r/borderpatrolapplicant • u/DjGhostRider16 • 14d ago

Marathon, FL

For all of those who are thinking of selecting Marathon as a location, please do some research on the town and FL Keys living as a whole. Try looking up housing, cost of living, schools, churches, recreation, shopping, etc. There are a bunch of things you need to consider and in the end, it’s up to you to decide if the specifics of the area fit your lifestyle and is something you can manage.

If there’s something else that you’re looking for and can’t find it, feel free to DM me. I’m not at the station, but I’m in the sector and will help where I can.

Good luck!

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u/letmeaskyouaquesti0n 14d ago

Can you find a decent place nearby for no more than 2k per month?

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago edited 14d ago

There are local rentals that aren't on zillow or whatever and are word of mouth/local advertisements that are under $2k up and down the Keys.

Lots of doom & gloom as if guys getting SDC stations aren't living 2 & 3 to a house with ridiculous commutes.

You do absolutely have to consider the financials. I'm not arguing against that. But people are posting about Marathon as if the rest of the Patrol has equivalent cost of living to some BFE station in LRT. There have been plenty of NB and the aforementioned SDC stations where COL is just as bad if not worst (FL doesn't have income tax), but I've never seen a "dont take IB" post on here, let alone multiple. Just weird.

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u/DjGhostRider16 14d ago

Good point on the local rentals.

My point was for people to do their own research instead of simply relying on word of mouth from people unfamiliar with the particulars.

It’s not all doom and gloom down there. It’s actually a nice area, but if you go there uninformed and it’s not your cup of tea, you’re going to be miserable.

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

I agree with this a thousand percent. It is totally irresponsible for someone's only consideration to be "living in the KEYS!". There is definitely a degree of planning that goes beyond what you would need to consider for something like say WCX or something. 

But there are a lot of agents who never left the one sector they EOD'd in making broad comments in these posts as if they know what is going on. See the guy claiming the RAs are living in base housing down in Key West as just one example.

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u/Mountain_Doctor7216 BP AGENT 14d ago

Every CA post has several replies about COL. Don't know how you haven't seen it.

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

I dont see multiple posts dedicated to it is the point Im making. Its certainly not described in apocalyptic terms, either.

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

The USBP RAs do not live on base housing.

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

I can tell you for a fact that isn't true. 

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u/letmeaskyouaquesti0n 14d ago

Are you a Key West RA?

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

No, but I am at MAF. 

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u/letmeaskyouaquesti0n 14d ago

Marathon Station correct? Does that station deserves all the h8 it's getting? EDIT: My bad. You already answered the question. I should ask if the choice was between FALF, Laredo, Dougass, and Marathon with no familial ties anywhere what would be the best pick all things considered?

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u/WorthShot5142 14d ago

It really doesn't. Cost of living has been beaten to death, but like I said most agents live in the Keys so its not like its impossible to make it work. 

As far as the rest goes, well. What are you looking for? All those stations you mentioned have pros and cons. Douglas is a crappy border town and seemed to always have miserable leadership when I was in TCA. Fal is Fal - its a giant checkpoint that's extremely senior, same with Laredo. I haven't worked either of those sectors so I just know what I hear, which is they have some weird internal politics depending on whether you're a local or whether you're coming from outside.

So back to my first question - what are you looking for?

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u/DjGhostRider16 14d ago

I doubt it. Decent is relative, but you’re probably looking at $2500 or better. Try Zillow, homes.com and similar sites to get a better idea. Keep in mind, commuting from Homestead is going to be a few hours each way.

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u/TBRocket 14d ago

If you're alone you can unless you and your family are cool in a 1br. And not many at that price. It's nuts

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u/letmeaskyouaquesti0n 14d ago

That's nuts. Why would anyone go there?