Blog Posts in "Moving Tips"

By Danielle Keech Congrats on your orders to Maxwell AFB! The base is located deep in the southern U.S. in Montgomery, Alabama. Maxwell is a unique duty station with lots of moving parts, so if you’re Air Force, you’ve likely passed through a time or two. About Maxwell AFB Maxwell AFB is broken down into two main parts: Maxwell AFB and the Maxwell-Gunter Annex. And if you have orders to Maxwell AFB, you may be headed to join the 42nd Air Base Wing, 908th Airlift Wing, or receive education through Air University. The 908th Airlift Wing is the only Air Force reserve unit in Alabama. It’s compri... read more

Welcome to Shirlington! A quaint little area of Arlington, Virginia. Shirlington is located just off of the 395 Beltway. Shirlington is 5 miles from The Pentagon! This makes it an ideal commute to working at The Pentagon, Crystal City, Fort Meyer, or Washington DC. (see map below) The Village at Shirlington is a place you can eat indoors or dine outdoors, walk the lovely little streets, shop at a boutique, and have a cup of coffee. You can catch a movie at the movie theater that shows second run films. Shop at the grocery store, fill a prescription at the drug store, or borrow a book from the... read more

Things to know before moving to Ft. Meade, Annapolis, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Ft Derrick or surrounding bases: You need a realtor to help look for houses to rent or buy. The property market moves fast here. Make sure your realtor has licenses for Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Find a recommendedREALTOR from other military families. Find out if the house has public utilities or septic tank and well water. This can make a big difference when power goes out with a hurricane or Nor’easter storms. In Maryland, HOAs are the norm for the state. Some areas may not have any fees and others can have yea... read more

One of the greatest things about living on-base is having a sense of community, knowing your neighbors, and having social events. When PCSing to the DC area, living on-base isn’t an option for the majority of military families. Finding where to live can be the hardest part of getting orders to DC. If you are looking for a sense of community, ability to get to know your neighbors, and looking for a place with planned social events then the planned community of Kingstowne is just the place for you. Kingstowne in Alexandria, VA Kingstowne is located in the “Lower” part of Alexandria in zip codes... read more

The city of Norfolk is made up of a diverse population. There are pockets of really nice neighborhoods, along with pockets of not so safe areas. Norfolk is known for its old historic colonial style homes. Norfolk definitely has a different look than Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and other areas. It has a lot of charm. Norfolk also has a bustling downtown area with skyscrapers, McAurthur shopping mall, and lots of restaurants. Granby Street is the main street in downtown Norfolk that has shops, restaurants, and bars. During the day, it’s a great place to shop at MacArthur Mall then grab a bite to... read more