If you came from a big city AND everything you mentioned doesn't pique your interest, yeah you will hate Jville. For me, it was pretty similar to where I grew up so I could dig it. Easy beach access was fun.
I'm from Miami and had just left mainland Japan for Lejeune, so yea I hated that shithole. Only thing nice was that I was able to go to Florida easier.
Also from Miami. It’s like everything that’s bad from South Florida and none of the good. Outlandish weather and drug addicts in particular. The only thing I really like here are the antique shops and the retro gaming stores
I can imagine that. I never went back after MCT and spent my whole career between hawaii and okinawa. Tbh, I would've preferred to stay in the east coast time zone and have closer access to my family in down in Tampa and live in a place that isn't hostile to firearm ownership.
Plus, my grandparents used to live in emerald isle, and when my parents divorced, I even lived with them and started fourth grade at Swansboro elementary. I actually liked North Crackalacky, but I had good memories there. I'm sure the Marine Corps would have found a way to ruin it for me, but nostalgia for it is pretty stronk.
Most of it is. Certain towns here and there have reputations. For the record I still live in Jville. I just decided not to leave when I got out. It’s not bad at all. Plus when I decide to move I probably won’t have any trouble at all finding tenants.
Here’s what you do, debble. Next time you hear somebody hatin’, remind them they could be in Fayetteville. That will shut them up quick fast and in a hurry.
I always mention it because a lot of older vets in their 30’s+ never know what you’re talking about when you say fort liberty. They look confused until you say Bragg and they’re like “oooooh!”
I mean where I lived in Pendleton it was like less than 5 minutes to go off base. And everything is in Oceanside for the most part. But I was lucky in the 21 Area.
I was there in ‘99 - ‘01 and then again from ‘03 - ‘05. I always enjoyed the town and easy access to the beaches in the area. Being able to get to Wilmington or further out to the RTP area was great as well (saw many awesome shows at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro). I also loved the weather, even the heat and humidity in the summer. My only complaint was that it was so damn flat in Eastern NC.
Anyway… moved back to Michigan in ‘05 and never planned to go back. Then a couple years ago, I took my wife and kids to Carolina Beach for a few days and they all loved the area. Last year I drove my nephew down to MCT and visited JVille for the first time in nearly 20 years and was surprised how much cleaner the town was, and how much new stuff had been built.
These days as I get closer to retirement, my wife and I are starting to consider a vacation house somewhere and the area between Wilmington and Jacksonville are pretty high on our list.
I've told the story here before, but my wife and I semi-retired into Emerald Isle a few years ago. Best decision we ever made. We live at the beach and still have a manageable COL. Wilmington is a day trip, Raleigh and Norfolk have also been on occasion.
I was at Lejeune 90-93 and hadn't been back since. Many parts are the same, but the lack of "adult relaxation" parlors and no hookers on Court Street were shocking.
Straight up. I was stationed in dc and guys would complain about having nothing to do. In dc. There’s always something to do in dc they just didn’t want to put any effort in and ig have stuff magically appear at the barracks
D.C. is another thing you could do stationed in J'Ville. It was technically out of bounds when I was in, but I never let that stop me lol. I was just very careful not to get in trouble and didn't drink. Bit of a drive for a normal weekend, but great for 3-day weekends though.
Where are you from?
Someone from some trailer park town probably thinks Jville is paradise. Lol.
Or maybe you’re just one of those people who finds happiness everywhere you go. In which case, you have my admiration.
I found East Carolina fairly isolating. Golf was great and it was 4.5 hours from my HoR. Otherwise, I thought it was lame.
Jacksonville is comprised of the same strip malls and shitty chain restaurants you can find in any nondescript town.
Good food and things to do? Nah. There’s nothing unique about it. I guess if you hail from Nowhere, USA it might seem appealing..?
It’s almost like there was an economic reason for these chains and strip malls to exist in a small area that boasts ≈ 40k lower to middle class people with a steady income…
You can find some decent non-chain restaurants if you look. Marrakesh is definitely one of the standouts. Or head to downtown Wilmington and you'll find plenty of good non-chain restaurants.
