CDR Private RallyPoint Member 1006392 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Are you more likely to live somewhere you've lived before? How much does your spouse or other family influence the decision? Perhaps: "I'll go anywhere I can find a job"? 2015-09-30T15:40:33-04:00 CDR Private RallyPoint Member 1006392

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Are you more likely to live somewhere you've lived before? How much does your spouse or other family influence the decision? Perhaps: "I'll go anywhere I can find a job"?

2015-09-30T15:40:33-04:00 2015-09-30T15:40:33-04:00 SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL 1006400

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="760940" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/760940-132x-naval-flight-officer">CDR Private RallyPoint Member</a> I would say the economy, job and family.

2015-09-30T15:42:02-04:00 2015-09-30T15:42:02-04:00 MSG Private RallyPoint Member 1006469

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1) The wife<br /><br />2) The wife<br /><br />3) The wife

2015-09-30T15:58:25-04:00 2015-09-30T15:58:25-04:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 1006480

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><br />#1 - How well you prepared. If you prepare well over time, you can live almost anywhere you choose.<br />#2 - What environment you want to live in. Location, family, schools, mountains, beach, etc<br />#3 - What you want to be doing. Work, truly retired, in between

2015-09-30T16:01:41-04:00 2015-09-30T16:01:41-04:00 MAJ Raúl Rovira 1006531

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Before cI chose to stay in Anchorage I looked at several areas.<br /><br />(1) Employment Opportunities - Regardless if the economy is doing well or not so well, people are hired and fired all the time. I research the industries of interest to understand where the opportunities are. Then network my way in. Coffee, lunch, professional organizations, and volunteer work.<br /><br />(2) Professional Networking - The area outside a duty station is different from post to post. Some communities outside the base do not offer much, others are filled with networking opportunities like Anchorage. Networking helps get jobs through the hidden market.<br /><br />(3) Adaptability - Can the family and I adapt better where we are now or start from scratch somewhere else? If we move that means Professional Networking goes back to the start line as well as Industry Research. This can be a deal breaker if the family prefers to live somewhere else.<br /><br />If I could add a 4th point it is Quality of Life. Outdoor activities is part of the Alaskan way of living; summer, winter, rain or snow it does not matter we still go fishing and hunting with the families.<br /><br />Work to live or live to work.

2015-09-30T16:15:49-04:00 2015-09-30T16:15:49-04:00 LTC Stephen F. 1006540

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="760940" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/760940-132x-naval-flight-officer">CDR Private RallyPoint Member</a> I had trouble coming up with three so I am submitting my top four.<br />1) Cost of living including taxes on military retirement income<br />2) availability of employment in chosen field of work, <br />3) climate, environment, availability of leisure activities that we would enjoy - good restaurants where food is reasonably priced, sports venues, music venues, theaters, etc.<br />4) sufficient healthcare facilities

2015-09-30T16:18:42-04:00 2015-09-30T16:18:42-04:00 Col Joseph Lenertz 1006550

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1. Where the kids are<br />2. Where the wife wants. See #1.<br />3. Safe, pleasant location with a reasonable commute.

2015-09-30T16:22:15-04:00 2015-09-30T16:22:15-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 1006569

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Where most of your family is located

2015-09-30T16:26:06-04:00 2015-09-30T16:26:06-04:00 Sgt Tom Cunnally 1006613

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1). The Job Market in Southern California<br />2). The beautiful beaches and weather <br />3). Available housing

2015-09-30T16:40:47-04:00 2015-09-30T16:40:47-04:00 SPC(P) Jay Heenan 1006995

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I only have one factor regarding where I wound up after transitioning out of the military, it was my wife. I promised her that after spending forever moving about the world, once we where free to live where we wanted, it was up to her. See, she wants to restore a 100 plus year old house. So we just put in an offer on "the house", waiting to hear soon.

2015-09-30T18:59:48-04:00 2015-09-30T18:59:48-04:00 SSG Jesus Sijalbo 1007795

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Where I may get the best transition support and where I can recieved proper medical assistant and where I can be more emotional and mind at ease! My wife knows whats best for our transition.

