# Moving to the Eglin area on orders — The Niceville Agent Report

## Find out which gate first
Eglin's reservation runs to roughly 463,000 acres and the gates are far apart. The East Gate on the Valparaiso side is the round-the-clock one; the West Gate off State Road 85 serves the Fort Walton Beach side; some gates keep limited hours, and Eglin publishes its own. Hurlburt Field is west of Fort Walton Beach, Duke Field is north toward Crestview, 7th Special Forces Group is on the reservation.

## The towns
- **Niceville and Valparaiso** — next to the East Gate, small-town, strong school reputation (Okaloosa County School District). Bluewater Bay is the larger planned neighbourhood on Niceville's east side.
- **Fort Walton Beach and Mary Esther** — older and denser, south and west of Eglin, nearer Hurlburt. Mary Esther is the shorter run to Hurlburt.
- **Shalimar** — small, on Garnier Bayou east of Fort Walton Beach, right against Eglin.
- **Crestview** — north up State Road 85. More house and land; the trade is the commute. Duke Field is nearest.
- **Navarre** — west toward Pensacola. Beach access without Destin prices.

## Settle these before you call an agent
1. Your BAH rate for this duty station, from the Defense Travel Management Office's calculator.
2. Buying or renting this tour.
3. Your VA loan entitlement and how much is left.
4. Whether you will see the house, or buy on a video walkthrough and a power of attorney.
5. Your real report date.

For anything that has to be exact, use the relocation and housing offices at Eglin and Hurlburt, and the DTMO for BAH. This page is not an official source.

## Site credits
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