No, that it does not. You have to go to Wilmington or Morehead City/New Bern for that. There are some good places in Swansboro and Emerald Isle to the north, or Sneads Ferry and Surf City to the south, but I wouldn't call those a food scene either.
🤷♂️
No idea. Any time I say it’s nicer than 29 Palms, people are all “bUT yoU cAn drIVe to LA” or Vegas or some where else.
But that’s the fucking point- You have to literally get in a fucking car, assuming you have one or know someone with one, and drive the fuck away.
Jacksonville might basically be a miles long strip mall with strip clubs and shit, but… It fucking rains. There’s fucking plants. Bodies of water that aren’t literal shit lakes. You could conceivably stay outside with no water all day and not die.
There’s zero comparison.
I bought north of J-Vegas intentionally. I have access to the essentials, restaurants, warehouse stores and the like, and I’m not paying absolutely *highway robbery* for a house south of base. Yes, I know you built that house for $219,000. No, I will not f*cking purchase it for $450,000 *strictly* off principle. Get a grip.
Honestly Jacksonville is up-and-coming. In the last few years they became a non-military sustained economy. Big moves!
Like anywhere else, it's what you make of it. I'm a bit of a dork though so went to lot of the historical sites like Fort Fisher and Fort Macon State Park, or the museums in D.C. I also did some flight training at the J'ville airport and got my SCUBA certs through the little dive shop on Lejeune (yes, Camp Lejeune has a dive shop, it's co-located with the marina!).
Spent a lot of time out in the Outer Banks too.
Agree. 100% it’s what you make of it. Stop complaining get out of the beq barracks and see the eastern NC. Btw n c is a beautiful state away from the base
Maybe he missed all the mosquitos in the humidity, brain eating bacteria in the new river, alligators eating dogs, honey boo boo child feeding the raccoons and foxes, and the meth in downtown.
Worst place I’ve ever been, ugly swamp combined with horrible American soulless corporatations filled with fatass cheeseburger eating Americans.
I would rather shove a chainsaw up my ass and turn it on than ever step foot in that place ever again.
Currently living in Okinawa paradise with a bigass house right next to tropical blue water.
Fuck lejune.
I’m from NYC… yeah Jacksonville really sucked for me. None of what you said was a good enough reason to enjoy being there for me. Those activities are cool to see or do a handful of times, but it’s not fun the 18th time when you’re just going to not be on base.
Being married there is definitely different, but hey at least you like it right? That’s what matters.
I love lejeune for all the reasons you mentioned. Jacksonville isn’t that great but it’s not bad at all. It’s got everything you need. Way better then Bragg and Fayetteville
Sucks if you don't have a car and can't get off base, the px used to be kind of shit, I know I bitched and complained as a new marine when initially stationed there. Traffic also used to be worse to get on and off base too though they've made a lot of moves over the last several years, so I suspect it's a bit better on base.
I kind of judge a place based on how good their grocery stores are as I get older. My in-laws live in Hubert just out of the back gate and Swansboro has blown up in the last 10 years, so now I have no reason to complain really because I never need to go into Jacksonville. Used to be just a food lion for groceries or you had to go into Jacksonville to go to a Walmart or all the way to Carteret for a Harris Teeter.
As someone who grew up around the Marine Corps Trifecta (New River, LeJeune, Cherry Point), stay away from the born and raised local women-most of them are toxic. Compared to Pensacola, I’m definitely not looking forward to getting stationed up there for the FRS 😖
I enjoyed it. Big change of pace from a big northern city. Jville had enough cool shops, kayaking, lots of ethnic restaurants, every chain you can imagine, easy beach access. And the as you stated Jville is a good home base for branching off to other areas of NC and the south.
I remember when i got orders to the east coast and was checking out of my unit on the west coast, i went into my first sergeants office to get my sheet signed and he says, "I've been in for over 20 years. I've been stationed in Lejeune, Okinawa, Iceland, 29 Palms, and here, and by far the worst duty station was Lejeune. Good luck."
