Most of what gets written about this corner of Georgia is really about Fort Stewart. If your orders say Hunter, that’s a problem: Hunter is a different installation, in a different county, with a different set of neighborhoods around it. Together, Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield employs over 25,500 people and carries a combined economic impact of $4.9 billion in Coastal Georgia (U.S. Army, 2026). This guide covers the Hunter side: where it sits, where to look, the commute, on-post versus off, and the loan benefit you earned.
Key Takeaways
- Hunter Army Airfield is a 5,600-acre subordinate installation of Fort Stewart, adjacent to Savannah in Chatham County and about seven miles east of Fort Stewart boundary to boundary (U.S. Army, 2025).
- The drive to Fort Stewart’s main post near Hinesville is a different number: roughly 41 miles (Military OneSource, 2026).
- On-post housing at Hunter is privatized under Balfour Beatty Communities, with five neighborhoods and a waitlist kept by pay grade and bedroom count (Military OneSource, 2026).
- With full VA entitlement you can buy with $0 down and no PMI; the VA sets no minimum credit score, though your lender does (VA.gov, 2026).
Where is Hunter Army Airfield, and how is it different from Fort Stewart?
Hunter sits inside Savannah. The Army calls it “a 5,600-acre subordinate installation located seven miles to the east of FSGA (boundary-to-boundary), adjacent to the city of Savannah in Chatham County” (U.S. Army, 2025). Fort Stewart sits next to Hinesville in Liberty County.
Those seven miles are property lines, not a commute. The published road figure to Fort Stewart’s main post is about 41 miles southwest (Military OneSource, 2026). Both are official; they measure different things. Briefing a spouse on the drive? Use 41.
Hunter is the aviation and deployment side of the house: home to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, the aviation component of the 3rd Infantry Division, with tenants including 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Savannah (U.S. Army, 2026).
Our take: One detail trips up almost every new Hunter arrival: in-processing for HAAF is conducted at Fort Stewart (Military OneSource, 2026). Plan a full day for that drive, and don’t stack a closing on top of it.
Which neighborhoods work for HAAF-assigned families?
Four areas come up in almost every conversation with Hunter arrivals.
Savannah’s southside, including Windsor Forest, puts you closest to the gates. Windsor Forest is a City of Savannah neighborhood in District 6, where the city has been building a community center at 218 Windsor Road (City of Savannah, 2025). Housing stock skews established rather than new-build. Browse Savannah and Hunter AAF homes.
Georgetown is a Chatham County community on the southside, organized around the Georgetown Community Services Association: a covenant-protected community with a clubhouse, two pools, tennis and basketball courts, and playgrounds (Georgetown CSA, 2026). Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools runs Georgetown K-8 School there (SCCPSS, 2026). See Georgetown.
Pooler sits in west Chatham County at the intersection of I-95 and I-16, ten miles west of Savannah and within two miles of the airport (City of Pooler, 2026). It leans heavily toward newer construction, and it’s convenient if a spouse works at Gulfstream, headquartered in Savannah since 1967 and employing nearly 13,000 people locally (SEDA, 2026). Start with Pooler.
Richmond Hill is in southern Bryan County, which the city describes as “just minutes south of metropolitan Savannah,” with more than 17,000 residents (City of Richmond Hill, 2026). It’s served by Bryan County Schools, not the Chatham district, and reached from I-95 at Exit 87 (U.S. 17), Exit 90, and via State Route 144 (WTOC, 2025). See Richmond Hill.
A caution on schools: the Chatham district runs 56 schools and about 35,744 students (NCES, 2024–25) and zones shift as the area grows, so confirm the assignment for a specific address. Georgia also participates in the MIC3 compact, which smooths mid-year transfers (MIC3, 2026).
How long is the commute to the Hunter gate?
Nobody publishes official drive times, and I won’t invent them. What I can give you is the road picture: Hunter is “readily accessible by way of the major East Coast Highways (U.S.17, I-16 and I-95),” with the airport about 13 miles away (Military OneSource, 2026). Gate hours matter more than mileage on a duty morning. Montgomery Gate and the Visitor Control Center run 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Rio Gate and Wilson Gate are open 24 hours (U.S. Army, 2026). Your gate sets your route, and the southside approach is nothing like coming down I-95 from Pooler.
Our take: Before you sign anything, drive your real route to your real gate at the hour you’ll do it. I’ve watched buyers fall for a floor plan in Pooler, then discover a 6:00 a.m. formation means leaving in the dark and sitting on I-516. Ten minutes on paper is not ten minutes in traffic.
Should you live on post or off post at Hunter?
Both work; the question is timing. On-post family housing at Hunter is privatized and managed by Balfour Beatty Communities. It “is divided into five neighborhoods, ranging from 2-4 bedrooms and in single-family, duplex, townhome, and apartment styles,” and when nothing is open, “an active waiting list by grade and number of bedrooms will be established and updated weekly” (Military OneSource, 2026). On post, rent equals BAH (U.S. Army Housing Online User Services, 2024).
You don’t have to wait until you arrive to get in line. Active-duty soldiers with current orders can apply in advance, with a copy of orders, a current DD Form 1172, and a DA-31 (U.S. Army Housing Online User Services, 2024). Apply within 30 days of arrival and your waitlist date reflects the day you left your last duty station; apply later and it resets. You get 48 hours to accept or decline a home.
