We are coming from Riley and this will be our first move from home, so needless to say I'm a nervous wreck! If anyone can help me with a few things so I can research I would really appreciate it. I need info on good preschools and daycare centers/nanny's. I am a hairdresser and I'm unsure if I'm going to work in a salon or just do hair at home but I'd like to know what you guys think of local salons (not smart styles or "quick cut" places). I know there are a lot of salons in the area but most of them don't have websites so I'd like to contact them by phone to get information. Thanks to all who can help me out and helping my move a little less stressful :) 

Welcome! Many of us were at Riley. Hood is so much better ( IMO ) but housing isnt anything like Forsythe. Its older housing. My favorite place for getting my hair done was Blonde Salon & Spa. Awesome people there! (254) 501-3930 is there phone number. 

I too, will be coming that way. Right now I am in Florida (yes, the perfect beach weather) while my Hubby is in Korea. We are due there in September. I'm anxious and excited to meet people, start a new career and enjoy Texas!! Hope they have really good sweet tea.

Is there a waiting list for on post housing? 

The wait depends on several things. When My ex husband and I moved on post there was no wait because of his rank and the size of the house. There are several factors that move families up on the list... 

Yea, I figured. I think we are deciding just to stay off post anyway. Does anyone know how to navigate the new CPOL website. I haven't been on it in about a year or so and it is different. I can't even begin to figure out how to job search it. 

I honestly know nothing about CPOL.

When my ex and I got to Hood, we chose base housing but learned real fast that it was not worth it.

Because we had no kids, we ended up in a two bedroom (three if you count their bonus room), and it left much to be desired for the amount paid (E6 BAH). After being there a year I discovered a severe black mold problem which in the end explained why I had been so ill for a while. I fought and fought with Fort Hood Family Housing but they refused to do anything because I was not allergic to mold (never mind that black mold is a toxin and no allergy is needed in order to have an adverse effect). My asthma didn't help at all either, it's all I could do to sleep in that place... Their solution was to clean the wall with bleach and repaint it, in the end I had the Housing SGM trying to help me get through to them and she didn't get anywhere. The best I got is they let me out before giving a 30 day notice.

I found a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage home in Cove to move into that was twice the size and pretty much came out to the be the same amount.

Another incident (same time as the mold problems) happened on the one Thanksgiving I was there... The Carbon Monoxide detector went off. It was the first time I had the oven on for any length of time. The fire department came out and the levels were dangerously high. We turned the oven off and it got back to normal... Never heard anything back from them after that. Since I was already on terms with the SGM, I talked to her and she sent over the DPW manager who then went on to tell me that it was a newer over so it's ok. Never fixed a think...

TO top all that, when I moved out, I opted to have them clean but they charged over $100 to replace the back door because there were scratches in it from my dog. I didn't argue that but they painted the door and never replaced it. I complained and finally, several months later, got refunded the money for that.

So obviously I would recommend living off post but be careful with property management companies. I have an awesome property manager but she quit managing property a couple months before I moved. The company that took over I hear was awful. Home Network Realty or something like that. I left before my ex did and he did the most of dealing with him but he said they charged a lot of money. We didn't do anything to that house but better it, it's probably what was there in the beginning...

Oh well, my ex's problem for booting me out on the streets.

Really, that was just about a novel I typed there. Touchy subject for me obviously. 

Ich bin Batman is right housing on post SUCKS. They are small (even the three and four bedroom homes) about 900 to 1500 square feet. No garage unless you’re an officer and even they have very few homes with one. I would live off post but avoid living right outside post in Killeen. If your husband is coming back from a dependent restricted tour in Korea then you will get priority on the housing list if you want to live on post. They will let you look at the house they offer you but if you don't take it then you go to the bottom of the housing list. Black mold is a big problem like Ich bin Batman said. Good luck. For me I would go back to Riley ASAP if I could. 

The homes in com 111 and even most in com 2 are decent. Commanche 1 is mostly old but I dont think that there are any decent 2 bedrooms. So if you do not qualify for more than two I would choose off post. They also have to disclose lead paint to you in most of their homes. 

