Where should I buy in Savannah if I'm stationed at Hunter Army Airfield?
By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage · Licensed in Georgia ·
Short answer
The Southside is Hunter Army Airfield's neighborhood: Windsor Forest, Wilshire, the streets off Abercorn and Largo, and Georgetown farther south are all within minutes of the Hunter gates, and they are the mid-to-lower price bands of Savannah proper. The housing is mostly 1960s to 1980s, which means the VA appraisal items are the older-house list. It is a good buy for a Hunter tour and a workable one for a Fort Stewart commute via Highway 204 and I-95.
- Commute
- Hunter AAF gates 5–15 minutes; Fort Stewart about 40 minutes via Hwy 204 and I-95
- Housing stock
- 1960s–1980s ranches and split-levels; Georgetown 1990s–2010s
- Price band
- Middle of Savannah; below the Islands and Ardsley Park, above Hinesville
Hunter Army Airfield sits inside Savannah's city limits on the Southside, which makes it one of the few Army installations where "near the base" means an established city neighborhood rather than a garrison town. The streets around it — Windsor Forest and Wilshire to the south and east, the neighborhoods off Abercorn Street and Largo Drive, Georgetown down toward Richmond Hill — were built in the 1960s through 1980s for exactly the middle-income population that Hunter's aviation brigade, Ranger battalion and Coast Guard air station supply today.
Who lives here and why
Hunter families who want a short commute and a real city: restaurants, the historic district, the river, Tybee on weekends. NCOs and officers who prefer an older house on a real lot to a Richmond Hill subdivision. A lot of retirees. Georgetown, at the south end, is the newer and more suburban option with 1990s to 2010s housing and HOAs, and it is the natural pick for a family that might rotate to Fort Stewart.
The commute
Minutes to the Hunter gates from anywhere on the Southside. Fort Stewart is the catch — about forty minutes on Highway 204 to I-95 and out to Hinesville — and a Southside address is a Hunter address first. Downtown Savannah is fifteen minutes up Abercorn.
Housing stock and what the appraiser sees
This is older-house territory, and the appraisal findings follow: roofs at end of life, electrical and plumbing original to the house, crawlspace moisture under the ranches in a wet climate, termites and a WDI inspection as standard practice, and peeling paint on the pre-1978 stock. Flood zones are less pervasive here than at the Islands or Richmond Hill, but low-lying pockets exist; check the FEMA zone. The Fort Stewart guide covers the regional list. Georgetown's newer housing swaps those items for HOA documents and builder paperwork.
The loan angle
Southside prices are mid-band for Savannah and comfortably inside a no-down-payment purchase with full entitlement — and inside what Hunter BAH carries, which the BAH-to-payment calculator shows for your grade. Buyers on a second VA loan run the second-tier calculation, which at these prices rarely requires a down payment. Georgia's § 48-5-48 exemption for 100%-rated veterans covers most of a Southside tax bill; the Georgia benefits page has the filing. An older house here that needs more than cosmetic work is where the renovation loan question comes up.
Around Fort Stewart and Hunter
Local details
- Schools
- Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (verify boundaries)
- Taxes and fees
- City of Savannah plus Chatham County; few HOAs outside Georgetown
- Watch for
- Older roofs, electrical and plumbing; crawlspace moisture; termites; peeling paint pre-1978
- BAH here
- Official rate by grade →
What schools serve Savannah Southside?
Savannah Southside is served by Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. Attendance zones change; confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district.
| School | Grades | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor Forest Elementary School | PK-5 | White Bluff, Largo-Tibet and Southwest serve neighboring zones; Isle of Hope and Hesse are PK-8 |
| Southwest Middle School | 6-8 | DeRenne and Coastal middle schools serve the center and islands |
| Windsor Forest High School | 9-12 | Jenkins and Johnson High serve the center and east; Islands High serves Whitemarsh and Wilmington |
Performance data: the state's official school report card. This site does not publish third-party ratings; they change yearly and are not the district's own numbers.
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