2015-10-01T04:47:56-04:00 2015-10-01T04:47:56-04:00 GySgt Private RallyPoint Member 1008359

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Getting away from military towns, getting out of the south, and states that don't tax military retirement and have no property tax for Purple Heart recipients.

2015-10-01T11:22:05-04:00 2015-10-01T11:22:05-04:00 SrA David Steyer 1009635

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Family (my family is two hours away, wife's family is in town), spouses job (emotional investment) and too many reasons to pick a third and final one.

2015-10-01T20:13:54-04:00 2015-10-01T20:13:54-04:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 1011712

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I have a few more years before I'll drop my retirement packet - but when I do, my transition will be based on job offer (pay vs local cost of living), Veteran friendliness (state tax on retirement? etc...), and family (proximity to my daughter and if i'm in a relationship at the time - where would she like to be).

2015-10-02T14:42:42-04:00 2015-10-02T14:42:42-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 1011731

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Gun laws, household 6, lil ones

2015-10-02T14:51:30-04:00 2015-10-02T14:51:30-04:00 PO3 Private RallyPoint Member 1011848

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>When I got out of the Navy, after travelling around the world (literally) and being stationed in Connecticut, I could have gone anywhere for work, but I came back home to Texas. There were a few reasons I chose Texas: there were education benefits for Veterans from the state (Texas has the Hazelwood Act which covers you once you've exhausted GI Bill) and I knew I needed college to get ahead, I'm not overly fond of snow (though lately I'm finding myself less and less fond of heat and droughts), and finally, it's where I was born and where all my family are buried, so it's home.

2015-10-02T15:23:07-04:00 2015-10-02T15:23:07-04:00 SGT Patrick Reno 1011865

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I could not wait to come back to North Idaho, it was not just because of family and friends. If you love the outdoors it is great. Idaho is over 2/3 public land. And we don't mind if you come and visit, just don't stay.

2015-10-02T15:29:54-04:00 2015-10-02T15:29:54-04:00 SGT Michael Glenn 1012239

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>What influenced me 1st and foremost was being married to A German National.

2015-10-02T18:08:22-04:00 2015-10-02T18:08:22-04:00 SSG Broderick Sample 1012455

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Could I find a job that would pay competitively taking into account the local cost of living.

2015-10-02T19:50:31-04:00 2015-10-02T19:50:31-04:00 LTC Kevin B. 1013340

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1. Availability of healthcare<br />2. Geography<br />3. Job

2015-10-03T10:48:56-04:00 2015-10-03T10:48:56-04:00 MAJ Ken Landgren 1013717

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>How broke you are.

2015-10-03T14:05:53-04:00 2015-10-03T14:05:53-04:00 SCPO Charles Thomas "Tom" Canterbury 1221166

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>My family is a blended family, and my adult (step) daughter lives near the base I retired from. The job market down there doesn't pay as well as what we had hoped and the hospital system is very small there. Jobs outside the base gate didn't pay very much at all - and we wanted better. We chose a location that wasn't very far from there but it was other factors as well that led us to Roanoke. One was considering all the relatives, second was jobs. The cool thing about Roanoke is that it had both city and country attributes. It has a very low cost of living as well. We have twice the house size we had on base for less than 80% of what we paid for the privatized housing. Eventually we are going to buy. There are so many good options here for housing that it is a sure buyers market.<br /><br />There are a lot of cultural venues here that will keep us near the things we love, such as theater, live music, and other cultural venues that we couldn't find at my last duty station.<br /><br />The other thing that led me here was the lack of a military infrastructure. I want to prove myself in the civilian workforce like I did within the military. We came out here and explored and made the executive decision that this was the best place. We explored quite a few other areas both closer and farther away. There was something refreshing about this area and it keeps getting better.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, there are perks to staying near the base after retirement. I speak no ill of those who do. But in the end we have to follow our own paths, and I like to "Find a way or make one." That's my American Dream. I hope that others are doing the same and living out their dream.

2016-01-07T14:43:28-05:00 2016-01-07T14:43:28-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 1678127

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Wife <br />Kids<br />Location

2016-06-30T15:30:02-04:00 2016-06-30T15:30:02-04:00 2015-09-30T15:40:33-04:00