Langley AFB Housing (Hampton: best neighborhood, apartment, for rent)

[grover22]

Does anyone have any insight on Langley's base housing? We were told by a couple people that it was not in the best neighborhood (as I understand it's not actually on base). We were also told that it was in a gated community. I know they are building new homes but wasn't sure about the existing homes and if they were in the gated community. We thought that this might be the best place to live so we could get familiar with the area and find a decent neighborhood to live it but aren't really sure. We will be moving in February. Any info would be great. Thanks!

[It's Cin!]

Langley's off base housing area is called Bethel Manor. It is actually in a really great neighborhood. It is in York County, even though it's considerd "Hampton" by address. As for the housing areas, one is on Magruder blvd/Hamtpon Highway and the other is on Big Bethel Road (with some of the nicest neighborhoods in York Co.) . The worst of the housing has all been torn down and new units are in the process of going up. The housing area is divided into two sections which are not connected. The section that is still occupied has some newer homes, some middle aged homes and then some pretty old homes. I'm pretty sure that they will start tearing down the older homes once the new section gets completed and they can move people over there. The older homes are pretty small...and well...old. To be in the school district and in this area of Hampton Roads though, it's a tradeoff that alot of people make. If you go over to the Hampton side of Langley AFB you'll deal with some pretty bad neighborhoods for the rent/morgtage you'll be paying. Off base in the bethel Manor area housing is pretty pricey. There are some apartment and townhouse communities though.

Both sides of the Bethel Manor housing area is gated. you have to have a military ID or be on the 'list' to get in . On the currently occupied side of the housing area there is a shoppette/Gas station, church, fire dept, elementary school, and pool. Oh, and they are working on a new/expanded youth center. I do not know what will be on the housing area that is currently being rebuilt. The middle and high school kids go to York County school district, which is one of the best in the area. The schools are Tabb middle and Tabb High.

I live up the road from the Bethel Manor housing area about 1/2 a mile and I am VERY particular about where we moved our family (prior active duty military). We lived about 1/2 a mile down the road the other direction from Bethel Manor when we first moved here and that was very nice there too.

[BrianLMA]

Here's a link to the company that is now handling housing for Langley AFB:
https://langley.pinnaclefamilyhousing.com/

According to the site, some houses will be completed by the end of this year, so depending on your rank your timing might be great. Those new quarters sure look great compared to what I was offfered before retiring from the Army .

[grover22]

Thanks Cin. We don't have any children yet so schooling is not high on our list. I am really looking for a safe neighborhood with affordable housing and thought base housing might be a place to start. What are some of the better neighborhoods outside of base? We will probably have to rent to begin with so an apt or condo might not be too bad.

[BrianLMA]

I just did a quick search in nearby Kiln Creek and also all of lower York County for condos, townhomes and single family homes for rent and found:

15 in Kiln Creek, priced from $995-1695/mo for ~1000-2500 square feet.
27 in lower York County, priced from $900-1800/mo for ~1000-2300 square feet.

I know you are not looking to move until early next year, but let me know if you would like me to email the listings to you so you can get an idea of what you get for your money around here.

[Mousegirl]

Your information posted has been helpful. I was wondering about flooding in base housing. I have looked at several flood maps and it appears that the Bethel Housing would flood in a Cat3/4 storm. Anyone out there with any experience with that??

[It's Cin!]

A lot of Bethel Manor (the main section, not sure about the old section which they have scrapped and are currently renovating) and the on base housing have flooded in hurricanes/nor' easters. I'm not sure when the last time they got flooded in a nor' easter, but I know there was a flooding problem, especially on the base itself, which was several feet underwater, during Hurricane Isabel which was about...five years ago I believe.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by grover22

Thanks Cin. We don't have any children yet so schooling is not high on our list. I am really looking for a safe neighborhood with affordable housing and thought base housing might be a place to start. What are some of the better neighborhoods outside of base? We will probably have to rent to begin with so an apt or condo might not be too bad.

One area you may want to look for apts or condos would be along Rt. 134 in either Hampton or York County. This area is safe and provides a easy commute to Langley. I also think its pretty affordable.

[Mousegirl]

Thanks too both replys. We were looking at buying around there, but it seems that everywhere (in Hampton) has a mid to high flood insurance rate. Base housing is difficult to decipher because it is on the edge of two different maps. York County seems the place to be.