Looking for some updated information regarding the Ft. Benning area.  I am a GS civilian and will be relocating there with my family of 4 from Japan next month.  I will be working on base at the hospital and my husband will be looking for employment.  We have a 4 year old and a 9 year old.  I am getting mixed reviews regarding where to live and I wanted to get some more opinions.  Of course schools are very important but we can always supplement with tutors etc.  What are your suggestions?

comments (0)   Post comment

Emily M. says: Here are some of my favorite links concerning the Ft. Benning area: 

 

 

Columbus Georgia Dining Guide: http://columbus.georgia.diningguide.com/

 

Phenix City Alabama Dining Guide: http://restaurants.uptake.com/alabama/phenix_city/693674044.html

 

Columbus YMCA: http://www.columbusymca.com

 

Muscogee Moms: http://www.muscogeemoms.com

 

Fort Benning Fitness: http://www.benningmwr.com/fitness.php

 

Stroller Strong Moms: http://www.strollerstrongmoms.com

 

Ride on Bikes: http://www.rideonbikes.com

 

Big Dog Running Company: http://www.bigdogrunning.com

 

TriColumbus: http://www.tricolumbusga.com

comments (0)   Post comment

Emily M. says: Fort Benning is a United States Army post based in located in Columbus Georgia in Muscogee County. The post boundaries extend into Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County Alabama. It is part of the Columbus Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

 

Fort Benning is a self-sustaining military community which supports more than 120000 active-duty military family members reserve component soldiers retirees and civilian employees on a daily basis. It is a power projection platform and possesses the capability to deploy combat-ready forces by air rail and highway. Fort Benning is the home of the United States Army Armor School United States Army Infantry School the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment 3rd Brigade - 3rd Infantry Division and many other additional tenant units.

 

Since 1918 Fort Benning Ga has served as the Home of the Infantry. Since 1940 Fort Knox KY. has served as the Home of the Armor. The Maneuver Center of Excellence transformation began as a result of the 2005 base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission's decision to consolidate a number of schools and installations to create "centers of excellence." Included in this transformation was the move of the Armor School to Fort Benning.

comments (0)   Post comment

Kari S. says: Hurlburt Field is very supportive base with many functions and activities for spouses and their children.

comments (0)   Post comment

Mitzi B. asks: I'm about to PCS to Benning in Sept. Pros and Cons?

comments (3)   Post comment

Keshia M. writes: Can anybody give me some information on Fort Benning? What are some good towns to live in etc. We do not mind driving a little bit to get a smaller town.. We drive 30 min to and from post as of right now. :) Thanks in advance! ;)

 

Cassandra O. says: We lived in Phenix City right outside the back gate. Took my husband 15 minutes to get to work on the other side of post. To get to main post about 10 minutes. We loved Phenix City. Be careful with some towns if you live in Columbus live past exit 7. Anything before that is not a great neighborhood. Post housing isn't that bad depending on rank. Housing on post at Benning is all done Rank. But you can get a lot for your money if you live off post .

 

Jessica K. says:  My sister works on Fort Benning lives in Columbus and is having another house built there. So I guess she and the kids really like it!! :)

 

Bonnie H. says: Phoenix City isn't far from post at all. Fort Mitchell is a pretty nice place to live from what I hear. We lived in Columbus off of 185 and the downfall to that is traffic going on post in the morning and off post in the evening.

 

Serene D. says: There are really bad parts of both Phoenix City and Columbus.... I agree dont live before exit 7 and even then make sure you see the area before you sign anything!!!! We lived in a bad area like just a couple miles from a gate and the gates get so backed up my Hubby still had to leave 30mins early! I would live on post if you can!!! There is some nice areas around exit 10 and 12 but then you have a 20-30 min drive just to get to a gate and then you have 20 min or more gate time if its rush times!! Good luck!!!!

 

Kelley L. says: We are here now. We live off exit 12 and it takes DH about 15-20 minutes to get to the main post gate in the morning. It's not a bad drive at all. They just expanded I-185. I agree - avoid anything below exit 7. North Columbus and Midland are the good areas. Phenix City (yes that is how it is spelled even though it looks wrong) Smith's Station and Fort Mitchell are nice but schools aren't great. The best schools in the area are in Muscogee County. There have been lots of problems with crime on post and also major issues with the new construction - bathtubs falling through ceilings etc...

 

Stephanie B. says: We live on post here since April. With all the remodeling you could get put in any housing area depending on size of family. We live with e2 up to e8 in our area. I have no complaints about the area as of now. People around seem friendly and helpful.

 

Nichole T. says: Phenix City or North Columbus. Anything past exit 8.

 

Annie H. says: Thanks to everyone who wrote..I'm moving to Benning in Aug. and even though we have been in for a few years now ok so its 9 PCS'ing is still hard...esp when we are coming from Hawaii! You have all give'n some good info. If anyone else has ANY kind of info they want to share please feel free to email/message me on FB with anything you free is relevant!!!! Thanks everyone don't know what we would do without our Army families sometimes....