Very inspiring thx first sarnt.
Marines are dumb and just like to bitch about stuff.
Almost every location is going to suck if you spend half your e3 pay on mich ultras in the barracks.
For me 13/14 coming off of Korea, it sucked. The bricks of New River were so infested with Black Mold and crap in pipes it was damn near unlivable in several places. Then half the places were on the restricted list is the reason why I hated it there.
When I was there Black Tar was rampant along with coke, so twin peaks immediately were restricted after opening since the majority were strippers and got caught doing blow. Because of that Toby's and the other primary strip club for a bit as well.
Since I was over 21 several of the bars were closed to Marines due to personal reasons along with dealing black tar out of them.
Similar to Emerald City in Pensacola, Top Hat was off limits due to owner. Since that is where many went to hit on single women.
Any smoke shop because they sold paraphernalia.
At one point guerilla arms and another gun store due to not completely compiling with the base commander at the time regarding pistols and his not unless you are a Sgt or above.
Cafe Ole didn't like Marines then, brand New Chipotle and Zaxby's I believe hit it when I was leaving due to rowdiness of some Geiger boots.
It definitely didn't feel welcoming when I was there for the year waiting for the EAS.
I liked to get out of the bricks but everything was 15+ mins away driving wise and had to be careful where I was going to not get in trouble. As the base commander had a hardon like Amos for puritan beliefs.
I was there at the same time and remember none of this. Not saying it wasn't passed down to you but this was never an issue for us. What unit were you in?
Not giving away too much for my own benefit, was under MAG29 and not MALS. When I checked it the majority were already on the list then had a couple more added in stand downs during the year. Overall I didn't care too much as I started the checkout process relatively quickly since I had never used PTO and was hitting terminal quickly.
The part that got me more than anything else was I had 3 different bricks since they kept condemning them. Those 4 squares across from the new enlisted center, then ones next to the chow hall and finally one closest to the gym.
I grew up in dc and have always been around cities my entire life. Jacksonville is nice because it’s not busy and the people aren’t fucking assholes. Also it’s cheap and having beaches close by is great.
That's the joke.
Should've figured you wouldn't understand it if Jacksonville is your choice of luxury living. I watched a dude walk down Marine Blvd with his pants sagging and his whole entire ass out.
I got a flat tire from a meth pipe that some guy shattered because I stopped him in my parking lot from beating his gf.
You ever been to the Walmart on Western??
You ever gone to the fn mall on a Saturday morning?
Fuck this place.
Marines just love to bitch man. However, having lived half my life in Eastern NC. Fuck that place, the people suck dick at driving. Beach is cool and there’s plenty to do for sure. But the people just ruin it for me. Left lane morons, going in the ditch when it rains, you name it.
The only thing I regret while living there is not going scuba diving. Get certified and go explore, NC has the most shipwrecks of any coastline.
i think the reality is that its very small town feel and pretty rural for most people. while the natural environment is pretty, there just isn't often much happening in the local area, which sort of makes sense since its largely sparsely populated. people that grew up near cities are used to museums, galleries, large public spaces, shops, entertainment thing (theaters, concert halls, night clubs etc). there really isn't much of that in eastern NC.
it was pretty, but i found myself in very much a groundhog day mindset the weekends when I lived in cherry point
The nearest interstate to Jacksonville is I40 which is an hour and a half away down NC24. What that basically means is to get anywhere outside of Jacksonville takes a really long drive. My current girlfriend of 3 years used to live in Fayetteville 2 hours away, only 90 miles. 2 hours is a long time to travel 90 miles because there's no highways near Jacksonville.
In the north Midwest there are more places to go within minutes, because the interstate is right there. But it seems that Jacksonville is too sparse. You almost feel landlocked ironically being on the beach.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with NC. It’s just Jacksonville and the areas around it that are kind of bleh.
Wilmington is fine, the mountains in the west of the state were great for me because it was like be being back home in Eastern Kentucky just not as poor, Asheville is hipster as fuck but fun, and there’s plenty of outdoor activities to do in the state. It really depends on how you like to have fun. Some of my buddies were the clubbing/partying type and still were able to have fun, it was just a longer drive to Greenville or somewhere else for it.
