Moving to Stuttgart Area

Hi K.,
I have been living here in Stuttgart for just over a year. The wheather here is just odd, to say the least. Last spring the temperatures where in the 70 and 80's. By summer we didn't get into the 70's more then 10 times with a lots of rain. It snowed in October but not again until this March. I've been told this is not normal. Kelly is small but housing is all new. The commissary is nicer then Panzer but the main one is on Patch. The community in general is very nice. The OPTEMPO and PT all depends on the company you are with. There is a lot of high ranking officers and rules are stricter then in the states. There is a lot of child friendly activities and an awesome zoo. Anything else I can help you with let me know.
Ashlee

Hey K.
Stuttgart is great for families; there is a lot of support and there are many fun things to do. We lived here 12 years ago when my husband was on active duty; we just came back last summer as contractors. (He is still a reservist) I strongly, strongly recommend you consider living on Kelley, especially if you're going to work there (AFRICOM?) Patch is crowded, there is no place to park, the school is over-crowded, etc etc. The apartments on Kelley are all brand new, completely renovated and very very nice. It's a great location because you are near woods and a farm, bike trails, etc. There is a very cute little commissary that you can walk to; they are expanding their hours because of the influx of people coming in. The CDC is nice an small and not over-crowded (you will have a waiting list for after care on Patch; however they can bus your daughter to Kelley and then she'll be close to home or can go right home if you're mom will be there) There is a shoppette, a brand new gym, a dog park and gas station. Besides there is not much left on Patch except a food court, the big commissary, and the shoppette (there is a shoppette on Kelley) everything else (PX, etc) is out at Panzer. Panzer would be another consideration as far as living, but I would think long and hard about living on Patch. You may have a long wait to get anything available and like I said, we loved living on Kelley. We live on the "economy" now, enjoy that but I think you might like the ease of the post better? I don't know what OPTEMPO means so I can't answer that. I don't know about PT I think it's up to each individual unit.

Hope some of this helps. I think you'll enjoy Germany; Stuttgart is a great location because you can be in France, Switzerland, or Austria in a matter of hours. It is quite woodsy with forests all around walking/biking trails and a beautiful downtown (It's the capital city of the state of Baden_Wurtemburg) The weather is fairly temperate--lots and lots of rain but the sun will shine a little every day. I enjoyed last summer because we came from Saint Louis which is a sauna--boiling moist heat all summer long. Stuttgart was more mild, it never got raging hot and most of the time is was quite comfortable, need a sweater in the evening. Feel free to email me directly: ____@____.com Good luck with your move!

All four bases here in Stuttgart are small. Literally one can walk from one side to the other in about 15 minutes. Kelley just got a Subway and they have a great little coffee shop. Right now the weather is sunny and about 50 degrees. It snowed on Easter, but that was just about the only storm we had all winter. Last summer it was about 60 degrees on the 4th of july... but the year before it was over 100 degrees on the 4th... so pack at least a few sweat shirts & jeans for each person.

OPTEMPO depends on where you are working, as does the PT schedule. Be patient with a lot of things. Our new command is still 'under construction' and the services the base provides (housing, medical, dental, child care, commissary) are struggling to keep up with demand. Register your daughter for school ASAP - the elementary school is adding classroom trailers and hiring new teachers. I think registration starts in late April. Definitely do not wait until the fall- sign up ASAP.

Why Patch? The schools here on Patch are not great. Traffic going to Kelly in the morning can be slow going.

Living off post is not a bad option if you are allowed and sometimes allows you more freedom and opportunity than if you lived on post.

There are pros and cons to both.