Vance AFB information

[Texaco]

My wife and I have been on the waiting list for a few weeks now (#13 today, 30-60 days?) and will be at Vance on July 9th. They said we'll be waiting to move in by living in lodging bldg 713, a small TLF, I think. We also have a besenji/jack russel mix who they said we would have to put him in a kennel until we move into family housing.

Will the wait be that long? Is there a better way not to put my dog in a kennel? I don't know anyone yet in family housing at Vance that could put my dog up before we move in. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cucci

[Guest sweethomeco]

When I moved here I had 2 cats with me, and the TLF gave me the same story about having to kennel them. Instead, I stayed at that Best Western, which allows you to have animals. You end up paying $70/night (don't quote me on that) as opposed to the TLF's $30 rate, but you have the peace of mind of staying with your animals. Not to mention, you don't have to pay extra to board. I should add, though, that I only spent 3 nights waiting to move into a base house, and I think you will probably have longer.

Housing is pretty tight from what I've heard, so hopefully the wait will not drag on too long for you. Just keep pestering the housing people and that way they can't forget about you.

Edited July 1, 2008 by sweethomeco

[The Kayla]

My wife and I have been on the waiting list for a few weeks now (#13 today, 30-60 days?) and will be at Vance on July 9th. They said we'll be waiting to move in by living in lodging bldg 713, a small TLF, I think. We also have a besenji/jack russel mix who they said we would have to put him in a kennel until we move into family housing.

Will the wait be that long? Is there a better way not to put my dog in a kennel? I don't know anyone yet in family housing at Vance that could put my dog up before we move in. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cucci

I had to wait 14 days from the time I got here to the time I moved in a house. That boarding bill was $400. But, I have three large dogs.

Teh boading place I used is closed, otherwise I would suggest them. They had inside play areas and outside play areas. And they didn't charge you more for putting your dogs outside. Enid Pet Hospital boards, but eh. You have to pay more to have the pooch walked. They are stuck in a small crate. I wasn't impressed. I also wasn't impressed with a vet there. And the staff there is rather rude.

Try Wheatland Vet (which is right next to Wal-Mart and the Highway Patrol Office)

How does your pooch do with other dogs? I'm in a "I want another puppy" kick... so I'm willing to puppy-sit for ya!

[Guest ukwxbelle]

Just taking a general poll, where do you ladies get your hair cut? When we were there a month ago to secure our rental I saw dozens of places that looked reputable, but I thought maybe you could help narrow down my search.

I've got quirky hair that needs someone who understands it to cut it! I've grown to love my current stylist so much I've let her take creative freedom a few times, but now I'm afraid to look for someone new!

Edited July 2, 2008 by ukwxbelle

[Guest lovemyflyboy]

I get my hair cut by a lady named Andrea. She has a sign up at the base gym. Her husband is an IP and she runs her business out of her home. I've had cuts, colors and up-do's done by her and she's great. I'll give you her number if you'd like it. I highly recommend her.

[Guest sweethomeco]

For hair, I'm going to tell you right now,NEVER, EVERgo to Friendz salon. The one time I went there, the lady did a terrible job and charged me $150 (the most I've ever paid for a cut/highlight, and I moved from Boulder, CO!) For some reason, a lot of people will tell you that all of the base wives go to Friendz because the stylists are so good, but this is just baloney!

Whew, sorry, had to get that complaining out of me.

Anyway, for good stylists I've been to... Vicki at Studio 22, which is downtown Enid, is great with cuts and highlights/ color. Miranda at Legends is great at cuts and decent at coloring. Both have charged me for cut and highlight around $70.

[Guest marsarms]

where do you go if you want GOOD coffee? sweet tea is good, but nothing beats a good latte except for an iced latte:) We are not guranteed to Vance.. in fact my DH just started OTS yesterday and we dont know what's happening after that, but I am just wondering what the atmospher is like around the bases!

[Guest sweethomeco]

where do you go if you want GOOD coffee? sweet tea is good, but nothing beats a good latte except for an iced latte:) We are not guranteed to Vance.. in fact my DH just started OTS yesterday and we dont know what's happening after that, but I am just wondering what the atmospher is like around the bases!

Oh boy, am I opinionated about coffee... I came from Boulder, CO and worked at Peaberry coffee for 1 1/2 years as a barista, so my opinion is a little (okay, a lot) skewed. The coffee places here can't hold a candle to anything you've had in civilization! Starbucks is a little ways from base, and their coffee/lattes are the only ones I'll have. I had to write about coffee shops here for the local magazine, and when asking the barista at Davinics (the local coffee house) how she temps the milk, her reply was "I dip my finger in it to see if its warm enough." Yeah.......... enough said.

The base is a fish bowl... you will always see someone you know no matter where you go, which is good and bad. As long as the assignment is of the shorter nature, Enid will be okay. We passed the 2 year mark a few months ago, and it's time to move on to greener pastures. You will find a huge disparity within the local community of the very wealthy and the very poor. The only middle class in Enid belongs to the military families.