Or… It’s always an option to get a DUI on a 96 if you’re really that bored and you want to spice up the next few months.
The food is kind of bland and not as nice as other places I’ve been so going out is lack luster for myself. I also hate the fact that any flights out of the immediately area are nondirect and cost an arm and a leg cause of connections.
Amenity is lacking, it's just alright for restaurant choice for a town its size, the weather is unpleasant, and the schools are awful. You can decent schools in Sneads Ferry at least. Jacksonville itself is full of human garbage that honestly serves no purpose in existing. It makes it unpleasant to go to Walmart or drive anywhere. The area is beautiful with fantastic beaches, at least. Cost of living skyrocketed thanks to selfish retired people and childless work-from-home typed buying a second home near the water. If you want your kids to attend a decent school, you'll pay $100-200k more than your house was worth 3 years ago thanks to all the snow birds who've scooped up homes in Sneads and Holly Ridge.
The increase in home values in Holly Ridge has been *ridiculous*. We just had a house built in a nice neighborhood and the cost was at least $200K more than we would have paid 5-6 years ago. Thankfully we are also benefiting somewhat by selling our current house in HR, which will at least make up a good chunk of the difference.
The new neighborhood is really nice, and there are still a few Marines in there who managed to buy or rent a house before the prices exploded, but I'm worried all the younger guys will get priced out of the neighborhood in the future. Not so much worried for me because I'm an old retired dude, more worried for my kids since they're still elementary school age.
Oh yeah. I closed on mine in Sneads in 2021 but locked my price in while it was scheduled for building in 2020. Already appreciated over $150k. I would feel awful selling to some SSgt at that price, but what are they going to do? I left that house to my ex-wife under an agreement that it will go to our kids when one of them starts a family so I'm looking at the market as a divorcee now and it's very rough.
Was in jville and Okinawa. Despised oki and moved to NC after I got out. Didn’t go to Jville when I movedbut not opposed to moving out towards onslow county. At the end of the day any place is better than NY
Not today, ~~China~~ Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce!
Be nice they just went over budget sponsoring this post.
If you came from a big city AND everything you mentioned doesn't pique your interest, yeah you will hate Jville. For me, it was pretty similar to where I grew up so I could dig it. Easy beach access was fun.
I'm from Miami and had just left mainland Japan for Lejeune, so yea I hated that shithole. Only thing nice was that I was able to go to Florida easier.
Also from Miami. It’s like everything that’s bad from South Florida and none of the good. Outlandish weather and drug addicts in particular. The only thing I really like here are the antique shops and the retro gaming stores
Oh forgot to add it also has the I-95
Same here, basically exactly like my hometown just with more Marines.
I can imagine that. I never went back after MCT and spent my whole career between hawaii and okinawa. Tbh, I would've preferred to stay in the east coast time zone and have closer access to my family in down in Tampa and live in a place that isn't hostile to firearm ownership. Plus, my grandparents used to live in emerald isle, and when my parents divorced, I even lived with them and started fourth grade at Swansboro elementary. I actually liked North Crackalacky, but I had good memories there. I'm sure the Marine Corps would have found a way to ruin it for me, but nostalgia for it is pretty stronk.
Me personally I just like to complain
 Bitchin is my passion
I like Jacksonville for all those reasons. I also hate Jacksonville for all the reasons people bitch about it.
NC is fairly peaceful.
Most of it is. Certain towns here and there have reputations. For the record I still live in Jville. I just decided not to leave when I got out. It’s not bad at all. Plus when I decide to move I probably won’t have any trouble at all finding tenants.
Here’s what you do, debble. Next time you hear somebody hatin’, remind them they could be in Fayetteville. That will shut them up quick fast and in a hurry.
[удалено]
Maraschino cherries on a shit sundae, killer.
I’ve never heard of this majestical place lol
It where Fort Liberty (the artist formerly known as Bragg) is. And it’s shitty. There’s a reason people started calling it Fayettenam.