Oh I just noticed a lot of people here are from ft. Riley as well. :) My husband and I are still living here in the colyer manor area on base but it looks like the waitlist for a couple with no kids for ft. hood will take forever. We're going to be pcsing there in only a few more months. Are there any places you guys would suggest for decent off post housing? 

I saw on the Hood underground page that you are headed for Ft. Hood. Welcome! Here is some Info. I have gathered to share with newcomers.

When we first arrived at Ft. Hood, the Army told us NOT to live in Killeen in at least 3 briefings. We were told this by housing and that is a fact!

Like most towns outside army gates, a large part of Killeen exists to get all the money they can squeeze from the soldiers. The crime rate is extremely high. Many neighborhoods are unsafe dumps. This is why the rents are so low in Killeen. Never trust a leasing agent or property manager to tell you the entire truth. Many will emphasize to you the type of security system they have! (I wonder why that is?) Killeen has higher rates of crime than the us average in everything but auto theft. The RAPE figures are more than double the national average (2006 reported rapes) and the burglary rate is 2.5 times. Anywhere along or near Rancier or 195 (Fort Hood Street) is called the GHETTO by the locals and is not fit to live near. High crime, hookers on 10th street, rip-off landlords and high crime are just the start of the problems.

The new areas of Killeen off of Stan Schluter Loop and further out are very new and nice. Look at a map before you look at places! It may still be in Killeen, but further away from the base than Nolanville, Copperas Cove, or Harker Heights. The new area of Killeen south of 190 is very nice and a good place to live, but crime has been spreading there as the predators see easy pickings behind new fences. There are also lots of foreclosed homes in this area. Make sure no one tries to rent a foreclosed home to you!

Not every neighborhood in Killeen is bad. There are a few nicer ones off of Stan Schleuter and 190. If you need info, post in the room. Chances are someone knows someone who lives there and can help! Give the cross streets or the name of the apartments and we will try.

Killeen does have a nice mall that has a Sears and many national mall chain stores. Just about every national chain and most of the regional chains have a store in or near Killeen. There are also LOTS of Pawn Shops. It has one of the largest Super Wal-Marts in the world and it is busy. There are also 2 Giant HEB Grocery stores. Most of Killeen is within a 10-15 minute drive of the rest of the towns. There are lots of great restaurants in town. HWY 190 is the main route of travel through the area. All of the towns I mention lay along HWY 190 or I-35. The road runs East from Lampasas through Copperas Cove, past Ft. Hood and Killeen, then through Harker Heights and Nolanville before it heads up the hill into Belton, and joins I-35 where you can head North to Temple, or South to Salado. (Great antiquing in the Salado area)

Lampasas, Temple, Belton, and Salado are also nice towns, but when gas gets to $4.50 a gallon again you will wish you lived closer!

The cities of Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, and Nolanville are all close to Ft. Hood. They are towns that are fairly safe. They are all within 10-15 minutes from the base, the Commissary and the PX, and all the shopping in Killeen.

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Harker Heights has a beautiful new shopping center. There is a Super Wal-Mart, a Large HEB grocery store, just remodeled and very nice, a Target, and many other great national chain stores and at least 10 restaurants of all types. The new shopping center is less than 3 years old. They also have a nice library. Rents there are higher than in many other areas and some consider it more officer’s territory due to the cost of living. The city reports a higher than average number of residential burglaries. HH offers several routes to and from Ft. Hood to help avoid traffic problems
Nolanville has a few very new housing areas that have lots of good quality rentals for soldiers, but there is not much to Nolanville. It is 5 minutes from the shopping in Harker Heights and 12-15 minutes from Hood. The available dwellings range from older single wide mobile homes to brand new homes and duplexes. The rents are generally cheaper than Harker Heights and higher than Killeen, but the places are generally much cleaner, safer, and newer. Nolanville offers 3 routes to and from Ft. Hood to help avoid traffic problems. There is a new elementary school there that opened within the last year. One of the nicer housing developments with lots of rentals is adjacent to the school.