Enid is bigger than you think, but smaller once you've been here for a while. Perspectives change, but yes, attitude will determine your experience. (Please take all of this with a grain of salt and excuse any bitterness which spouts out of my mouth, as our time here has been extended far past what we thought it would be, we're both outdoors junkies from Colorado, used to mountains, healthy food, active people, awesome coffee, great weather, etc., etc.-- we still smile a lot!)

Edited August 7, 2008 by sweethomeco

[The Kayla]

where do you go if you want GOOD coffee? sweet tea is good, but nothing beats a good latte except for an iced latte:) We are not guranteed to Vance.. in fact my DH just started OTS yesterday and we dont know what's happening after that, but I am just wondering what the atmospher is like around the bases!

I worked as a barista at Hastings, and I perfer them to Davinnci's and Starbucks. Plus. they are cheaper as well. I'm not a coffee drinker so take my opinion with a grain of salt as well..

I think I started hating Vance/Enid when I was working in retail. Now that I go to school full-time. The Enid-Locals don't really bother me too much.

[Guest lovemyflyboy]

I prefer Davinci's for coffee (and I've never seen them stick their fingers in a drink). They have really good drinks, and I usually don't like coffee drinks. I've never had a drink at Hastings though, so I can't compare it to them. Davinci's also has a 10% military discount.

We didn't mind Enid when we moved here either. It was a big switch from FL, but we adjusted okay. That was when we thought we'd be here under a year... Now that we know we'll be here at least 23 months, it's getting a little bit old. There's not much culture here, and not much to do. We refer to it as a "kind of" town. We "kind of" have a mall, but it's small, and many of the stores are empty or not stores we shop at. Not much variety at all. We "kind of" have a movie theater, but it's completely overpriced and the sound and picture qualities are some of the worst I've ever seen. We "kind of" have a water park. It has 2 slides, a small pool and a lazy river than takes about 2 mins to go all the way around. It gets old driving an hour and a half to get to any decent shopping, restaurants or entertainment. But the people here are nice, which helps..

[Guest ukwxbelle]

Concurr with kayla on a couple I know. They got here in early July and moved in on Wednesday. They stayed in VOQ for their 30 days, then moved in with another couple in the class until they were given a house. There are two property management companies here in town, but there might not be anything available. We rent a house through Enid Property Management; their number is 580-233-2461. You may also register with AHRN.com (it's free). You can search for housing by installations and your par grade (to help reign in the rent). There are currently 27 available listings on AHRN and 14 within the O-1 BAH (+/-25%), and 7 that accept pets. The ones on Cedar Ridge and Liberty Lane wouldn't be in bad locations- esp for the rent.

When you're looking at properties on a map, try and stay west oF Van Buren.

I do know of a couple that is wanting to sublet their apartment (I'm sorry, but I don't know how many rooms). If you'd like to PM me, I could get you their information.

Tip for the Future: Take your permissive before you PCS. You get 10 days before you go and 8 days after you get there. We came out in May before our July PCS and I think we got the last good, cheap rental in Enid.

Edited September 11, 2008 by ukwxbelle

[Guest Cypher220]

Hey, I'm a single dude, I just arrived here at Vance yesterday and now I am looking for a place to live. There's room available in the dorms, but they are full enough that I can live off base if I want to (that is if I can find a place). All of the places that I looked at off base today (Sunridge, Winchester, Indian Oaks, etc.) were pretty much all full and won't have an opening until sometime in October. I've also been looking through ahrn.com and ads in the classifieds, but there still isn't a whole lot available. Right now I am thinking that maybe I should just move into the dorms and then I could possibly move off base sometime later. Has anyone who has been here recently done that? Is it a pain in the ass moving out of the dorms to somewhere off base? Also, given the option, is living in the dorms (they look awfully small) worth the convenience of being right there on base?

[The Kayla]

I suggest that you live on base.

You can walk to work, which will save you money and keep miles off your car/turck.

You only have a 5 minute walk to work when you have to be there at 5am. And a 5 minute walk home after being at work for 12 hrs.

Are you really going to want to move off base in the middle of UPT? Moving in general is a pain in the ass.. But moving while in UPT, that's an even bigger pain in the ass, if you ask me.

[brabus]

I wish we lived off base now, but am still really glad I lived on base during UPT. Kayla is spot on about the 5am shows and 12 hr days. That 3 min walk to/from work vs a 15 min drive really will make the difference, especially for the first few months of UPT. I have a few friends who moved into a house together during Phase III and it worked out fine/wasn't too big of an asspain (just a weekend of moving). I say get into the dorms and during Phase III when you're used to the UPT thing and the BS nut crunching is to a minimum, think about moving off.

[Guest soflguy]

My husband lived in the dorms on base until I joined him at Vance. He thought there was adequate space for just him. There wasn't much hassle moving off base when I got here. They just made him sign the papers and they inspected the room. However, if we had to do it over again, I think I would prefer to live in base because it seemed like I was driving there quite a few times during the week for misc. reasons (commissary, gym, library, etc.). Just my two pence.

Try this place Enid Homefinders. They're kind of like the Enid version of a realty group. As for staying in the dorms, just make sure you move out within 2 months, or no DLA for you (assuming you're elligible for it).