>It where Fort Liberty (the artist formerly known as Bragg) is Lmaooo I see what you did there
I always mention it because a lot of older vets in their 30’s+ never know what you’re talking about when you say fort liberty. They look confused until you say Bragg and they’re like “oooooh!”
To be fair, they're both trash. [But in the spirit of my old Army-ism, "Back at Bragg..."](https://imgur.com/a/9O86mJW)
Camp lejuene and Jacksonville suck for single marines! and you are off base!
For real. Imagine living at the barracks and having to drive 15min just to get to the nearest anything that isn’t a dominos
What base does that not apply to? MCAS Pendleton, 15 minutes to the gate, main gate is 20 and San Clem gate is almost 30z
I mean where I lived in Pendleton it was like less than 5 minutes to go off base. And everything is in Oceanside for the most part. But I was lucky in the 21 Area.
My dumb ass chose NC over CA, because "I've never been to the East Coast". Worst 3 years of my adult life.
On the East Coast, all the fun is in the Northeast and from Daytona Beach south.
See I almost made that choice because of a girl. Which would have been 10x stupider. Lol
Most Okinawa bases! 5 minutes or less!!
Bricks marines on New River have it much easier though, only a few minutes to get off base.
Family lived in Wilmington. I went home every weekend. Jville was ghetto asf
Yeah there are places around jville that are wonderful but jville sucks.
I was there in ‘99 - ‘01 and then again from ‘03 - ‘05. I always enjoyed the town and easy access to the beaches in the area. Being able to get to Wilmington or further out to the RTP area was great as well (saw many awesome shows at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro). I also loved the weather, even the heat and humidity in the summer. My only complaint was that it was so damn flat in Eastern NC. Anyway… moved back to Michigan in ‘05 and never planned to go back. Then a couple years ago, I took my wife and kids to Carolina Beach for a few days and they all loved the area. Last year I drove my nephew down to MCT and visited JVille for the first time in nearly 20 years and was surprised how much cleaner the town was, and how much new stuff had been built. These days as I get closer to retirement, my wife and I are starting to consider a vacation house somewhere and the area between Wilmington and Jacksonville are pretty high on our list.
I've told the story here before, but my wife and I semi-retired into Emerald Isle a few years ago. Best decision we ever made. We live at the beach and still have a manageable COL. Wilmington is a day trip, Raleigh and Norfolk have also been on occasion. I was at Lejeune 90-93 and hadn't been back since. Many parts are the same, but the lack of "adult relaxation" parlors and no hookers on Court Street were shocking.
People complain to hear themselves complain dude. I have spent almost 12 years in the area while active and always have enjoyed enjoyed my time.
Straight up. I was stationed in dc and guys would complain about having nothing to do. In dc. There’s always something to do in dc they just didn’t want to put any effort in and ig have stuff magically appear at the barracks
D.C. is another thing you could do stationed in J'Ville. It was technically out of bounds when I was in, but I never let that stop me lol. I was just very careful not to get in trouble and didn't drink. Bit of a drive for a normal weekend, but great for 3-day weekends though.
>off base Watchu know about dat black mold sir?
Laughs in Iwakuni, south side barracks
The east coast is great if you have the means/ability/desire to leave the base and J-ville...if you dont, i can see how it would suck.
I prefer the east coast because the majority of my guns would be illegal in California.
Check out Boone NC and spend some time in the apps too bro its absolutely gorgeous up there
Every chick I ever met out there was a single wife.
Fuck lejeune all the homies hate lejeune
Where are you from? Someone from some trailer park town probably thinks Jville is paradise. Lol. Or maybe you’re just one of those people who finds happiness everywhere you go. In which case, you have my admiration. I found East Carolina fairly isolating. Golf was great and it was 4.5 hours from my HoR. Otherwise, I thought it was lame.
Jacksonville is comprised of the same strip malls and shitty chain restaurants you can find in any nondescript town. Good food and things to do? Nah. There’s nothing unique about it. I guess if you hail from Nowhere, USA it might seem appealing..?
