached to Ft Sam Houston, that might be where they wouldn't/couldn't accept you. Brooke Army Medical Center isn't even inside Ft Sam's gates- it has its own separate security ~1 mile away from post.
Hopefully, you'll be notified on which unit you'll be assigned to by NTP at least! By then, our new med/surg floors should be up and running. AND, the walkway from the parking garage to the new wing of the hospital could be open!!!
Good Luck! :)
Annabeap,
Thank you very much for researching and gathering this info. for us. Very kind of you! I will definitely take a look at it and relay this info. to my wife. I know we are really interested in enrolling our children to "cornerstone" school. So we would like to find a place near my workplace and their school.
A little late to this thread, but I've lived in Alamo Heights and by Sea World. Hands down, Alamo Heights has been better for my family and my commute. The homes are older and more expensive, but you are more central to the city. I rode my road bike to BAMC when the parking garage was under construction...it was 15-20 minutes door to door. Plus, the alamo heights school district has a great reputation. Good luck.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg. Telemetry.
Thanks Shimano, we were looking at places there, but it was mostly apartments. Do you know any good links or resources that we could search to find houses that are within BAH allowance? Thanks!
Unfortunatley, the best way is to drive around and windowshop the neighborhood. Craigslist is the other option, but you have to sift through all of the apartments to get to the homes. Some key words are : alamo heights, terrell heights, terrell hills, and you could consider olmos park and manche park (but I don't know the rep of these school districts). You could even try google searching and you'll get some realtor websites that may have some good info. If you want to PM me then I can give you the realtor who set us up in our house...but we bought from someone we already knew. Hope that helps
superman07
55 Posts
Hi everyone! I just graduated in December and passed my boards in Feb. I was the only one chosen from Hawaii in the April USAF NTP boards. I am scheduled for Oct. 17, 2011 at Maxwell Air Force base in Alabama, and then Nurse Transition Program is from Nov. 28-Feb. 15 in Cincinnati, Ohio. We will be stationed in Lackland Air Force base, TX working in the Med-surg.
It is confusing, I just read some stuff about AF teaming up with Army and joining at one hospital. I know that this is an old thread, but by now, you all should have had a lot of experience and I was wondering if there are any helpful things I should know about rent and housing. I am trying to get things planned, and my wife is also concerned about our children and having to leave school in the middle of the year and transfer to another school, housing, etc. We have two kids, age 5 and 3.
I am looking for a safe and nice neighborhood to raise our family while putting them through the military experience. Anyone got any links, resources, etc.? Things you've learned and would have done differently or better? This is a big move for our family and I want to make it a good experience for them, so that we can adapt for the 20 yr.+ career in military.
Again thank you all for our input. Aloha!