FT Hood or El Paso. Anyone live there?

[cheeringmom]

Hi all I just posted this on the community board and saw this thread ! yeah! My DH has been active duty for 24 yrs. We plan to retire in December. he is deployed now overseas until Oct. But I need some help....

My 21 yr old daughter just got offered a job with Army Public Affairs in either El Paso or Ft Hood, TX. We did some searching on the web but would rather hear by word of mouth how those places would be for a new young person starting out in the job market. Are they safe? Is there stuff for young people to do? How do you like the area? Housing? Where to live...Any help at all would be appreciated. Thanks so much CMOM

 

[wtccheermom]

We are military family currently living in El Paso and no I would not want my DD to live here. It is crowded and not very pretty. Traffic is horrendous and there are some very big language barriers. There are pretty parts of the city but Fort Bliss is right in the middle and in the worse possible part of town. We live on post but there have been two murders right outside the gate less than two miles from my house. There have also been two murders on post both committed by soldiers. I have tons of friends at Hood and they love it. I have also heard that surrounding areas of Hood like Belton and Temple are also very nice. Good Luck to your daughter!

 

[Wants2Live@WDW]

Hi!

Good luck to your daughter! Does she love Disney too?

I am from Texas and have been stationed in 2 places in Texas. I would prefer Ft Hood to Ft Bliss (El Paso), but that is just me. Ft Bliss is congested and too close to Juarez for my comfort (only b/c of the civil unrest over there). Both are sill hot during the summer. Bliss is desert and mountains at the same time, and Hood has the hill country and allergies at the same time. lol

Ft Hood is HUGE, but on the whole it is safe. It is only an hour away from Austin, which is very nice. Great atmosphere there. Ft. Hood falls victim to the same thing that is happening everywhere that there is an Army base: housing is skyrocketing to match, or slightly exceed the housing allowance. Last year, houses were going for upwards of $160K and apartments were renting for $700 for a 1 bedroom. A lot of junior enlisted soldiers get really nice barracks (like with kitchens and private quarters). Others get roommates from people that they work with to cut down on costs (as a 2 bedroom runs at about $1000/month). But this is sort of the trend with housing near any post.

Good luck to her! Don't worry...she'll be fine!

 

[babybaja2]

El Paso is not that bad, the traffic is nowhere near as bad as other cities I have been to/live in. It is in the desert, so Ft. Hood is greener, but there is mountains/camping/lakes all within easy drives. The "murders" were all isolated cases, by soldiers messed up from deploying.. yes it was weird that they all happened so close together, but it is not normally like this... and Ft. Bliss is not in the "worst part of town"... I was born here, and have lived in many places also being military, and El Paso is ok, not the best, but not the worst...

alot of the spouses/troops that I talk to that do say "El Paso sucks, there's nothing to do" - then I ask them, "Why, what did you do this weekend" and they say "nothing, just watched tv" Most don't try to get out, or bother to find out what there is to do.. this weekend (labor day) we went to a wine festival, a crafts bazzar, and spent a day hiking in the mountains... the fall season is coming, with corn mazes, pumpkin festivals, haunted houses, another wine fest (my fav, lol) the Renaissance ArtsFaire, hot air balloon festivals, and on and on...

El Paso (like any other place) is what you make it... get out and enjoy life!!! Don't hide behind your curtains...

 

[cheeringmom]

Thank you all for the posts. She ended up getting orders for El Paso for one year. I have been dong some reading about the area and we have decided she will live on the west side of town. It is a little farther from base but it looks to be safer. I do understand El Pasois the 5th safest city in the US. Interesting especially after what I just read!

I agree with you Babybaja, if you don't get out and experience what the city has to offer, you will hate it. We lived on the economy in Germany and so many people who lived on base hated that assignment but they never left the base! It was my favorite assignment so far! My dd is a huge people person so I am sure whe will take advantage of what the city has to offer. I will look on the city web site and see if I can find info on things to do. It sounds fun.

wtccheermom-are you talkng about side street traffic or traffic on I 10? It looks like her commute wil be about 30 minutes which I am not thrilled about but she will just have to leave early

and yest wantstolive@WDW my daughter loves disney too!

thanks again for the info. If you have any other info onthe city please post! CMOM

 

[Minnie321]

Sorry just really irritated because it seems you can't do anything here until you reach 10 posts. So wtccheermom - I cannot reply to the message you sent me until I reach 10 posts.

 

[cheeringmom]

Minne321 Thanks for reminding me I started this post!

Quick update...My dd made it to El Paso after a 2.5 day drive. She is living on the west side of town and has a beautiful view of the mountains in her back yard. Her commute isn't too bad. It is about 25 minutes. She found a great church and likes her job. She said the food is fantastic and really likes the people. The call her "mija" (I apologize for spelling!). She said the sunsets are the most gorgeous she has ever seen.

Thank you all for the responses. She only has about 7 more mos there and they ship her to the Pentagon so if there is a 'must see" in El Paso, please let me know. Thanks C Mom

 

[Duckyiam71]

Cheeringmom I just found this thread. I lived in VA for 30 years and moved El Paso 7 years ago. My husband is in the Army. Some must sees...
pecan groves along Hwy 28 especially neat when pecans are in harvest
Carlsbad Caverns about 3 hours from here
Heuco Tanks- one of top rock climbing places- 10 miles from Loop 375
Ruidoso about 2.5 hours great camping in summer a lot cooler in the mountains, good skiing in the winter
Wyler Tramway-goes up the side of the mt for a great view of El Paso and Juarez
It is very sad when I first moved here the thing everybody wanted to do was to cross the border and get cheap souvenirs. Now no one, not even locals want to cross into Juarez.
And last but not least, you must try the food. L and J's (restaurant by the cemetary is what locals call it) and Carlos and Mickeys are great Mexican restaurants. I wish your DD the best and hopes she enjoys her stay here.

 

[cheeringmom]

Thanks Duckiam for the great list. I am going to copy it for her. She is skiing somewhere this weekend. Said it is beautiful

Where were you in VA? We livid in NOVA in Burke for 5 years. I miss VA but not to the cold!

Thanks again for the reply. Pam

Cheeringmom I just found this thread. I lived in VA for 30 years and moved El Paso 7 years ago. My husband is in the Army. Some must sees...
pecan groves along Hwy 28 especially neat when pecans are in harvest
Carlsbad Caverns about 3 hours from here
Heuco Tanks- one of top rock climbing places- 10 miles from Loop 375
Ruidoso about 2.5 hours great camping in summer a lot cooler in the mountains, good skiing in the winter
Wyler Tramway-goes up the side of the mt for a great view of El Paso and Juarez
It is very sad when I first moved here the thing everybody wanted to do was to cross the border and get cheap souvenirs. Now no one, not even locals want to cross into Juarez.
And last but not least, you must try the food. L and J's (restaurant by the cemetary is what locals call it) and Carlos and Mickeys are great Mexican restaurants. I wish your DD the best and hopes she enjoys her stay here.

 

[Duckyiam71]

I lived in Richmond and Blacksburg(VA Tech). I had a lot of friends that lived in NOVA. I am with you, miss VA but not the cold. We just went snow tubing in the mountains this weekend. I am sure your daughter had a blast this weekend skiing. There was a ton of military where we were. Another great place to visit is White Sands Monument. You can go sledding on the sand..really a neat place to go. I hope you get to visit her soon.