Nice areas to live near Kaiserslautern/Ramstein

Hey, I am a civilian moving to the Ramstein AB area and am looking for a place to live. Can anybody tell me which areas are nice?

I am looking for a more rural setting, near lots of outdoorsy activities. I like to hike and mountain bike (I noticed that there is an extensive mtn bike trail system within Naturpark Pfalzer Wald. Are there any nice villages in the park?).

I have a pretty generous housing allowance. I have children and want a house in a quiet area with a large yard. A commute up to 30 minutes is ok with me.

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

You didn't mention if your commute is via car or public trans. if you want to live out in the villages thn I hope
you have a car, otherwise forget it..

As for where, try any of the following villages:

Weselberg
Harsberg
Hermersberg
Queidersbach
Hauptstuhl
Gries

Yes, the commute is all by car. I hope to live somewhere within biking distance of a decent trail area.

Also, what is the grocery and other shopping like in the smaller villages? Will I have to drive into kaiserslautern for everything? Thanks.

A lot of people associated with the base live in Landstuhl, but I've never been there. I live 30 minutes by train to Kaiserslautern, but I can't really get to the base without a car. I haven't tried, actually, but it seems impossible. If the shopping you're talking about is groceries you'll be fine, but you'll need to hit the base for your Cheez-it fix.

The Pfalz are beautiful and there are biking/hiking trails everywhere. You'll be happy. If you can afford the time, I'd recommend just driving around once you're over here and picking out the town/village that feels just right.

hey i am moving to Koblenz in may i am nurse asisstant 7 years i am working in a hospital ,is it difikult to get civilian job or German job i speak German .USA citizen .GOOD LUCK!!! Thank you.

i live in herschberg which is very close to hermersberg/weselberg and it has lovely trails. the family walk the trails on nice days. good luck with your search.

as for grocery shopping, there's only one grocer close to my home. it's a 10 minute drive.

I used to live in the village of Wolfstein many moons ago. It's around 25 minutes from Ramstein by car. Beautiful area.

Yes it is.. The 2 biggest problems your going to run into is, 1) Lack of jobs.. 2) Priority is given to Mil/GS Dependents 1st.
And you might want to work on your spelling..

I do not need SPELLING in Germany . Thanks SMART"?"

I used to live in Rothselberg, it really is a lovely area.

As with all military bases, the closer you live the more expensive it is and the less you get for your money. We also used to live in Oberstaufenbach which has some very large houses with yards and they are definitely geared towards American renters. That also has its downside because you are surrounded by Americans and not fully immersed in the German community. I'd stay away from the Landstuhl Atzel area. There are a lot of Americans living there and it attracts a lot of petty crime, car break ins and street crime. See what the housing office has to offer, they tend to have quite a few nice places because of the large turnover of people in the area.

hi there.

if you consider commuting 30 minutes, might want to check out the east side of ktown. pretty little towns, very rural and not many americans. i used to live in enkenbach-alsenborn... personally rural living is not for us, as we discovered, so we moved into ktown...

I know of a new house as well as a a great three bedroom apartment, in a beautiful area which may suit your needs. (Thirty minutes to Ramstein and 25 minutes to Vogelweh.) Probably two American families in the entire area. Great German neighbors/villagers. Lived in the area for 16 years before having to move due to relocation (to another area close by).

If you'd like to know more please get with me off list.

PapaSmurf

Well congrats on moving to this area. We ended up buying a home just north of Ramstein AFB, however, while we were looking we saw many beautiful homes in a town called Trippstadt. 12km south of Kaiserslautern, maybe 30 minutes from Ramste in. We have lived here 10 years and love it. You really can't go too wrong with many of the villages around here, but the closer you get to the bases, the more Americans you will run into. We also looked at homes in Kaiserslautern proper, would have loved to lived there, but no homes up to our standard (too much renovation). Anyhow, good luck and I hope you find a great place!

Mehlingen, Sulzbachtal, Sembach, Otterbach and Enkenbach-Alsenborn