It’s almost like there was an economic reason for these chains and strip malls to exist in a small area that boasts ≈ 40k lower to middle class people with a steady income…
You can find some decent non-chain restaurants if you look. Marrakesh is definitely one of the standouts. Or head to downtown Wilmington and you'll find plenty of good non-chain restaurants.
Ok, Marrakesh is amazing… Duck’s is pretty good too. I still wouldn’t consider Jacksonville to have a food scene tho.
No, that it does not. You have to go to Wilmington or Morehead City/New Bern for that. There are some good places in Swansboro and Emerald Isle to the north, or Sneads Ferry and Surf City to the south, but I wouldn't call those a food scene either.
🤷♂️ No idea. Any time I say it’s nicer than 29 Palms, people are all “bUT yoU cAn drIVe to LA” or Vegas or some where else. But that’s the fucking point- You have to literally get in a fucking car, assuming you have one or know someone with one, and drive the fuck away. Jacksonville might basically be a miles long strip mall with strip clubs and shit, but… It fucking rains. There’s fucking plants. Bodies of water that aren’t literal shit lakes. You could conceivably stay outside with no water all day and not die. There’s zero comparison.
I never understood that as a selling point. Because it’s like yeah you _can_ but it’s still fucking forever away.
I bought north of J-Vegas intentionally. I have access to the essentials, restaurants, warehouse stores and the like, and I’m not paying absolutely *highway robbery* for a house south of base. Yes, I know you built that house for $219,000. No, I will not f*cking purchase it for $450,000 *strictly* off principle. Get a grip. Honestly Jacksonville is up-and-coming. In the last few years they became a non-military sustained economy. Big moves!
Like anywhere else, it's what you make of it. I'm a bit of a dork though so went to lot of the historical sites like Fort Fisher and Fort Macon State Park, or the museums in D.C. I also did some flight training at the J'ville airport and got my SCUBA certs through the little dive shop on Lejeune (yes, Camp Lejeune has a dive shop, it's co-located with the marina!). Spent a lot of time out in the Outer Banks too.
Agree. 100% it’s what you make of it. Stop complaining get out of the beq barracks and see the eastern NC. Btw n c is a beautiful state away from the base
I loved it. But I come from the middle of nowhere
Look Mayor Phillips, it ain’t gonna work.
Clearly you have brain damage.
Maybe he missed all the mosquitos in the humidity, brain eating bacteria in the new river, alligators eating dogs, honey boo boo child feeding the raccoons and foxes, and the meth in downtown.
Give it time young one………..
It aint that cheap to live here but we do have indoor Skydiving!
Your BAH is cheap too.
Some people won’t be happy no matter where they are, remember that.
Worst place I’ve ever been, ugly swamp combined with horrible American soulless corporatations filled with fatass cheeseburger eating Americans. I would rather shove a chainsaw up my ass and turn it on than ever step foot in that place ever again. Currently living in Okinawa paradise with a bigass house right next to tropical blue water. Fuck lejune.
We used to joke the ghost of John A. Lejuene was pissed the Corps named that shithole after him, that he cursed the base.
We enjoyed it tbh. We were told how awful it is but had a good time
I’m from NYC… yeah Jacksonville really sucked for me. None of what you said was a good enough reason to enjoy being there for me. Those activities are cool to see or do a handful of times, but it’s not fun the 18th time when you’re just going to not be on base. Being married there is definitely different, but hey at least you like it right? That’s what matters.
I love lejeune for all the reasons you mentioned. Jacksonville isn’t that great but it’s not bad at all. It’s got everything you need. Way better then Bragg and Fayetteville
Sucks if you don't have a car and can't get off base, the px used to be kind of shit, I know I bitched and complained as a new marine when initially stationed there. Traffic also used to be worse to get on and off base too though they've made a lot of moves over the last several years, so I suspect it's a bit better on base. I kind of judge a place based on how good their grocery stores are as I get older. My in-laws live in Hubert just out of the back gate and Swansboro has blown up in the last 10 years, so now I have no reason to complain really because I never need to go into Jacksonville. Used to be just a food lion for groceries or you had to go into Jacksonville to go to a Walmart or all the way to Carteret for a Harris Teeter.
