Vance AFB information

[HerkDerka]

The complete Vance Gouge:

Living-

I suggest the BOQ. Most of the apartments around Enid suck big time. The BOQs are small, but nice. They're furnished and private. Plus, it's very very very very nice to be only a short walk from work in the morning. Especially for those 0500 shows.

Restaurants-

Applebee's, Chili's, and Lone Star Steakhouse. That's about it. No chow hall on base, so learn how to cook, fast. The bowling alley has some great greasy burgers, but consume in moderation or your resistance training after UPT will consist of trying to secure the velcro straps on your flight suit.

BX/Commissary/Military Clothing Sales-

Sixteen Words:

Learn how to get to the Tinker AFB AAFES. Vance's AAFES is a joke at best.

Base Facilities-

The squadrons are nice. Leather chairs for everyone. Crew buses on the flight line (Damn the red tails, LOL). Classroom chairs are very good at keeping you awake. The base gym is outstanding. The bowling alley is small, only eight lanes I think.

Wx-

As we Okies say, if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait five minutes. Hot as hell in the summer. Cold and windy in the winter. Oklahoma is generally right under the jet stream so expect some biblical thunderstorms in the spring and more tornadoes than you can count.

Landscape-

Flat and ugly. Good for flying though, very easy to pick out your checkpoints in the Vance pattern and at Dogface.

Weekend life at Vance.

I did Tweets at Vance and unless you like single mothers with more kids than they have teeth, I suggest you keep your visits to Scooters to a minimum. The base has a new club with a decent bar, crappy food, and an always busy Crud table. Start learning the game as soon as you get there, Crud gives you a feeling of accomplishment in your drunkenness. JT Grizzlies used to be a great bar, but if you go there now, expect to be hanging out with Cryps and Bloods. There's a nice bar downtown called Callahan's. Great beer, okay food, and a very nice place. However, Callahan's is crowded as hell on Friday's. IMHO, make a few trips to Stillwater, OKC, and Tulsa. Stillwater is about an hour away and is a great college town (Oklahoma State University - My Alma Mater - Go Pokes!) Lots of good bars and hot chicks, but not much else. OKC is about an hour and a half away and has some decent nightlife and great theatre, arts, concerts, etc. Tulsa is about 2 hours away and is the best place to go. Three different nightlife districts (Cherry Street, Brookside, and Bricktown). Also a beautiful city and my hometown!

Training-

It's AETC so just remember that time honored term: BOHICA! The flying is fun. Formal Release sucks.

Any other questions let me know!

Phew!

PD

[ 20 February 2004, 00:41: Message edited by: PegDriver24 ]

[Shut up 'n color]

Since living on base at Vance is mandatory and I also think I'd also prefer it while training. I was curious in whether or not there is a policy for overnight guests, ie: G/F, fiance, etc

While at UPT there were times where I hope to have my G/F come visit, some times as long as a week or 2 straight. For those who have gone to Vance, has that ever been an issue for anyone?

[HerkDerka]

Overnight guests are allowed. It's the military, not prison....but close!

HD

[Guest BSE73]

How many golf courses , if any, are around Vance? Gotta take the clubs ya know! I just hope there are some good courses near by. Cheers.

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

There are several to choose from (4 in Enid when I was there 4 yrs ago):

Meadowlake - about 2 miles from the main gate, and considered the "base golf course" - although completely civilian when I was there. $10-20 green fees are the norm, you get the picture.

Oakwood CC - private CC that is pretty nice. We had a tournament there when I was in UPT sponsored by First Command...I think they make it an annual event in the Spring. Worth the $$$ to play it once, just to say you did.

????? - Can't remember the name of it, but in the NW area of the city, on the road that goes North between the new Wal-Mart and Atwoods, is a links style course that is pretty fun. Don't remember much about it except there is a hole that measures 650+ from the tips in the winter, 520+ in the summer due to the winds (they changed the tee box several times to accomidate 60+ mph headwinds).

Turkey Creek - my choice of golf course which is about 13 miles south of Vance on off of Hwy 81. Excellent facilities for the area (minus a driving range) and very accomidating staff that cater to pilot training studs and IP's. I recommend you make your first play here, as the other courses are either too much $$$, or you average "make a course from a pasture."