 

Rosemary S. says: I lived in Newnan GA for about five years and even though I didn't get to Benning often I can give you some fun ideas for place to go. There is A LOT of hiking and outdoors stuff. Pine Mountain is in the vicinity although I'm not sure how far it is from Benning. PM is where Roosevelt had his Little White House and the views are fantastic. Also there is a driving Safari that is incredibly fun especially for the kids. Its very affordable and I highly suggest you get several bags of food since the animals will (literally) stick their heads into your windows to steal the food. Husband had a great experience (NOT!) with that. Atlanta is about two hours (or so away and if you're up for a day trip you can go to Stone Mountain which is in Gwinnett county during the summer months. They have a laser show at night complete with fireworks. Most families pack picnics and set up house on the lawn in front of the mountain. If you get a wild hair you can even climb to the top of stone mountain. I wouldn't recommend that during the summer months. Hawaii is hot. Georgia is hell. I hope this helps a little and I hope you settle into GA and enjoy it. 

 

Beth F. says: There's a really nice apartment complex called Independence Place that's only 15 minutes from post and it's geared toward military families. We were there for about 8 months and it was great - there's a volleyball court lake with dock for fishing walking trails gym swimming pool community center with pool tables and movie area... it's secluded away from everything also and there's a gate to post actually 1 block away but it's only open from 5am-noon. Here's a link to their website with photos: http://www.columbusapts.info/gallery.aspx

 

Christine N. says:  We are at Benning now and love it. So much we brought a house here in Phenix City and have decided to retire here. We love the school system in Phenix City. They meet AIP pretty much every year the schools have been updated with new technology. The structure of the schools are alittle different than other places though: they have several elementary schools 1 school for 6&7 grade 1 school for 8th grade 1 school for 9th grade and then one high school for 10-12th grade. They are great. Phenix City is growing but it is right across the river from Columbus. 

 

Cassandra O. says: If you look into Phoenix city Misty Forest and Patriots Point (Ft. Mitchell) are great neighborhoods with a ton of military. We were there 2 years and had no problems. There are a ton of houses for rent. It's outside the back gate by the airfield so traffic was never a problem getting on post.

comments (0)   Post comment

Well the hubby has been in for 24 years so we have lived alot of places.  I can honestly say this is one of the nicest bases we have been stationed at.  We do live in houseing and it is really nice.  We are both from Florida so we are used to the southeast weather so no complaints there.  The school my son attends is Lyod Elementary and so far it has been fantastic.  We were stationed at Miramar in San Diego before here and I can tell you that the school system there was horrible we had to hire a tudor for my son to catch him up to the Georgia school but that is becuase the California School System is broke he went for 32 kids per classroom to only 18 here....love it and so does he.  I would say that anyone that has lived in a big city area might not find it as nice and alot of folks that are from the west coast or lived there along time would have complaints about the weather but we love it here.  Columbus is not as big as Atlanta but much bigger then several cities we have been stationed near so as far as I am concerned just right!  The base just finished alot of major road work so getting around base is much easier and they are also in process of totally rebuilding all the lower rank housing.  Hope this helps anyone headed here.

comments (0)   Post comment

Lee Anna Sayers says:
August 4, 2011 at 2:07 pm

My name is Lee Anna Sayers. I live in Fort Mitchell Alabama. My husband is in the air force stationed here on for benning. His dad also retired here and my dad had a duty station here (that is how we met) Any way. I run a group called Russell county parents for education. If any of you have children in the Russell county school district please join our group. My children go to Mount Olive elementary school and I was there PTA vice president Last year. I am not sure about the rest of the Russell county schools but Mount olive needs a lot of change and I feel as though they are slowly trying. I am very active in mount olive elementary. I hope you consider our face book group as a place to swap information about the schools and school system! THANK YOU!!!


comments (0)   Post comment

Patricia S says:
May 12, 2011 at 7:31 am

2008-2011
I really enjoyed my three years at Benning. It does get HOT here and our housing was old. But there is some new housing but not for our rank. The main post is really nice and everything is convient. They are doing construction for the influx coming from Knox.


comments (0)   Post comment

Barbara A;;em says:
March 31, 2011 at 8:05 pm

My daughter will be coming to OCS on May 9th. from Ft , Jackson, SC We need to know the hours of the px and commisery to make all the purches she will need before reporting for duty that day. could someone give us hours of operation on the 6th,7th,and 8th of May. Also any other info that would be helpful. Thank you so much like good clean inexpensive places to stay that are are close to the base.


comments (1)   Post comment

Brittany says: November 15, 2010 at 12:31 pm Fort Benning is a huge base with lots of stuff to do on and off post.


