Ask the MilSpouse Brain Trust*: Navy PCS Edition
Okay- I re-posted this because not a single soul responded to Navy Gal’s call for help… and that just isn’t acceptable! So let us know what you know… and you don’t have to be Navy or have lived in Coronado to help here (general online resources, relocation tools, tips for living in California… anything!)! So really have at it this time and help out another MilSpouse in need!
The other day a lovely reader e-mailed us and posed some great questions about an upcoming PCS. We thought we would post her questions here and get as much information, advice and help as we can from all of you readers and contributors… the more the merrier! So, here it goes:
Navy Gal and her sailor are new to the Navy and going to be stationed at Naval Air Station North Island- Coranado, CA in early 2010. She is looking for any information about the base, neighborhoods, off-post housing options, traffic and any other information specific to this location.
Have at it ladies and gents! Tell us all you know about Coranado, PCSing with the Navy, living in California, and anything else you want to share. I can’t wait to see what great resources and information we can pull together for Navy Gal!
Also, if you have questions you’d like to see answered here, e-mail us at: leftfaceblog at yahoo dot com. We hope this will be a great way to pool resources, share information, troubleshoot issues and generally help each other through this military life… so bring it on!
*Okay, so we are not an acutal “Brain Trust”, probably not even close, but it is catchy and I figured all these years of experience between us has to count for something!
LeftFace -- The Other MilSpouse Blog 
We were stationed in San Diego for 2 years but never lived on Coronado so I really don’t know much about things specific to that base. All I know is that Coronado is beautiful. I may be able to remember some communities that would be good to live off base in San Diego but it’s been almost 5 years since we’ve lived there and I’m not sure if that information is still good.
Sorry…we’ve always been on the East Coast and Japan but I know someone who lives on Coronado. I’ll email her and post whatever she writes me back.
My friend is going to put some stuff together and get it back to me. When is she PCS’ing into the area???
My son was stationed out there a while back and most of the guys found housing on Imperial Beach — a neighborhood that is fairly cheap and close to the base (about a ten minute drive.) It’s very neighborhoody — sort of a mix of working class and navy folks. Most of Coronado is resort expensive so I’d say if you were watching your funds, try Imperial Beach. The drive is pretty easy — from IB, its a straight shot across a long causeway from the mainland to the base, with a chance to pass the BUDS training grounds every morning and watch the lads hauling logs on their heads.
Is anyone familiar with Chesterton Townhomes? They look pretty nice, but I have been fooled by that before. I don’t want to end up in a Navy community in the middle of a bad neighborhood.
@FOW we are not moving until Feb 2010- but I will have a two year old, and a two-month old with me, and my husband will be gone. I am super nervous, because this is our first PCS, and it is from coast to coast.
I find that on my blog, the posts I get the most emails about are base housing photos and neighborhood information. There is a shocking lack of any concrete, up to date info on both the base and housing companies’ websites.
A great web site, that needs to be promoted more in the military is MilitaryOneSource.com. They offer FREE,private, 24/7 assistance at no charge! Some of the services they can provide are Smooth Moves, Deployment Support, Counseling, Money Matters, Spouse Employment and Translation Services—to name just a few. Again, it is all free and you can check it out on line or call them toll free stateside at 1-800-342-9647, toll free overseas –check the web site for the country access code and number.
I hope this helps with your move to Coronado—I was there for a visit a couple of months ago and it is beautiful! I wish we would get stationed there! There is a great Gift Shop on the base called the Sand Dollar–Non-profit whose proceeds go toward local military scholarships and charities. The volunteers who work there were a load of information to us on our visit. Their number is 619-437-7953.
Good luck!
Sorry, I’ve been WAY out of the loop. How do I contact her? I know San Diego very very well, and would be happy to help.