Two Air Force installations anchor this market. Eglin AFB, the home of the 96th Test Wing, sits in Okaloosa County between Valparaiso and Niceville on its east side and Shalimar on its west. Hurlburt Field, where the 1st Special Operations Wing is based and Air Force Special Operations Command has its headquarters, is on the Gulf Coast west of Fort Walton Beach.
Families at the two bases spread across a string of communities: Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Valparaiso, Shalimar and Mary Esther near the gates, Crestview to the north, Destin to the east and Navarre across the Santa Rosa County line to the west. The drive times below are organized by gate, so pick the gate you will use each morning and work outward.
Eglin tests and evaluates non-nuclear munitions, electronic combat systems and navigation and guidance systems, and it hosts about 40 tenant units, among them the 7th Special Forces Group, the U.S. Army Ranger Camp and the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal School. Hurlburt Field has been the home of the Air Commandos since 1961 and hosts 46 partner units besides the 1st Special Operations Wing. Military OneSource counts about 22,700 people on an average day at Hurlburt, family members included.
Okaloosa County also had 31,494 veterans in the 2020-2024 Census estimates. Debbie Haberny holds the Vetted VA Professional designation, and we put it to work for buyers choosing between the Eglin side of the county and the Hurlburt side. Whether you are stationed here, retired nearby or in the Guard or Reserve, VA lists several service paths to a home loan, including 6 creditable years in the National Guard or Selected Reserve. Ask us to help you get your Certificate of Eligibility.
Where you report shapes where you live. Here is each town's drive to each installation, closest towns first. Drives of 25 minutes or less are highlighted. Drive times are without traffic, measured October 7, 2026. Rush hour adds time.
| Town | Eglin AFBAir Force | Hurlburt FieldAir Force |
|---|---|---|
| Okaloosa County | 4 min | 21 min |
| Niceville | 9 min | 34 min |
| Fort Walton BeachThis page | 13 min | 14 min |
| Crestview | 31 min | No drive time |
More about each town near the installations, with its drive to each one.
Okaloosa County had 221,810 people in the July 2025 estimate. The 2020-2024 estimates count 31,494 veterans, a median owner-occupied home value of $351,200 and a mean commute of 26.3 minutes. Its Veteran Services department has offices in Shalimar and Crestview, and its flood zone search covers FEMA map data effective March 9, 2021. The 2026 FHFA one-unit limit is $832,750.
Niceville grew from 12,749 people in 2010 to 15,772 in 2020 and 17,948 in the July 2025 estimate. The median value of owner-occupied homes was $423,500, 73.6 percent of homes were owner-occupied and median household income was $102,409 in the 2020-2024 estimates. Niceville High School serves grades 9 to 12 for families in Eglin’s main-base housing. Without traffic it is about 9 minutes from City Hall to the East Gate and 14 to the West Gate.
Crestview had 31,193 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, the most of any Okaloosa County city, and grew 13.8 percent from the Census Bureau’s April 2020 estimates base of 27,413. Its median owner-occupied home value of $277,900 is below every other city profiled on this page, and its mean travel time to work was 30.4 minutes. Eglin’s housing page puts Crestview about 20 miles north of the base, and the drive is about 31 minutes to the West Gate without traffic. The county’s Veteran Services department keeps an office on North Wilson Street.
Fort Walton Beach had 21,097 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, against 20,922 in the 2020 census. The median value of owner-occupied homes was $321,800, 61.8 percent of homes were owner-occupied and median gross rent was $1,307 in the 2020-2024 estimates. Hurlburt’s housing office lists the city among the nearby communities, and without traffic it is about 14 minutes from City Hall to Hurlburt’s visitor control center and 13 to Eglin’s West Gate. The Okaloosa County Vet Center has a satellite at the Okaloosa Veterans’ Court Program on Lewis Turner Boulevard in the city.
Valparaiso is a city of 4,896 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate. Eglin sits about 3 miles southwest of it, and without traffic City Hall is about 3 minutes from the East Gate. Addie R. Lewis Middle School, which serves grades 5 to 8 for Eglin’s main-base housing, is in the city.
Shalimar is a town of 758 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate. The Okaloosa County Vet Center is at 6 11th Avenue, and the county’s Veteran Services and Growth Management offices are on North Eglin Parkway. Eglin’s housing page places the base between Valparaiso and Niceville to the east and Shalimar to the west, and Town Hall is about 5 minutes from the West Gate without traffic.
Mary Esther is a city of 4,093 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate. Hurlburt’s housing office lists it among the nearby communities, and without traffic City Hall is about 8 minutes from Hurlburt’s visitor control center and 16 from Eglin’s West Gate.