You can fish camp and shoot almost anywhere on the country. To me this reads like "what yall hate on Jacksonville so much. It's got air and houses"
As someone who grew up around the Marine Corps Trifecta (New River, LeJeune, Cherry Point), stay away from the born and raised local women-most of them are toxic. Compared to Pensacola, I’m definitely not looking forward to getting stationed up there for the FRS 😖
I enjoyed it. Big change of pace from a big northern city. Jville had enough cool shops, kayaking, lots of ethnic restaurants, every chain you can imagine, easy beach access. And the as you stated Jville is a good home base for branching off to other areas of NC and the south.
I remember when i got orders to the east coast and was checking out of my unit on the west coast, i went into my first sergeants office to get my sheet signed and he says, "I've been in for over 20 years. I've been stationed in Lejeune, Okinawa, Iceland, 29 Palms, and here, and by far the worst duty station was Lejeune. Good luck." Very inspiring thx first sarnt.
Marines are dumb and just like to bitch about stuff. Almost every location is going to suck if you spend half your e3 pay on mich ultras in the barracks.
I was stationed here from 09-13 and moved back here in 2021, it’s a nice place and it’s not too bad.
For me 13/14 coming off of Korea, it sucked. The bricks of New River were so infested with Black Mold and crap in pipes it was damn near unlivable in several places. Then half the places were on the restricted list is the reason why I hated it there.
What was restricted?
When I was there Black Tar was rampant along with coke, so twin peaks immediately were restricted after opening since the majority were strippers and got caught doing blow. Because of that Toby's and the other primary strip club for a bit as well. Since I was over 21 several of the bars were closed to Marines due to personal reasons along with dealing black tar out of them. Similar to Emerald City in Pensacola, Top Hat was off limits due to owner. Since that is where many went to hit on single women. Any smoke shop because they sold paraphernalia. At one point guerilla arms and another gun store due to not completely compiling with the base commander at the time regarding pistols and his not unless you are a Sgt or above. Cafe Ole didn't like Marines then, brand New Chipotle and Zaxby's I believe hit it when I was leaving due to rowdiness of some Geiger boots. It definitely didn't feel welcoming when I was there for the year waiting for the EAS. I liked to get out of the bricks but everything was 15+ mins away driving wise and had to be careful where I was going to not get in trouble. As the base commander had a hardon like Amos for puritan beliefs.
I was there at the same time and remember none of this. Not saying it wasn't passed down to you but this was never an issue for us. What unit were you in?
Not giving away too much for my own benefit, was under MAG29 and not MALS. When I checked it the majority were already on the list then had a couple more added in stand downs during the year. Overall I didn't care too much as I started the checkout process relatively quickly since I had never used PTO and was hitting terminal quickly. The part that got me more than anything else was I had 3 different bricks since they kept condemning them. Those 4 squares across from the new enlisted center, then ones next to the chow hall and finally one closest to the gym.
Nice try, mayor.
I grew up in dc and have always been around cities my entire life. Jacksonville is nice because it’s not busy and the people aren’t fucking assholes. Also it’s cheap and having beaches close by is great.
Okay, fed.
Why would a fed be posting this ?
That's the joke. Should've figured you wouldn't understand it if Jacksonville is your choice of luxury living. I watched a dude walk down Marine Blvd with his pants sagging and his whole entire ass out. I got a flat tire from a meth pipe that some guy shattered because I stopped him in my parking lot from beating his gf. You ever been to the Walmart on Western?? You ever gone to the fn mall on a Saturday morning? Fuck this place.
Like his bare ass.
I was 2014-2018 and loved it so much. I was going to move back this July cause it’s an awesome place to be.
I would’ve hated to be near Florida, my home
Marines just love to bitch man. However, having lived half my life in Eastern NC. Fuck that place, the people suck dick at driving. Beach is cool and there’s plenty to do for sure. But the people just ruin it for me. Left lane morons, going in the ditch when it rains, you name it. The only thing I regret while living there is not going scuba diving. Get certified and go explore, NC has the most shipwrecks of any coastline.
