2018 Joint Base edition Langley-Eustis Moving Toolkit The most up-to-date info for your 2018 PCS! content powered by ©2018, Agent Hero, Inc ABOUT HAMPTON ROADS Each city has a distinct personality, so it should be easy to find an About area that fits your family’s style. Beach bums, foodies, and fami- If you are in the Navy, there are good odds that you will spend lies love Virginia Beach. Active, young professionals flock to Nor- a portion of your career in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The “Sev- folk for the downtown and Ghent neighborhoods. Those looking en City” area contains an unrivaled concentration of our nation’s for a quiet pace with a historic flare look to Portsmouth. Those in military (over 100,000 active duty) and TEN installations across search of a little more breathing room in the country head to the all branches of service. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval Western Branch and Deep Creek areas of Chesapeake. station in the world. Sailors commonly spend more than one tour of duty here—and many make it their last assignment so they can Finding a Home homestead in the area. The first step in choosing where to live is to determine your prior- ities. There are three main values, if you will, to consider: Home Water permeates Hampton Roads. This huge natural harbor in Size and Price, Commute, and Schools. On each area page, northeastern Virginia is formed by the Elizabeth, James, and we’ll break down some of the more popular communities for mil- Nansemond Rivers (along with several smaller tributaries), which itary families and give you an overview of the trade-offs for each. empty into the Chesapeake Bay. This complex system of deep waterways makes it a busy waterway for commercial shipping, military transport, and all manner of leisure boating. The “Tide- water,” or land area, is split by the harbor into two regions: The Pro tip: If you come armed with this info Peninsula and The Southside. before chatting with a real estate agent, Beautiful beaches, buzzing urban centers, perfectly preserved they’ll have an enormous leg up in helping historic districts, and expansive wildlife sanctuaries provide something for everyone in Hampton Roads. History buffs enjoy you find a home quickly. Efficiency and Williamsburg and Yorktown, and the coastal areas are inundated knowledge are crucial in this hyper- with tourists during the summer months for the food, festivals, and surfing. Yep, the East Coast has surf beaches! Employment competitive real estate market. opportunities in Norfolk are plentiful for career-minded spouses, and there are several esteemed universities and community col- leges for those looking to continue their education. Homes Positioned on the southern edge of the Mid-Atlantic states, Hampton Roads offers a little bit of everything when it comes Hampton Roads’ climate borrows from both extremes. Winters to home styles and price ranges. Oceanfront condos, modern can see bone-chilling temps and snow storms, while summers high-rises, traditional suburban split-levels, new construction, are hot and sticky (though only three to four months long). We’d historic colonials, bungalows, and brownstones are all options, be remiss if we didn’t emphasize the heat and humidity in the and there tends to be a lot of available inventory. As is common in summer, though. Anyone used to a good old “southern summer” most metropolitan areas, you can usually come out a little ahead should be unphased. But if you’re unfamiliar—brace yourself. It’s on BAH by buying instead of renting in Hampton Roads. Purchas- hot and humid, and the mosquitos can carry off small pets. The ing a home is definitely something you should consider if you region is also flood-prone and seems to have a penchant for plan to retire or spend a significant amount of time here. People natural disasters. Flood insurance is a must, especially because fall in love with this region a lot, so keep that in mind when you’re many areas lie below sea level. (Continued on Page 3) PAGE 1 | JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS - 2018 ABOUT HAMPTON ROADS COMMUTE Because of the unpredictability of commuting via a bridge-tunnel, we’re going to advise that you avoid it. Most people try to live where they work, so if you’re stationed at a base on The Peninsula, you want to find a home on The Peninsula. In the table below, we’ve indicated whether or not a commute would include a bridge-tunnel rather than giving a broad range of possible commute times. A jam or accident on one of the bridge-tunnels could leave you stuck for hours! JEB LIttle Creek- Naval Station Naval Air NAS Oceana Dam Fort Story Norfolk Camp Allen Station Oceana Neck Annex The Southside 30 - 90 mins 25 - 50 mins 25 - 90 mins 20 - 80 mins 25 - 85 mins The