PCS' ing to FT hood

[Sapper740]

moving to ft hood with a 2 year old and my wife, any certain areas i should try to avoid?
thanks in advance!

If you visit Dallas, stay out of Oak Cliff. Welcome to Texas!

 

[just jk]

you probably mean SOC - there are some really nice areas in Oak Cliff - great restaurants, etc etc

 

[filmtex]

We lived in the area from '06-'10. I drove through there yesterday and it has changed a lot since we left a couple years ago. I must say, traffic is terrible, the drivers are worse and in general if you avoid Killeen and Cove, you'll likely be much happier. I like the post about Gatesville, that's a good recommendation. Also, it's almost impossible to get a table in a restaurant on weekend mornings. Welcome to Texas.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

Gatesville has (in my opinion) the best range in the state. It's a nice quiet town with light traffic. Its about a 20 min drive to main post, but worth it (again-in my opinion).

Sent from Hicksville.....or while dreaming of Hicksville

 

[jocat54]

Have never lived in Killeen but drive thru there pretty often...best route from Leakey to Tyler. Will have to agree that the drivers around there have a different way of driving (if you can call it driving)

 

[Gunner21]

hood is the reason I have a CHL <<<<<< THIS!!. Hood is what you make of it. "The Great Place it is not". Also don't expect the REAL ARMY in Hood. III Corps seems to operate under it's own regulations lol. Rent is pretty much on par with BAH. Post housing has expanded greatly since 2002. When I showed up it was a 18 month wait not it's more like 2-3 months if that. Crime?... well it's Killeen it's always been a high crime area. Stay south of 190 and east of hood if you're looking north of 190. Copperas Cove is cheaper but from what I've been seeing in the news latley (the last 2 years) crime seems to be on the rise. But hey crime happens anywhere. Anyway... this is probably more information than you needed or wanted.

Source: Spent 11 Years at Hood.

When you get to Killeen consider joining the Copperas Cove Pistol Club. IPDA, Three Gun and Action Pistol . Good bunch of guys . Post also has a civilian range that's not bad, Pine Knob Rifle Zero. Several decent to good gun shops. MWR has cabins on BLORA. There's hunting and Fishing if you're into that. All in all Hood is what you make of it. It can suck Donkey balls or be tolerable.

 

[TreyG-20]

Let me put it this way. I live in a what I guess you would call nicer part of Killeen off Stan schlueter. I went to jump start a friends car outside my house yesterday. I went outside with my cables and left them in the driveway. Walked back in got a bottle.of.water and the keys to my truck. Walk back outside and my cables were gone. With in one minute they were gone. Nobody was even around either for at least 100 yards in either direction. These theives here are like ninjas. Still pissed too. Those weren't cheap cables. Fucking Killeen.

Edit: put this in the rant section.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Thanks for your service, former 11B3P here.

Austin can be fun but don't go downtown to 6th street and act like a fool, you will get your ass kicked.

Do everything in moderation and explore Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and the Hill Country. Enjoy your sentence...er I mean assignment at The Hood.

 

[scgstuff]

I live in Cove and really like it. Especially the elementary schools. I know you are a couple years out, but my kids went to Parsons/Clements in Cove and I thought it was great. Because of the construction, traffic can sometimes be "bad" depending on your definition. If you are from a big city, waiting for the traffic light for 2 or 3 cycles isn't really traffic.

 

[Gp79]

I'm stationed at Fort Sam and occasionally go up to Fort Hood. If I had ever done any time there earlier in my career, I don't think I'd still be in the Army today. Upon entering the base, some unmotivated soldier, likely there as a form of NJP, tells you "Welcome to the great place." In my opinion, there's nothing great about it. There's a vicious "courtesy patrol" and so many soldiers that make you wonder how they ever got into the Army in the first place. Personally, I'd be looking for a place out near Belton / Temple, somewhere far from Hood.

 

[glick88]

I live on fort hood. But i recommend Harker heights. Most of Killeen is pretty bad. They have nice neighborhoods right next to really scummy low income "ghettos, so it's hard to say what area is a "good area" & bad area. If you don't mind a drive live outside Killeen. I ended up moving to on post housing because my work is in a area of the installation that is remote and the morning and pt traffic is a B1+©h!