Destin had 14,046 people in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, and the 2020-2024 estimates put its median owner-occupied home value at $490,300, its owner-occupied share at 69.7 percent and its median gross rent at $1,936. Hurlburt’s housing office lists Destin among the nearby communities. Without traffic City Hall is about 32 to 33 minutes from either Eglin gate and from Hurlburt.
Navarre is a Census-designated place in Santa Rosa County that counted 40,817 people in 2020, up from 31,378 in 2010, with 7,176 veterans, an 82.1 percent owner-occupied share and a mean travel time to work of 31.4 minutes in the 2020-2024 estimates. Santa Rosa County District Schools is a Purple Star District, and the county’s 2026 one-unit loan limit is $832,750. Without traffic it is about 21 minutes to Hurlburt’s visitor control center and 38 to Eglin’s West Gate.
Census figures are a snapshot, not a price quote. In the 2020-2024 estimates the median value of owner-occupied homes was $351,200 in Okaloosa County, $321,800 in Fort Walton Beach, $277,900 in Crestview, $423,500 in Niceville, $490,300 in Destin and $375,700 in the Navarre area. About 68 percent of Okaloosa County homes are owner-occupied, against 62 percent in Fort Walton Beach and 82 percent in Navarre.
Growth shows up unevenly. Crestview went from 20,978 people in 2010 to 27,134 in 2020 and 31,193 in the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, and Niceville went from 12,749 to 15,772 to 17,948 over the same points. The Navarre area counted 40,817 people in 2020, up from 31,378 in 2010. For current sale prices on a street you like, ask us or your real estate agent.
Schools. Okaloosa County School District holds Florida’s Purple Star School District designation, one of five in the state, and all 37 of its schools met the criteria. Florida’s Purple Star Campus law asks a participating school to name a military liaison, post a resource page, run a student-led transition program, train staff, and set aside 5 percent or more of its controlled open enrollment seats for children of service members. Santa Rosa County District Schools, which includes Navarre, is a Purple Star District too. Florida is also in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which lets a child enroll on unofficial records and keep course placement. Zones follow addresses, so use the district’s school locator before you commit.
Gates and Passes. Eglin’s visitor control center is at the Air Force Armament Museum, just outside the installation, and has been open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on weekends since April 13, 2026; at other hours, security forces at the East and West Gates help with visitor access. Hurlburt checks every ID, and its visitor control center is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Drive Times. From each city hall, a typical drive without traffic, measured October 7, 2026 (OpenStreetMap routing), puts Valparaiso about 3 minutes from Eglin’s East Gate and Niceville 9, while Shalimar is 5 minutes from the West Gate, Fort Walton Beach 13 and Crestview 31. To Hurlburt’s visitor control center it is 8 minutes from Mary Esther, 14 from Fort Walton Beach, 21 from Navarre and 33 from Destin. Real commutes run longer at busy times.
In the 2020-2024 Census estimates, median gross rent came to $1,612 in Okaloosa County, $1,307 in Fort Walton Beach, $1,366 in Crestview, $1,749 in Niceville and $1,936 in Destin. Those are medians, so they will not match a particular listing. Basic Allowance for Housing is based on local housing costs, and DoD publishes a lookup; we leave allowance figures off this page because they are updated as housing costs change. Send us your allowance figure and we will show you what each part of the area looks like on your budget.
County Loan Limits. A veteran with full VA entitlement has no VA loan limit, as long as the loan is affordable and the appraisal supports the price. County limits matter if your entitlement is partial, for example after an earlier VA loan. FHFA set the 2026 one-unit limit at $832,750 for Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties.
Florida Property Tax. Florida’s homestead exemption lowers a primary residence’s taxable value and qualifies the home for the Save Our Homes cap on yearly assessment increases. In Okaloosa County, new exemption applications go to the property appraiser by March 1. Veterans can add a $5,000 reduction for a qualifying ex-servicemember with a disability of 10 percent or more, a total homestead exemption for a service-connected total and permanent disability, or, for a veteran 65 or older whose permanent disability is combat-related, a discount equal to the veteran’s permanent service-connected disability percentage. A veteran with the total exemption who buys a new home between January 1 and November 1 can get a prorated refund of the tax paid on it by applying the next year.
Flood and Wind. Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Okaloosa County publishes FEMA flood map data effective March 9, 2021 and an address search for flood zones and elevation certificates. Florida homeowners policies can add a hurricane deductible of $500 or of 2, 5 or 10 percent of the dwelling limit, and insurers must also offer premium discounts for wind-mitigation features that an inspector records on the state form, valid for five years. Your real estate agent can pull the flood zone before you make an offer.