Peninsula Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel Norfolk Naval Naval Medical USCG Base Joint Base Naval Weapons Shipyard Center Portsmouth Portsmouth Langley-Eustis Station Yorktown The Southside 8 - 40 mins 8 - 40 mins 18 - 55 mins Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel The Peninsula Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel Bridge - Tunnel 12 - 50 mins 7 - 55 mins JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS - 2018 | PAGE 2 ABOUT HAMPTON ROADS Hampton Roads (continued) option, though only under certain circumstances (parent employ- doing your research. Also be sure to factor in things like flood in- ment at another school, child-care concerns, or if your child has surance, taxes, and HOAs if you’re looking to buy. A knowledge- been the victim of a crime at their neighborhood school). Not all able real estate agent can be a huge help in Hampton Roads. schools accept transfers, so pay attention to your school zone and don’t rely on “choice-ing” into another neighborhood school. Commute There is no avoiding the bridges and tunnels, and this is a huge Magnet Schools consideration for commuting. You will be stationed on either The A magnet school is a school in the local public school system that Peninsula or The Southside, and you will more than likely want to operates under the same oversight and school board as public live on the side where you work. Going across the river is costly schools. Magnet schools typically have a specific focus, such as (by way of time and tolls) and could make or break your experi- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), the arts, or ence here. Don’t worry, we’ll go over all this in detail, but just go vocational paths. There are many competitive magnets located ahead and acquaint yourself with the map. throughout Hampton Roads. Magnet schools typically only ac- cept a small percentage of applicants, so lotteries are common. Each area has much to offer, so there is really no reason to But living within the school’s assigned district can help. look too far away from your base for housing, especially not across a bridge-tunnel. Oh, and that’s not a typo. There are two Governor’s Schools “bridge-tunnels” that cross from The Peninsula to The Southside. There are two highly competitive governor’s schools in Hamp- They are half-bridge, half-tunnel and the bane of commuting in ton Roads: the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk (serving the Tidewater. Traffic jams, accidents, and congestion can make Southside area cities) and the New Horizons Governor’s School going over (and through) them extremely unpredictable. If you for Science & Technology in Hampton (serving Peninsula area choose to live in a place where you will need cross a river, be cities). These aren’t just summer residential programs, but tradi- sure to factor tolls into your annual expenses. All of the bridges tional academic year high schools with full immersion programs have tolls or will in the near future, and can cost up to $1,500 a and incredible opportunities! They’re tough programs to get year for daily drivers! into and are highly sought after by intellectually and/or artisti- cally gifted students. Schools Most service members without children seek to be as close to Charter Schools the water as possible. Those with children often broaden their Charter schools are public schools that have private oversight search criteria to include communities with highly rated schools and come in a variety of educational models. While some states in affordable neighborhoods. We use data fromGreatSchools.org have hundreds to choose from, Virginia only has a handful. There here, but that doesn’t always show the entire picture. Look at are two charter schools in Hampton Roads. the school’s or district’s report card from the Virginia Department of Education. Interview potential schools. Talk to the base or re- Private Schools gional School Liaison Officer. Take into account all of the factors As always, you may opt for a private school education if the neigh- that could influence test scores, but aren’t necessarily reflective borhood school options don’t excite you. This is a pricey option, of the quality of education (i.e., a high percentage of students but viable for some. Private schools can either be religious based whose primary language isn’t English). There are several options or nonsectarian and are a popular choice for preschool. when it comes to education models in Virginia, which we’ve out- lined below. We’ve also identified some schools in each area that military families highly recommend. Traditional Public Schools Traditional public schools are operated by the Virginia Depart- ment of Education. Students who reside within a school zone must attend their neighborhood school.