 

[Imp1295]

I'm also stationed at Hood now. We moved there last summer after 12 years at Ft Bragg. We did a ton of research and settled on Harker Heights.

If you get on some of the Killeen Newspaper sites you can pull up the reported crime by type and date range. This was really the data point that we looked at. Compared to the rest of the immediate area, Harker Heights crime was significantly lower and then only a few property crimes.

Add to that the new shopping center with all the major big box stores and outlets, easy access to 190 to head east and not too bad of a drive. Also, the schools are the best until you get out to Belton/Temple area.

I wasn't willing to make the drive but Round Rock and Georgetown are really quite nice with good schools, low crime and easy access to Austin. It's about a 45-55 minute drive and I just didn't feel like getting up at 0430 every day, then not getting home until 1930 or so.

good luck, but I would stay away from the immediate area from post. Also, the property crime on Ft Hood is quite high. Every day there are at least 5 property crimes reported so take that into consideration about staying on post...Oh, and having to register each and every firearm with the MPs wasn't something I was willing to consider.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Hi, I'm SPC Warthon, just got PCS to Fort Hood from Hawaii a couple months ago...if somebody needs accurate information, pictures, videos, in processing, units, lodging, shopping, prices, travel times, traffic, safe areas, apartments, housing, PX, Commissary or any kind of information about PCS to Fort Hood and surrounding areas contact me to noe.wharton@hotmail.com or by facebook, If I don't got it I'll figure out willing to help incoming personnel.

Ft Hood 74-77

Got staff duty: Wear your flak jacket and have your issue 1911 LOADED

Those sandbags on the roof at the corners of the buildings, those are MP's with NVD and M 16's, Captain in the unit was beat unconscious, in a comma for a month, ended up with a medical discharge.

YES on weekends and especially on payday that is concertina wire EVERYWHERE.

You walk into the bays in your building and there is a couple of soldiers blowin smoke, you walk by, you are there looking for HARD drugs, one of my soldiers died in my arms from and OD, Chocolate milk and black tar heroin, needle was still in his arm, when I picked him up.

Want to live on post with wife and kids: FACT 1 rape per day average on post

In a line unit, going to the field, Blacks don't go, whites do, be sure to get your military DL as you will drive you vehicle to the field or back from the field as you often do have enough soldiers to drive everything and policy is ALL TO&E vehicles go unless deadlined, you drive, yes even the officers. Why don't the blacks go...its a black thing, you might not understand!

Ohh, you love the field after all you will got 52 weeks a year. Noticed you are a senior NCO, wow, you are lucky, you normally do not have to come in on Sundays, but if you do it not till noon, Sat we come in by 6, but eat breakfast in the, rest of the week we have to be in by 0445 for Officers, NCOs 0430, but you will be home by about 1900 at the latest most nights, Officers leave at 2200 hrs most nights. Exceptions are Fri/Sat nights, and payday.

You will love Payday Muster formation: 42 assigned, 32+1 auth, 16 present for duty...that was my platoon when I assumed command. Of course you NEED 42 assigned as all but 16 of them were either Chaptered out or just went to jail. The local area DEA and FBI will know you by your first name. You will look up while down in the motor pool and see MP's and some suits walking your way coming to arrest some of your finest. 2 men on death row, one in Huntsville Tx prison, one in Dade county Fl, assorted in various jails and prisons thru out Texas, armed robbery, drugs and more drugs. Like Pfc Belcher, came to work every day in a long black limo, he would show up min before roll call, paid cash for a home atop the hill in Harker Heights, $360k, prob one of if not the nicest home on the ridge. When the FBI/DEA finally nailed him it shook the drug trade from Ft Hood to Ca, he was a major kingpin in the drug business.

Yea, Ft Hood, the good ole days....

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

Yea, the days of M.A.S.H. are long gone. Now it's just a bunch of trash mixed with leaders trying to impress their bosses and a handful of decent guys thrown in the mix.