Around the Bases. Florida law has local governments near Eglin and Hurlburt send plan changes to the base commanders, who may comment on compatibility, including noise. A 2009 Eglin Joint Land Use Study prepared for Okaloosa County recommended noise disclosure for buyers and sound reduction in new homes in the loudest zones. Ask your real estate agent whether a home sits under a flight path.
Community Development Districts. Some newer Florida subdivisions sit in a community development district that can levy taxes or assessments on top of county and other local taxes, and the contract for the first sale of a home must carry a boldface disclosure of that. Ask early for the district’s yearly amount and bond payoff schedule, because it counts toward your monthly budget.
Both bases ask you to contact their Military Housing Office as soon as you know you are moving, and Eglin’s wants to see you before you sign any lease or purchase contract. The Air Force’s Housing Early Assistance Tool lets you reach either office before you PCS. Before you fly out to look at homes, ask us for a pre-approval so your offer is ready when you find one.
Okaloosa schools register every student through the FOCUS parent portal and keep a registration page for military families PCSing in, and each base has a school liaison to walk you through the options. If you buy here and orders move you again, Florida lets a servicemember who owns and uses a homestead rent it out without giving up the claim. Your real estate agent can confirm school zones before you write an offer.
On base, family housing at both Eglin and Hurlburt is privatized: Mayroad owns and manages the homes, and you apply through the Military Housing Office. Eglin’s main-base families send their children to Eglin Elementary for kindergarten through grade 4, Addie R. Lewis Middle School in Valparaiso and Niceville High School. Dormitory living is required of unaccompanied airmen in the E-1 through E-3 ranks and of E-4s with less than 3 years in service, at both bases.
Off base, Hurlburt’s housing office names Mary Esther, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Destin, Niceville and Crestview as the nearby communities, and Eglin’s places Fort Walton Beach about 6 miles south of the base and Crestview about 20 miles north.
Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, so ask about flood coverage separately. Okaloosa County lets you look up a property’s flood zone and any elevation certificate on file, and its flood map data took effect March 9, 2021. A hurricane deductible applies from the time the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends.
Full entitlement means no VA-set maximum, though we still have to approve the amount against your finances and the appraisal. With partial entitlement the county figure applies: for 2026, FHFA’s one-unit limit is $832,750 in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties, the same as the national baseline.
Without traffic it is about 31 minutes from Crestview City Hall to Eglin’s West Gate and 33 to the East Gate, and about 51 to Hurlburt, which is past a 45-minute commute. Busy hours run longer than these free-flow figures, so allow extra time. Crestview’s median home value of $277,900 is below every other city profiled here.
At Eglin, the visitor control center at the Air Force Armament Museum is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on weekends, and security forces at the East and West Gates help with visitor access at other hours, though not for contractors or foreign nationals. Hurlburt checks every ID and issues passes at its visitor control center, open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends; a DoD member with a.mil email sponsors adults 16 and older, and guests who arrive outside their approved dates are turned away. Hours change, so check each base’s visitor page before you drive.
The Eglin Air Force Base VA Clinic is at 100 Veterans Way and is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. The Okaloosa County Vet Center is at 6 11th Avenue, Suite G-1, in Shalimar. VA’s St. Petersburg regional office is at 9500 Bay Pines Boulevard, and the same address is the Regional Loan Center for Florida.
Only the most junior unaccompanied airmen must live in the dorms: E-1 through E-3, plus E-4s with less than 3 years in service. Families can apply for privatized housing through the Military Housing Office or live in the community, and Eglin’s office asks you to see it before you sign a lease or purchase contract.
For health care professions, Florida waives the application, licensure and unlicensed-activity fees for the spouse of an active-duty member who holds a license in another state, and a spouse whose partner is assigned to a Florida duty station can apply for a license on the strength of that out-of-state license. For other occupations, check with the licensing board before you move.
Florida offers a $5,000 reduction in assessed value for a qualifying ex-servicemember with a disability of 10 percent or more and a total homestead exemption for a service-connected total and permanent disability. A veteran 65 or older whose permanent disability is combat-related can also get a discount equal to the veteran’s permanent service-connected disability percentage. You apply with the county property appraiser, and new exemption applications are due by March 1. A servicemember who owns and uses a homestead may rent it out without giving up the claim.
Okaloosa County School District covers most of the communities on this page, and Santa Rosa County District Schools covers Navarre. Both are Purple Star Districts, and Okaloosa says all 37 of its schools met the criteria. Check any address with the district’s school locator before you commit.