Off post, the Housing Services Office provides referrals and lease review assistance (U.S. Army, 2026). BAH depends on location, pay grade and dependent status, with new rates each January 1 (MyArmyBenefits, 2025). Run your numbers against a real quote.
Building a realistic PCS timeline
Work backward from your report date. The day orders are confirmed, do three things: submit the on-post application if you want a shot at that list, start a pre-approval conversation so you know your buying range, and pick your commute box before you pick a house. Area first, address second.
If you’re buying, plan on roughly 30 to 45 days from accepted offer to closing, plus shopping time. We run live video tours and handle inspections remotely so you’re not burning leave on a house-hunting trip. Our VA and PCS center has the checklists.
How does the VA loan work for a purchase near Hunter?
With full entitlement, you can buy with no down payment “as long as the sales price isn’t higher than the home’s appraised value,” and there’s “no need for private mortgage insurance (PMI) or mortgage insurance premiums (MIP)” (VA.gov, 2026). Full entitlement also means no VA loan limit, though your lender still approves the amount (VA.gov, 2026).
Two things to know before you shop lenders. The VA doesn’t set a minimum credit score; you have to meet “our and your lender’s standards for credit, income, and any other requirements,” so the score bar you keep hearing about is the lender’s (VA.gov, 2026). And on a first-use purchase with less than 5% down, the funding fee is 2.15% and can be financed rather than paid at closing (VA.gov, 2026). Veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected disability are among those exempt.
Compare fees and rate, not the logo. Not every company with “veteran” in its name is veteran-owned, and we’ll always tell you to get a second quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hunter Army Airfield part of Fort Stewart?
Yes. The Army describes Hunter as a 5,600-acre subordinate installation of Fort Stewart, adjacent to Savannah in Chatham County (U.S. Army, 2025). The two run as one command, and in-processing for Hunter happens at Fort Stewart, about 41 miles away (Military OneSource, 2026).
Can I apply for on-post housing at Hunter before I arrive?
Yes. Active-duty soldiers with current orders can apply in advance and join the waitlist before reporting, using a copy of orders, a current DD Form 1172, and a DA-31 (U.S. Army Housing Online User Services, 2024). The list runs by pay grade and bedroom count.
Can I buy a home near Hunter with no money down?
With full VA entitlement, yes, and without private mortgage insurance, as long as the price doesn’t exceed the appraised value (VA.gov, 2026). A first-use funding fee of 2.15% applies with less than 5% down and can be financed into the loan.
The bottom line
A PCS to Hunter is not a PCS to Fort Stewart, and guides that blur the two send you looking in the wrong county. Get the gate right, drive the route at the real hour, get in the housing line early if on post is the plan, and use the entitlement you earned.
Tell us your report date and your gate, and we’ll build the search around it. Reach out whenever you’re ready, even from a few states away.
Sources
- U.S. Army, “About Fort Stewart & Hunter Army Airfield (Command Data Summary),” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://home.army.mil/stewart/about
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield, “Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment to Implement Mission and Training Activities,” May 5, 2025, retrieved 2026-08-27, https://home.army.mil/stewart/8317/4664/5831/Final_PEA_MnT_RED_5MAY25.pdf
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield, “US Army Garrison Fort Stewart – Hunter Army Airfield,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://home.army.mil/stewart/about/Garrison
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield, “Gates and Visitors Information,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://home.army.mil/stewart/about/Garrison/DES/visitor-information
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield, “Army Housing Services,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://home.army.mil/stewart/my-fort/newcomers-1/housing
- Military OneSource / MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, “Hunter Army Airfield Base Overview,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/hunter-army-airfield
- Military OneSource / MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, “Hunter Army Airfield,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/hunter-army-airfield
- Military OneSource / MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, “Hunter Army Airfield Housing,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/hunter-army-airfield/housing/housing
- U.S. Army Housing Online User Services, “Fort Stewart Housing Frequently Asked Questions,” September 30, 2024, retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.housing.army.mil/Installations/Stewart/FAQ.pdf
- MyArmyBenefits (U.S. Army), “Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH),” December 16, 2025, retrieved 2026-08-27, https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Basic-Allowance-for-Housing-(BAH)
- City of Savannah, “City of Savannah Announces Location for New Community Center at Windsor Forest,” April 1, 2025, retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.savannahga.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3120
- Georgetown Community Services Association, “Georgetown CSA — Savannah,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.georgetowncsa.com/
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, “Schools Directory,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.sccpss.com/schools
- National Center for Education Statistics, “District Detail: Savannah-Chatham County (2024-2025),” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?ID2=1301020
- City of Pooler, “About,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.pooler-ga.gov/connect/about/
- Savannah Economic Development Authority, “Aerospace Manufacturing Georgia,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://seda.org/industries/aerospace/
- City of Richmond Hill, “About Richmond Hill,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.richmondhill-ga.gov/97/About-Richmond-Hill
- WTOC, “I-95 entrance ramp to close for two weekends,” September 24, 2025, retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.wtoc.com/2025/09/24/i-95-entrance-ramp-close-two-weekends/
- Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (MIC3), “About the Compact,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://mic3.net/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “VA-backed purchase loan,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/purchase-loan/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “VA home loan limits,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-limits/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “VA funding fee and loan closing costs,” retrieved 2026-08-27, https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/