Not too forget, there are several excellent courses in OKC (one hosts a LPGA event) and in Stillwater. Google search will yield more info about those.

-Cheers

[Guest jcam753]

Meadowlake, the closest to base, is now $1 for 9 holes for military. You still have to pay for a cart if you want one, but you can't beat that price with a stick. Have fun here in Oklahoma. Cheers

[dmeg130]

Tulsa also has some outstanding courses, but it's hard to beat a Saturday morning hangover post-Maxwell Pancake House golf cart derby around Meadowlake.

[Guest fbomb]

Stillwater has a great course called Karsten Creek. It is Pricey however I think about $125 a round. Tulsa has some good courses and so does OKC but I have not played any out in OKC. I live in Tulsa so I know the courses here and in Stillwater. If you have any questions about them PM me.

[HerkDerka]

Deinitely recommend Southern Hills in Tulsa if you can get a member to invite you.

HD

[Guest mw621]

Vance is a great base....we've been here for alomst a year and a half (we were casual here for a year of that). Enid itself is your typical small town...not a lot of main stream resturants but there are a few good places to eat that only Enid has. I have two kids so I do a lot of the things on base and off for them. I'm not a partier myself, but I do know that Enid is definitely not known for it's night life. You'll do a lot of your hanging out with your class. There are clubs you can join...OSC (Officer Spouses Club) and SOSC (Student Officer Spouses Club). SOSC is not very big, but all the girls are young because they're Student Wives. They get together twice a month. The base housing is old....but not bad for the 1950's. We live on base and I wouldn't have it any other way. Free makes everything prettier!! As for the jobs in Enid (I'm not the best person to talk to because I'm a stay home mom) but I do know that finding a job here that pays much more than $8/hr is hard. But it may be your luck that you'll find something related to your education. I have a friend whose an engineer and she found a good job (for Enid). She is definitely making more than $8/hr but she is also making half of what she'd make if she were in her home state. That's just the way smaller towns are.

I hope I'm not making it sound bad here...cause it's not!! The small base atmosphere is great!! You'll meet a lot of people!! Good luck!!

[Guest 60flyer]

We just had a baby and will be starting in the Sept class. My wife wants to get back in the gym. Does anybody know if the fitness center on base has a nursery or are there any half day daycares around? I think the CDC only watches kids if both parents are working and she won't be working(at least at a paying job).

Thanks,

JT

[ 18. August 2006, 20:17: Message edited by: JT ]

[Guest juliecole]

JT The fitness center at Vance is beautiful. It is bright, clean and has the cleanest showers at any base we were stationed at. However it is so small and no children, even infants in carseats or strollers are allowed in the center, when we were stationed htere 2 yrs ago. CDC does watch older kids on a space available basis. Scooter (my hubby) used to meet me at the gym during the week and we would do a tradeoff. He would watch the kids while I worked out, or I would go on the weekends. It was hard but worth it.

[Guest NDwife]

Originally posted by JT:

We just had a baby and will be starting in the Sept class. My wife wants to get back in the gym. Does anybody know if the fitness center on base has a nursery or are there any half day daycares around? I think the CDC only watches kids if both parents are working and she won't be working(at least at a paying job).

I am at Vance now but I believe what TankerWife said is still true. The other day I saw a women just bring her baby in the stroller and just worked out next to it. It was a little wierd and I am not sure if it was allowed but nobody kicked her out. Anyway you will be working 12 hours days but will be home by 6 most days if your experience is anything like my husband's. The fitness center is open until 9pm, so if she doesn't mind working out at night she can go after you get back from work. I know that probably wasn't the solution you were looking for, since she will probably want to stay home when you are home but you are going to be studying anyway so it still might be the best solution.

Also in regards to my post earlier about the apartments on oakwood, just south of Garriot: Do not live there. I know I said I lot of single guys live there, which is true but 2 of 3 of the guys I know there have either been beaten up or had their car broken into. So it turns out its not such a nice place to live, however I still recommend the apartments on Johnson.

