How is the housing in Petaluma? Should I live on base or get a place off base? If off base, where?

I'm a BAH kind of guy but the housing is suitable there.

I walked to work for 5 years. It was a nice change.

the housing on base is not to bad, 300 series is nice and 700 by the lake is nice. 400 in the middle is old Army housing. If you dont mind the drive there is also Navato Housing about 30 min away. I lived on base for my tour there and loved it the gym, movie theater and mini mart are nice and the commute to work could not be beat.

The biggest issue with the housing at TRACEN is where TRACEN is... You're 8 miles from town so if you need something that you can't get at the Mini Mart or Exchange you've got to hoof it all the way in to town.

There's NOTHING between the base and town other than a deli of questionable quality... Like take-out or delivery? There's none to TRACEN. The only option is the club...

Personally I'm not a fan of Novato housing because of how far it is. It looks like a nice commuty though and I really like what's being down in the area there... It's just a little on the far side for me...

There's plenty for rent both apartments and homes in the area. It's hard to find a commute to TRACEN that will put you in any real traffic. I'd point you to my landlord as we're out on June 6 - however he's declared that he's going to sell the place once we leave...

One thing to note, housing is not full right now, and they must maintain 98% occupancy, so the housing office, by regs, is not giving a great deal of releases. With no release your BAH cannot start, so be sure to engage the housing office, as you may not have a decision to make.

Jon

Excellent point! Definetely talk to the Housing Office at TRACEN before considering any off-base options...

I lived in Santa Rosa when I was in Petaluma. No offense to anyone that lives on base, but I thought the housing neighborhoods on base looked kinda trashy. They look small and everyone stores their stuff on their front porch. I wouldn't even consider the base to be in Petaluma. It is a pretty good drive to get there from anywhere. Plus the summer months can get a bit smelly due to the fact that they spread manure (sp.) all over the fields to grow hay for local farmers. My suggestion is to live on the economy.

Not sure when you left - but the current CO has cleaned up housing quite a bit... No more stuff stored on your front porch and the like...