comments (0)   Post comment

Chree says:
November 14, 2010 at 11:28 am

My husband got orders to come to Benning and we have been here since June 2010. We thought about living on post, but decided to buy a house off post for the privacy. We are in the Lakebottom Park area. We actually like it here at Benning. As for having things to do, it depends on what you like and how old you are. My husband and I are both in our thirties, so we have out grown the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìclub?¢‚Ǩ¬ù scene. We live a block off the park and take our two dogs there walking every day. There is the Riverwalk, ice skating at the civic center, minor league hockey, plenty of restaurants on the North side of town, tons of shopping, tennis leagues, soccer and softball leagues. There is also the symphony, ballet, and the theatre. Atlanta is only an hour drive away, and they have every thing to do, including the NFL and MLB. Florida beaches are only 3 hours away. If you love college football, then you are right in the middle of the SEC here. There are great churches and tons of groups to join. There are 3 colleges here as well. There has been crime here, but there is crime every where you go if you look for it. All in all, we like Benning. We have been at better places, such as Jackson and Sam Houston, but they have their problems as well. Benning is actually a great place to be if you make the most of what you have. It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s very laid back and everyone is friendly. If anyone has any questions, please get in touch with me! I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m always looking for new friends here in the area!


comments (0)   Post comment

David George says:
September 24, 2010 at 5:45 pm

looking for great colleges within 30 miles


comments (1)   Post comment

Risque says:
September 10, 2010 at 10:46 am

Recently off post the crime has increased a lot. If you do decide to live off post go to exit 8 or above anything beneath that you will find crime. In addition you can try Phenix City, AL or Fort Mitchell they are outside the back gate.


comments (0)   Post comment

Tanisha Butts says:
September 9, 2010 at 10:27 am

I will be relocating to Fort Benning from Fort Riley. I did not stay on post here I opted to live close to my family which was 2 hour drive for my husband. His mother is sick so he will get a compassionate reassignment to move closer to her. Per the responses I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m not sure where to begin to look for housing. I have 3 children and am not keen on crime any suggestions?


comments (2)   Post comment

Risque says:
August 23, 2010 at 9:04 am

We have been here since June 08 and I was ready to go once I stepped foot on post. Its really not much to do unless you are ready to drive everywhere. The commissary and PX are ok. The housing/maintenance sucks. The just recently changed housing management and I haven?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t seen much of a change.


comments (0)   Post comment

Alexandra says:
August 22, 2010 at 11:20 am

Ft. Benning- We got here Jan 09 and I dislike it and I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m so ready to leave. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m originally from Los Angeles so it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s a huge difference, which may be the biggest reason I dislike it here. I find it really boring with nothing much to do. We live off post so we don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t have to deal with housing because they are extremely rude and just just don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t care. I have a 2 yr old son so I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m not sure about which school district is better. I avoid going on post because of all the construction going on which makes traffic a nightmare., but I do like the commissary. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m so glad we are leaving at the end of the year once my hubby returns from deployment.


comments (1)   Post comment

Kat says:
August 19, 2010 at 10:06 am

Fort Benning, GA-
we were there from 06-09, moved from germany , BIG difference! even though the crime rate was VERY bad at benning we liked it. i had a hit and run and a break-in while my husband was deployed. housing, mp?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s didnt care much , because it was ?¢‚Ǩ?ìnormal?¢‚Ǩ¬ù to them. also, bennning is one of the biggest training areas so you WILL hear gunfires from the ranges. commissary and px are nice. px is brand new. benning has their own hospital so unless u need to see a specialist you will be well taking care off. moved off post after all these things happened. exit 7-12 are good areas to live in columbus. it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s about an 20 minute drive to post, but we thought it was well worth it. exit 10 is very convenient?¢‚Ǩ¬¶..you will find wal-mart(s), target, restaurants, healthcare providers and etc. school district on exit 10 is also very good. columbus high school is one of the best ratest schools in GA. overall, we wouldn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t have a problem living there again!


comments (0)   Post comment

Amy says:
June 1, 2010 at 7:56 am

Benning ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú we like it here. Of course, we came from Kansas ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú so that makes a difference! The housing office stinks here. We don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t have kids yet so they were going to stick us in a teeny apartment and charge us almost $1400 a month for it! We rented a 2900 sf house out the airfield gate for the same amount ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú 2 car garage, large fenced yard, community swimming pool. I wouldn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t buy any of the houses out the back gate, but renting is great. Closest we could get (in a safe neighborhood) without living on post. Traffic on post is bad ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú and going to get WAY worse with the Armor school moving in. The shopping is way up north in Columbus. A lot of people live there to be near the shopping ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú but the commute to post is killer. I have to drive 20 minutes to get to the shopping, but I only do that once or twice a week. My husband has to go to work at least 5 days a week! I love the commissary and the exchange. Both are nice and big. And the post itself is pretty. We?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re very happy here. I hope you will be, too!


comments (0)   Post comment