[Guest Nova]

Try this place Enid Homefinders. They're kind of like the Enid version of a realty group.

I looked into "Enid Homefinders" and this is what came back:

https://local.yahoo.com/info-18508567-enid-...corporated-enid

Their reviews range from gawd awful to mediocre. Is this accurate?

[JVBFLY]

I looked into "Enid Homefinders" and this is what came back:

https://local.yahoo.com/info-18508567-enid-...corporated-enid

Their reviews range from gawd awful to mediocre. Is this accurate?

I rented from Richard the entire time and had no problems. The things they ask you to do before leaving are no different than in any other base housing contract. I have had many base folks refuse to restart BAH until items were completed. That is the same thing as not returning a deposit, if not worse. I would agree though that you have to be very stern to get your deposit from him right away. I refused to give the keys back until a check was written. I did not want to leave town without my deposit. There are so many landlords out there who will nickel and dime you after you leave, especially if they know you are not local any longer. I had no problems with response times, or calls being returned. In fact, we once locked ourselves out of the house and he came to rescue us.

Another great landlord in the area is Kim Price, who rents several houses. His house was just a bit too small for my family. Good luck!

[Scooter14]

Another great landlord in the area is Kim Price, who rents several houses. His house was just a bit too small for my family. Good luck!

Ditto on Kim Price. He had a few 2 bedroom ranches on the north side of town just north of Willow. We rented from him and he was more than accomodating.

[Wolf424]

Someone mentioned the train tracks along side the base housing on Vance. Is the train very loud? Does it blow it's horn at all hours? We live near tracks now, but there's a golf course between us and the train, so it's not that loud. Just wondering!

I actually live right up against the tracks. It's not too bad. Mainly because there aren't any railroad crossings near base housing where the train has to blow it's horn (sts). We bought a fan for our bedroom to have on during the night to provide some "white noise", and we don't even notice when they pass at night.

Not to mention, even if you live away from the tracks, you will end up right underneath a loudspeaker and will get to hear reveille, retreat, and taps every day.

[The Kayla]

I actually live right up against the tracks. It's not too bad. Mainly because there aren't any railroad crossings near base housing where the train has to blow it's horn (sts). We bought a fan for our bedroom to have on during the night to provide some "white noise", and we don't even notice when they pass at night.

Not to mention, even if you live away from the tracks, you will end up right underneath a loudspeaker and will get to hear reveille, retreat, and taps every day.

I live a few streets away from the train tracks, and I hear that damn thing every time it goes by and blows the horn (sts?)... one night, i swear to God, he laid on the horn for 2minutes every 2minutes! I was NOT a happy camper!

But, you are talking to someone who, at 12am, can hear the exerises the SP's do at the front gate.

[The Kayla]

Info about graduation:

For shabow boxes:

https://www.aeroriginals.com/

She (or her husband) set them up and they are on display during the Graduation Dinner.

For amazingly great cakes at great prices:

Cher-Dens

580-237-6880

[Guest mimi7281]

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!! :)

Hey, I know this information was posted awhile ago, so I was wondering if it is still valid, or if anyone could recommend a good OB/GYN in Enid that I would be able to see fairly quickly. We're arriving on base on May 12, and I'll be almost 6 months pregnant. I also have a two-year-old, so if anyone could give me the name of a good pediatrician, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!!

[Guest lovemyflyboy]

Hey, I know this information was posted awhile ago, so I was wondering if it is still valid, or if anyone could recommend a good OB/GYN in Enid that I would be able to see fairly quickly. We're arriving on base on May 12, and I'll be almost 6 months pregnant. I also have a two-year-old, so if anyone could give me the name of a good pediatrician, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!!

We just moved from Vance (when I was 34 weeks pregnant) and my OB there was Dr. Ferguson at Enid Women's Health. We liked him a lot even though he's a little quirky. I'm guess Dr. Kuechel isn't going to have any openings because he had like a year long wait when I was there. Hope that helps!

[The Kayla]

Hey, I know this information was posted awhile ago, so I was wondering if it is still valid, or if anyone could recommend a good OB/GYN in Enid that I would be able to see fairly quickly. We're arriving on base on May 12, and I'll be almost 6 months pregnant. I also have a two-year-old, so if anyone could give me the name of a good pediatrician, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!!

The Pediatrician on base is really good, from what I hear.

Are you high risk? If so, Dr. McFadden is a great DR.

Dr.Parker--580-242-3870 (he just delivered my neighbor's baby) and Dr. Weaver ( he is my GYNO.. I adore him.. if I was to get PG, I would fly back just to see him..)--580-233-1100 are all really good DR's.

Keuchel David M DO--(580) 237-7280

Edited May 11, 2009 by The Kayla

[Guest Titan]

Changing the subject a little.......anyone know a good eye doctor in Enid? I hate picking random names out of the yellow pages for things like contacts ; )

Try Nicholas Eye Clinic. I worked for them during my casual time and they are really really good people. They do glasses and contacts too. 95% of contacts are CHEAPER than 1800 Contacts. I know because I was in charge of updating the pricing to make it lower than them. The only exception is one or two toric lenses.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Titan