[Guest rhildreth]

What all do I need to take, as I am single and most likely living in the dorms?

Do the rooms have TVs or bring your own?

Do I need dishes, silverware, microwave, etc.?

Does Vance have a chow hall... er... Aerospace Dining Facility?

I'm not planning on trying to make a lot of money on the move, I just want to take the essentials.

Any further suggestions welcomed.

[UPT-hopeful]

1. Everything except furniture. Bookcase, bed & sheets, chairs, and things like that are included in the room. You can choose to have all or none of it removed.

2. Bring your own

3. Yes. A microwave is included in the room, though.

4. No. A bowling alley and the club is all thats on base.

[Shut up 'n color]

The dorms are better sized than I thought when I made the move. I planned and packed as if they were the size of large closets, but you have a lot of storage in the kitchen and a storage cage within your building. I would recommend using your own bed, but the rest of the furniture is just fine.

[The Kayla]

I'm bored. so you guys are going to get alot of info from me...

The School that is right outside base..

Eisenhower Elementary School (seriously, this is like maybe a 10minute walk from base housing..)

(580) 234-5954

I got my house sooner, then teh 18th, but I waived having it painted and cleaned.. If you like decorating, you still have to get the waiver to paint teh inside of the house, but you don't have to worry about painting it back over. Housing(or CE) does it now.

I have a 3bedroom/1.5bath(master bdrm has a bathroom, just no shower)

I lucked out, I got a house with a fenced in yard.. some houses do not have a fence.

A LOT of people have dogs here.. hope no one is scared of doggies!

There's a long driveway, and a car port, that fits my full SUV under it perfectly.--side note: be careful if you have lowered cars, some driveways have a "steep"

angle(mine does at least).

I've noticed that most Student pilots and IP's live on Bass/Hurst drive.

The house comes with washer/dryer hook ups. They have both gas and electric hook ups for dryers.

To the lady who has a question about housing for her, since her DH was a Lt.COL: I live two houses down from the start of teh Lt.COL house's.. they don't have to share a car port with anyone, and their car ports have two-three stalls.

----Vance does not have a storm shelter thingy for 'nados---- they reccomend that you just stay in one room..I can't remember all what teh guy said) but they do give you a weather radio thingy

I'm geographically challenged so I won't be much help when it comes to houses off base... but, let me know and I'll try to help the best I can...

OH.. time for stupid info..

If you aren't into sports.. hahah.. this will be fun... KM, please correct me, or jump in anytime here!

Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma University--- BIG here.. you are either for one or the other.. as long as you are NOT for TX.. and you will be golden here. Orange/BLK is OSU and teh crimson/blk(I think) is OU.. --- you won't understand until you get here, I have a firend at Tinker, and she told me about this, and I didn't understand... now I do...

shopping(yes, your spouses are going to want to know this):

There is nothing.

The mall, Oakwood Mall.. really sucks.. It has a JCPenny's, Sears, Dillards, Bath and Body, Buckle, and a cute store for chicks, it's called "Vanity", it's like a Maurices(https://maurices.com/), they have a Regis hair salon--around town, there are alot of little salons and nail places-- There is an Old Navy, a Wal-mart, and a Lows --- for any good shopping, plan on going down to OKC or shopping online... ***** Oakwood mall hs a "club" where moms can walk the mall with their kids in strollers..

Food:

Pizza: a Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Domino's, and a GodFather's Pizza place(never eaten there)

Fast Food: Mcdonalds, KFC, BurgerKing, Bueno Taco(like taco bell), TACO BELL!, Wendy's, Mayo-something, and a few others..

Chain restraunts: IHOP, Chili's, AppleBee's, --I think that's it.. not sure though..

There aren't any good chinse restraunts here.. there are a bunch of hole in teh places, which are probaly really good(they normaly are)..

OH! There is this really nifty Irish Pub on Independence(a big street here) that has awesome food! I don't drink, so I can't say anything about the beer..

AS soon as I get my house put together, I'll take pictures, I have a different kitchen then what the housing pics on baseops.net has posted.

Let me know if anyone needs anymore info..

