I don't live on base, but I'm there every week or so shopping or the hospital. I live in Crestview, which is a very popular city/town for base personnel. The housing has boomed up here faster than they can keep up with the infrastructure, so there are a lot of traffic jams. Still, housing is pretty and new up here. If you buy a house in Niceville, Fort Walton Beach or Shalimar - you'll get an old home for the same price you can buy a new home up here. If you come, buy a house south of I-10. It's about a 30 minute drive from base. The base housing is nasty and old. They haven't changed it in years and it's ugly to look at. The inside is what you'd expect - small rooms, no storage. The base commissary is awesome and huge, the BX is too spread out for me. They have two stores - one is Home and Garden and the other clothing, kitchen, pets, ect. I get confused on which one to go in for what I need. It's also hit or miss if they'll have what you need. The base won hundreds of bonus points for me with their huge, well-cared for wooden fortress playground and water park. There's a large covered pavilion that connects the two play zones. They also have decent bathroom facilities there as well. I came from Seymour Johnson and they would build a park and leave it for weeds and fire ants to take over. Not the case here. It is closed once a month for cleaning and maintenance - I was quite impressed. As far as the surrounding areas, there is a phenominal city park in Niceville that also has a water park. They have staff on duty to keep children from running and bullying. I've seen them escort families out for not abiding by the rules. It's a safe, FREE, fun place to go. Destin is filled with sugary-white sanded beaches, a fun water park, go-cart racing, clubs, fancy restuarants and outlet malls for shopping. I love it here. The weather is hot, but aside f
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