Thanks for the pointers, all. Mike, I'll PM you momentarily, thanks.
395 could be the answer. Is I-90 unpleasant to commute on? It seems like living some distance towards either RI or NYC would give some potential for non-Navy civilization. What are the nearest population centers like? Is Hartford actually a viable city, or is it just big and sprawling like it looks on the map? Is Rhode Island good enough to pick a place on that side of the base, or should I bias towards NYC instead? Shoreline is obviously out of the question -- just because I'm a single nuclear-trained submarine officer doesn't mean I want to spend it all on a beach home in CT. But some of those quiet neighborhoods in the backwater areas -- civilized, not hickish -- sound real nice. Tell me more?
I know, I know -- it's only 6 months. But it could end up being 5 years, and I'd hate to pick someplace stupid because I didn't plan ahead. Thanks again, gents.