[Guest galadriel7474]

I have been reading about the various housing options on Vance and in Enid. We will be arriving in early Dec, at which point I will be almost 7 months pregnant and my husband will be a Capt going to UPT. I really don't want to be waiting around for base housing to open up, especially if it is as small as it seems. We currently live on a base and have really enjoyed it. We have a 3 bed/2.5 bath duplex with a garage which has been great. It would be really hard to downsize, especially with a baby on the way. So my questions are:

1) Do all the on base 3 bedrooms only have 1 bathroom and what is the storage like? (walk-in closets, pantry, etc?)

2) On a Capt's BAH, would we be better off looking off base?

3) Is Sunridge Estates really that slummy? Is it loud?

4) Are there nice homes for rent close to base other than Sunridge? (We don't want to live on the other side of Enid - my husband is used to a 2 minute commute as it is!)

As mentioned by others, I am having a really tough time finding info about the Enid area housing market online. Any help any of you could provide would be very appreciated!

Thanks!

[The Kayla]

1) Do all the on base 3 bedrooms only have 1 bathroom and what is the storage like? (walk-in closets, pantry, etc?)

we have three bedrooms and 1.5baths. only one bathroom has the shower and tub, the other bathroom is in the master bedroom, it's just the toilet and sink with mirror. We do not have a garage. We share a carport. There is one walk in closet, and that's in the master bdrm,-- in my house, the master bdrm has two closets. In my house, I have 5 closets. The kitchens have a lot of cabs. and a lot of space. I think we have two cabs that have nothing in them..

2) On a Capt's BAH, would we be better off looking off base?

Yes. You would be better off and would most likely make money living off base with Capt's BAH. Honestly-- from what I've been told, PCSing is higher during teh summer then the winter.. but, this is a training base. So, only time will tell if you'll have a wait list or not. Your best bet would be to call about a month or so befor you get here to see what the housing wait list is like. I only waited two weeks, exactly to get into my house-- but, I waived the cleaning and the painting. It's usually about two weeks after some one moves out that you get to move in, unless you waive the painting/cleaning.

3) Is Sunridge Estates really that slummy? Is it loud?

The depends on your opinion of "slummy". Some people like SR, some don't. Some dont mind that the landlord is a drunk, and some do. It really depends on you. Also, I've heard that they were building new houses... so, that could be an option.

4) Are there nice homes for rent close to base other than Sunridge? (We don't want to live on the other side of Enid - my husband is used to a 2 minute commute as it is!)

haha, you haven't been to Enid yet.. you can get to anyplace in just about 5-10minutes+/-.

As mentioned by others, I am having a really tough time finding info about the Enid area housing market online. Any help any of you could provide would be very appreciated!

Are you looking to buy? If so, KM is in the process of buying a house here-- I would suggest sending her a PM..

Hope that helps!

[Guest AFwife62406]

Sunridge isn't that bad compared to many of the other places there are to rent in Enid. It doesn't seem very "slummy" to me. Most of the people that live here are military and it's never loud. (At least not in the 3 months I've been here.)

There are a few nice places to rent in Enid, but it really seems like you have to be in the right place at the right time. The 2 couples I know that have nice places offbase were both in the housing office when the owners of the houses called in to get their houses put on the availability list. Nothing is going to be as close as Sunridge though. Also, at Sunridge, you don't have to take care of the lawn - they do all the mowing.

[Guest newbie]

I have been reading about the various housing options on Vance and in Enid. We will be arriving in early Dec, at which point I will be almost 7 months pregnant and my husband will be a Capt going to UPT. I really don't want to be waiting around for base housing to open up, especially if it is as small as it seems. We currently live on a base and have really enjoyed it. We have a 3 bed/2.5 bath duplex with a garage which has been great. It would be really hard to downsize, especially with a baby on the way. So my questions are:

1) Do all the on base 3 bedrooms only have 1 bathroom and what is the storage like? (walk-in closets, pantry, etc?)

2) On a Capt's BAH, would we be better off looking off base?

3) Is Sunridge Estates really that slummy? Is it loud?

4) Are there nice homes for rent close to base other than Sunridge? (We don't want to live on the other side of Enid - my husband is used to a 2 minute commute as it is!)

