please note, all of these questions are generic and will be asked for all locations so some may sound silly. The questions underneath each area are only there to help you think. Please feel free to skip things that don't apply or to elaborate on things that I did not mention.

Housing:
(How is military housing there? Which area did you live in and did you like it? Is it affordable to buy or rent in town and if so what areas would you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Schools:
(Which schools did your kids attend? Did you like them? Did your kids like them? How do you think the school system was overall? Any schools you would recommend over others? Did you go to college while you were there? If so, which college and how did you like it? Any additional thoughts?)


Shopping:
(How are the commissary and NEX? Do you shop there or out in town? What stores are available out in town? What is the local shopping like? Malls? Any places you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)


Cost of living:
(What is the cost of living like? High? Average? Low? How did it effect your family? Was there anything special you had to do to make ends meet? Any additional thoughts?)


Military Community:
(How is the military community? Are there resources for family and spouses? Any likes or gripes? Additional thoughts?)


Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)


Weather:
(What's the weather like? Mild? Seasonal? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Cold? Are there seasons?)


Overall:
(Would you go back again? Why or why not? What are your main likes and gripes?)

Housing:
Housing was nice & fairly new. I had a 3 br 2.5 bath townhouse

Schools:
My kids attended Crooked River elementary and I did like it, they walked too schoolf orm the base


Shopping:
Wehn i was there commisary was small so was the NEX, but theyd id open a SUPERWALMART out in town like 5 min form base

Cost of living:
COL was fairly decent, ALOT better tan out here in CA!!

Military Community:
Very military oriented especailly after the papermill closed


Recreation:
Close to Jax, Savannah is beautiful, fishing, hiking oh and theyhave awsome Flea markets right over the GA/Fla border!!!

Weather:
Hot & humid summers mild to cold winters mild frost

Overall:
I would go back, close to momma, but I hated the bugs and having to drive to Jax for work

Housing:
We lived in town but I knew peeps on the base & it was nice.

Schools:
The only grade my son attended there was pre-k. Krayons academy not far from base. I LOVED it!


Shopping:
Shopping was an adjustment for me because it's such a small community. We had a Wal-Mart & Kmart & that was about it! I've been back through there recently & there's FAR more. A super Walmart & a decent strip mall with Bath & Body Works etc

Cost of living:
LOW! Probably the least expensive place we have been stationed. Reality was unreal! We could've bouth the house we were renting for 75K & it was cute (3 br/2 bath,fireplace, big fenced back yard etc)

Military Community:
I don't remember many military activities. Then again we lived off base & the paper mill was still running.


Recreation:
BEAUTIFUL waterfront & beaches, LOTS of outlet shopping, Jax zoo, all less than an hour away. Daytona is just over 2 hrs away & Orlando about 3.

Weather:
HOT summers, mild winters.

Overall:
It took me about a year to adjust. Expect about a 35-45 minute drive to get to a mall or the beach. The job market was also an issue at first. I ended up working in Jax (45 minutes away) until I had my youngest son & then couldn't bring myself to go back. Once I got over the culture shock I didn't want to leave. I'd go back today if I could.

Housing:
(How is military housing there? Which area did you live in and did you like it? Is it affordable to buy or rent in town and if so what areas would you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)
I did not live in housing there, but knew those who did and I would rate it as average. The flooring in common areas (living room, etc.) was tile- as in what's on the floor at your local grocery store. It tended to be an eyesore, and somewhat annoying if you had an infant learning to walk, but I believe that was only in downstairs units. It is mostly affordable to live out in town and most of the neighborhoods are pretty decent. Crooked River, Shadowlawn, Sugar Mill, and The Lakes (watch out, it floods!) were some of the more popular neighborhoods- all with decent housing.


