Commuting and Home-Buying while at MacDill AFB

The day has finally arrived, and you just received your orders to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) to MacDill AFB, home of United States Central Command, United States Special Operations Command, and the 6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings. You begin to dream of basking in that Florida sunshine, living only 2 hours from a famous mouse, and imagine yourself running in slow motion on the powdery white beaches. Then the record screeches to a stop as you start scouring Zillow, Realtor.com, and researching all the best areas to live.

Finding the right home is filled with a multitude of steps: price, location, distance to MacDill AFB, and proximity to all the amenities Tampa has to offer is a giant balancing act. You soon come to the realization that moving to Tampa has become expensive, and having it all is quite a challenge. You then start to compromise.

A recent poll was sent out to the MacDill community asking the most important factors when deciding on the area to live in. The number one factor was the commute time to base. Other factors include price and school district, which could be argued strongly correlate. So, what is that sweet spot that aligns a reasonable commute, a good school district, and an affordable price?

Importance of Short Commute Times…