As mentioned by others, I am having a really tough time finding info about the Enid area housing market online. Any help any of you could provide would be very appreciated!

Thanks!

We live in a 3 bedroom house and we have two bathrooms. The guestbathroom comes with a shower and tub (sink and toilet) and the one in the masterbedroom comes with a good size shower, sink and toilet but I have to warn you, that is the smallest bathroom I have ever seen but you can make it work.

We moved from a over 2200sqft brandnew house into base housing with over 14.000 lbs household goods so it took a little adjustment but we have not regret our decision. Especially with a newborn you will appreciate the support on base. There comes a lot of storage space with the house. Most of it is above the carport although we put some of our stuff in storage, a big portion of it left at the house. There is also lots of closet space, so hat shouldn't be a issue either.

I am not sure what a Capt makes on BAH but when we checked the realty and rental market, I could not believe the house prices and we have the BAH of a LTCol. So if you are looking for a nice house in a decent neighborhood be ready to pay accordingly.

Good luck!

[Guest manuela]

thanks everyone for all the info - I have a couple more questions for you:

- are the yards large, medium size, small? I have two very active 4-year-old who will need a trampoline, a slide, a swingset, a sandbox, etc.

- are there bike paths where kids can safely ride their bikes and moms can walk/jog?

- are the interiors nice, acceptable, ugly? We'll be at Vance for 3 years at least, and it'd be hard to live in a home with electric blue carpeting and moss green and mauve wallpaper (you get the idea) for that long.

- have the bathrooms ever been renovated? Or are they vintage 1970s -'80s?

Thanks in advance for whatever input you may have.

Regards to all,

manuela

[Guest newbie]

thanks everyone for all the info - I have a couple more questions for you:

- are the yards large, medium size, small? I have two very active 4-year-old who will need a trampoline, a slide, a swingset, a sandbox, etc.

- are there bike paths where kids can safely ride their bikes and moms can walk/jog?

- are the interiors nice, acceptable, ugly? We'll be at Vance for 3 years at least, and it'd be hard to live in a home with electric blue carpeting and moss green and mauve wallpaper (you get the idea) for that long.

- have the bathrooms ever been renovated? Or are they vintage 1970s -'80s?

Thanks in advance for whatever input you may have.

Regards to all,

manuela

The size of the yard depends on the house you will get. There are all kinds of sizes out there, from small to huge (like the ones close to the train track) and when you really luck out then your backyard will be the park. Like Kayla already mentioned there is a nice path from and to the path and there is also a nice walk path in the enlisted housing.

Most homes have no carpets and like Kayla already said, all houses are painted white (eggshell) but you can go ahead and paint and if you want, also put carpets in the rooms. We put carpets in the living room and in my son's room.

Most bathroom have been renovated but my friends' bathroom screams "hello 60's" but that seems to be the exception.

I like the kitchen, it is big and they have been renovated in the last five years.

This is here is the layout of my house. I believe it's slightly different than Kayla's.

[Guest galadriel7474]

Does anyone have an OBGYN in the Enid area to recommend? I will be 7 months pregnant when we move to Vance in Nov and am concerned about getting in to see someone in a timely fashion. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. This is my first child, so I'm a bit nervous about changing from the fabulous doc that I have now to a stranger.

AV8RAHL, does your class start in January? That's when my husband's starts too. He's a Nav picked up for UPT, so we've been around the block.

[Guest PWMOMOF2]

Does anyone have an OBGYN in the Enid area to recommend? I will be 7 months pregnant when we move to Vance in Nov and am concerned about getting in to see someone in a timely fashion. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. This is my first child, so I'm a bit nervous about changing from the fabulous doc that I have now to a stranger.

AV8RAHL, does your class start in January? That's when my husband's starts too. He's a Nav picked up for UPT, so we've been around the block.

Yes there is a really good one name DR Keuchel his phone number is 580-237-7280. I hear that he is really hard to get into though. I had Dr Weaver 580-233-1100 He was really good too. Dr Keuchel was the one on call the night I delivered so he actually delivered my baby. Let me know if you need anything else...If your having a girl I have a ton of baby girl clothes!! :)