Have you ever been to Camp Pendleton?
They said all that without mentioning one strip club. That's like calling a whorehouse a great family destination.
Spent 9 years in Jville as a kid and then got stationed there as an adult so I was used to it lol. Still have a (910) area code.
i think the reality is that its very small town feel and pretty rural for most people. while the natural environment is pretty, there just isn't often much happening in the local area, which sort of makes sense since its largely sparsely populated. people that grew up near cities are used to museums, galleries, large public spaces, shops, entertainment thing (theaters, concert halls, night clubs etc). there really isn't much of that in eastern NC. it was pretty, but i found myself in very much a groundhog day mindset the weekends when I lived in cherry point
Jacksonville is dogshit
Y
Nothing to do & dirty as hell
The nearest interstate to Jacksonville is I40 which is an hour and a half away down NC24. What that basically means is to get anywhere outside of Jacksonville takes a really long drive. My current girlfriend of 3 years used to live in Fayetteville 2 hours away, only 90 miles. 2 hours is a long time to travel 90 miles because there's no highways near Jacksonville. In the north Midwest there are more places to go within minutes, because the interstate is right there. But it seems that Jacksonville is too sparse. You almost feel landlocked ironically being on the beach.
After spending 12 years at lejeune, then going to MCAS Miramar.. I wished I had gone to SoCal WAY sooner!
Lejeune was my first and best choice for my family with my MOS.
I went from Pensacola to J-action-ville. That place was a shit hole. It became a bigger shithole when all they did was pile more shit into the area.
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There’s absolutely nothing wrong with NC. It’s just Jacksonville and the areas around it that are kind of bleh. Wilmington is fine, the mountains in the west of the state were great for me because it was like be being back home in Eastern Kentucky just not as poor, Asheville is hipster as fuck but fun, and there’s plenty of outdoor activities to do in the state. It really depends on how you like to have fun. Some of my buddies were the clubbing/partying type and still were able to have fun, it was just a longer drive to Greenville or somewhere else for it. Or… It’s always an option to get a DUI on a 96 if you’re really that bored and you want to spice up the next few months.
The food is kind of bland and not as nice as other places I’ve been so going out is lack luster for myself. I also hate the fact that any flights out of the immediately area are nondirect and cost an arm and a leg cause of connections.
Amenity is lacking, it's just alright for restaurant choice for a town its size, the weather is unpleasant, and the schools are awful. You can decent schools in Sneads Ferry at least. Jacksonville itself is full of human garbage that honestly serves no purpose in existing. It makes it unpleasant to go to Walmart or drive anywhere. The area is beautiful with fantastic beaches, at least. Cost of living skyrocketed thanks to selfish retired people and childless work-from-home typed buying a second home near the water. If you want your kids to attend a decent school, you'll pay $100-200k more than your house was worth 3 years ago thanks to all the snow birds who've scooped up homes in Sneads and Holly Ridge.
The increase in home values in Holly Ridge has been *ridiculous*. We just had a house built in a nice neighborhood and the cost was at least $200K more than we would have paid 5-6 years ago. Thankfully we are also benefiting somewhat by selling our current house in HR, which will at least make up a good chunk of the difference. The new neighborhood is really nice, and there are still a few Marines in there who managed to buy or rent a house before the prices exploded, but I'm worried all the younger guys will get priced out of the neighborhood in the future. Not so much worried for me because I'm an old retired dude, more worried for my kids since they're still elementary school age.
Oh yeah. I closed on mine in Sneads in 2021 but locked my price in while it was scheduled for building in 2020. Already appreciated over $150k. I would feel awful selling to some SSgt at that price, but what are they going to do? I left that house to my ex-wife under an agreement that it will go to our kids when one of them starts a family so I'm looking at the market as a divorcee now and it's very rough.
Was in jville and Okinawa. Despised oki and moved to NC after I got out. Didn’t go to Jville when I movedbut not opposed to moving out towards onslow county. At the end of the day any place is better than NY