Blog Posts for Pentagon

By Dawn M. Smith Despite the cliché, but true, gripes about living in the Washington, D.C. greater area , the winter and holiday seasons in the region are truly something to take advantage of while living here. The city is filled with festive events from street markets to spectacular ice shows to entertain your family and those guests who are bound to visit during the holidays. Holiday Activities in Alexandria Living in Alexandria, Virginia, is a convenient commute to many of the popular military stations in the National Capital Region, so it’s an ideal location for families to settle while s... 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

Are you moving to the Washington DC area? Stop! Before you do anything else, read our list of things to know before moving to DC. Things to Know Before Moving to DC Consider the cost of commuting (metro cost, parking cost, gas) when comparing the price of homes. Most people stay in the area where they live. For example, if you have a friend who lives near Maryland and you live in NOVA, you may not see that friend as often as you would like and vice versa. The further you live from DC, the more affordable and more square footage (but longer commute) Pick a central location if there is a possib... read more