Schools:
(Which schools did your kids attend? Did you like them? Did your kids like them? How do you think the school system was overall? Any schools you would recommend over others? Did you go to college while you were there? If so, which college and how did you like it? Any additional thoughts?)
I didn't have any kids while there, but I did work for the BOE- again all the schools seem to meet the same standards across the board. I favored St. Marys Elementary. There are only two middle schools and one high school. The high school consists of two buildings- a 9th grade center and the non-9th-grade center. I graduated from there and enjoyed it. I went to Coastal GA Community College, but transferred to Florida Community College at Jacksonville. They offered classes in Fernandina (about 15 minutes south of St. Marys... I preferred them to CGCC because of their customer service and it seemed more credits transferred from there. Also I'd highly recommend Valdosta State on base.

Shopping:
(How are the commissary and NEX? Do you shop there or out in town? What stores are available out in town? What is the local shopping like? Malls? Any places you recommend? Any additional thoughts?)If you can't find it at WalMart- you'll have to do without. Seriously though, the commissary & exchage were ok. I tended to shop out in town more often though... usually Publix. Camden County isn't a shopping mecca, but you can make do there... The closest malls are either in Brunswick or Jacksonville- both about 30 minutes away.


Cost of living:
(What is the cost of living like? High? Average? Low? How did it effect your family? Was there anything special you had to do to make ends meet? Any additional thoughts?) A few years ago prices were pretty low, but I would say it's mid-range now. There's been a lot of growth and development in the area thus increasing property values. Unless they've added a lot of business it can be hard to find decent paying work there. Many people commute to Jacksonville though. If you've lived in a high cost area before moving to St. Marys and/or have a college degree or are specialized in another field don't be surprised if some employers think $10/hour is excellent pay. It kind of balances out though since it costs less to live there, but just don't be surprised!


Military Community:
(How is the military community? Are there resources for family and spouses? Any likes or gripes? Additional thoughts?)I personally was never involved there to even know what they offered...


Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)We had a boat and took it out nearly every afternoon wakeboarding or fishing. There's never a shortage on AUCE seafood, wings or karoke. Jacksonville, Savannah, Cumberland Island, Fernandina, St. Simons, Jekyll Island, St. Augustine are all short drives away (Cumberland is accessible by ferry only). Lots of coastline and historial landmarks. Disney & Universal are only about 4 hours away so that's pretty nice too.


Weather:
(What's the weather like? Mild? Seasonal? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Cold? Are there seasons?)The summers are hot and humid, but good news... everywhere you go there's a/c! Spring and Fall are nice... There usually isn't much variance in winter. I never owned a "winter coat" while living there. A sweather or lightweight jacket was all I ever needed.


Overall:
(Would you go back again? Why or why not? What are your main likes and gripes?)[/QUOTE]
I would go back there because it's a nice small town that feels very 'Mayberry'. If you have kids, it's perfect. If you don't have kids- it's pretty nice too, but it may be harder to appreciate the simpleness of the immediate area. Overall rating: B+

Housing:
The housing doesn't look half bad from the few i've been in. There are a lot of parks and play areas in housing which is nice. We actually bought a house just off base, the housing cost in this area is really reasonable.

Schools:
I've not got kids but the school system is supposed to be good. I attend an online school, but a few friends commute to UNF Jacksonville or do online classes through them. The Navy college on base also has several colleges available.

Shopping:
For the size of the base the commissary and Nex are nice. I shop both on and off base. Out in town there is WalMart, Kmart, Publix, Belk, and a few other odds and ends stores. The closest malls are in either Jacksonville or Brunswick, the Jacksonville ones are fairly decent and its not a bad drive.

Cost of living:
Cost of living for in St Marys and Kingsland is fairly low, as you go towards Jacksonville it gets more expensive.

Military Community:
There is a lot of support in the community, but of course there are the few who don't support

Recreation:
(What is there to do in the area for adults? For kids/families? Is there anything within a few hours driving distance?)
There is paintball and golf on base, off base there's Cumberland Island, lots of festivals. Jacksonville has a zoo, and i'm sure there are other things

Weather: Its hot and humid during summer, its now october and starting to cool down, I'm not sure about the rest of the weather yet.


Overall:
So far I like the area but I haven't been here for very long

does anyone live here now but me?