Copperas Cove is a nice area with rentals in most price ranges. Next to Killeen it is the next closest to Ft. Hood. There is plenty of shopping with a WalMart, a large HEB grocery stores and plenty of other stores. There is no mall. They do have a nice library. The one drawback of "The Cove" is the morning and evening drive. The blazing sun is in your eyes both ways, if there is an accident on the way to the base you can use the back gate off of Main St. or 190 to get to the other gates. One friend said to me one day, and I agree, the Cove is just….dumpy, better than older Killeen, but not up to par like Newer Killen, Harker Heights and Nolanville. I agree.

To view pictures and get information about on-base housing at Hood, just follow these links:

https://www.facebook.com/movinghousemilitaryspouse
http://www.forthoodfh.com/
http://www.hood.army.mil/housing.aspx
http://fthoodhousing.com/
More pictures of Ft. Hood Housing can be found at : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.139105636176803.36361.137336963020337&type=1

Fort Hood has a variety of housing on-post. Some neighborhoods are brand-new and very modern. Others are very old and dated. Unfortunately, you do not get a choice here. Housing will offer you a home. If you turn it down, you go to the bottom of the waiting list. In addition, rank has very little to do with placement. You could find a SFC living next door to a PFC. The schools your child goes to will be determined by where you live.

Housing on West Fort Hood is Montague. There is a CDC and a shoppette near Montague. Housing neighborhoods on main post close to West Fort Hood are Comanche I, Comanche II, Comanche III, and Kouma. The Clear Creek Commissary and Clear Creek PX are on main post near these neighborhoods.

If you live on post, your entire BAH will go for your rent and utilities. You will have an electricity allowance. If you use less electricity than allowed, you will get a rebate check. If you use more, you will get a bill.

Animals Banned From Fort Hood
Staffordshire Terriers (American and British), Bull Terriers, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, wolf hybrids and any others that display a dominant or aggressive behavior, or mixed breeds of any of the list. This is an army wide ban. Ferrets are also not allowed, (for some stupid reason).

For off-post housing info visit:
http://www.forrent.com/search-apartments-near-military-bases/Army/Fort-Hood.php
You can apply for housing when you have your paper orders. However, they won't actively assign you to a house or make you eligible for one until you have cleared your current Post.
The Schedule for the Buses that run on Ft. Hood can be found here:
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2874

Need your computer fixed reasonably?
http://www.yourextremepc.com/

Need a Vet? The base has a vet that is very hard to get an appointment with. Aztec Animal Hospital in Harker Heights has walk-ins at 9-11 and 2-5, and Sat from 8-12. They are super inexpensive for the area!

http://aztecpethospital.com/

Local Dog Park 100 Mountain Lion Trail in Harker Heights. 2 fenced areas. 1 is for larger(30 lbs & larger) and 1 is for smaller dogs (29 and smaller). People say great things about this place and it is free! We love it. No food allowed in the dog area, but there are waling trails, a play area for human children, and picnic benches.
http://www.doggoes.com/parks/texas/harker-heights-dog-park-purser-family-park

Need a job when you get here?

Snagajob.com (Great for Part time jobs), workinretail.com monster.com texas.job.com, aafes.com, usajobs.gov, WorkInTexas.com they also have industry specific sites like Texaseducation.jobs Texasmanufacturing.jobs Texasaerospace.jobs Texasengineering.jobs Texashealthcare.jobs ,
If you left a job to come with your spouse to Fort Hood, the Texas Workforce Commission wants to give you free money! Yes, free, with only a few strings attached!

If you want to go to school, college, job training etc., the Texas Workforce Commission's Talent Program will buy your books, your supplies, uniforms, help with child care, help with licensing costs, etc. They have funding so the money is there just waiting for you to ask for it! Call or visit the Texas Workforce Commission in Killeen and ask about the Talent Program. 300 CHEYENNE DR., KILLEEN , TX 76542-1300 254-200-2000 http://www.workforcelink.com/newworkforce/talent.html



If this information was of help to you, tell other spouses PCSing to Ft. Hood about it! I also ask that you visit www.facebook.com/AngelsProducts and LIKE the page!

Neither I, or Fort Hood Army Wives recommend or endorse any website listed, I have just been told they are helpful, and most I have used myself with great results. Remember, the city information above is just my opinion. I am an Army Spouse and want to help you avoid making a mistake that you will regret! If you have any questions, message me! -- Admin Ken from the Fort Hood Army Wives FB Page