Have you ever wondered what in the world Q Town is and why it's so famous?

In this episode of Give, Work, Play, I’m talking about the largest US Marine Corps Base, Marine Corps Base Quantico. We’ll look at the history and fun facts of this town and give you some housing tips so you can prepare for your move.

Welcome To Quantico

The area now known as Quantico—which means “by the long stream”—was first inhabited by the Doeg tribe. Not only is it the base home to the Marines, but it's also the site for other agencies, including the FBI Academy, the DEA, and NCIS. The locals call Downtown Quantico “Q Town,” which is famous for being the only town within a military installation.

Many people ask me if they’re allowed to go to Q Town. The answer is yes; the only thing that you're going to need to do is to go through the base security and present a Real ID or a DOD ID to get through the gate. If you're not in the military, you will have to let them know what you're doing on base and where you're going.

A Rich History

Here’s a fun fact: many presidents have actually traveled the streets of Quantico. From Teddy Roosevelt cracking jokes in front of an old hardware store to Franklin D. Roosevelt traveling in his touring car followed by a motorcade, Q Town has seen a variety of important people. Even Harry Truman traveled from the Marine Corps Headquarters through Quantico to ride upon the waters of the Potomac.

Quantico has a lot of history. Many who know of the area have heard of Lake Lunga. While this lake, unfortunately, hasn't been accessible for quite some time, there is a marina located on base just past the town of Quantico. It has over 150 slips offering daytime, overnight, or long-term berthing for boats up to 50 feet in length—most with electric and water hookups. They also offer boat rentals, sailing lessons, kayaks, canoes, and paddleboard rentals. Pretty cool, right?

Inside Base

There are two sides to Marine Corps Base Quantico, with over 28,000 military contractors and civilians who work on base. The main side—which is where the Iwo Jima statue is located—is home to downtown Quantico, Quantico Station, the MCX, the commissary, the gym, the community events center, and base housing. It's also very close to the Marine Corps Museum, which is just outside of the Marine Corps Base. The main side also houses the Marine Corps Air Facility and HMX-1.

The second part of Quantico, which is on the west side of I-95, is home to where the Marines do a lot of their training, the DEA, and the FBI Academy for new agents, the FBI lab, the Hostage Rescue Team, and the basic school for the Marine Corps—along with so much more.

Commuting Options

Now that you know more about Quantico, let’s talk about some of the commuting options whether you live on or off base. The VRE happens to be located in Q Town, which is called Quantico Station. This makes for easy access. If you're commuting north, it happens to be the fifth stop on the Fredericksburg line after the Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, Leeland Station, and Brooke Road stops.

Even people who are not living on base can actually use this as an option to commute north. And speaking of trains, if you happen to be heading to either Dulles or Reagan, you can pick up the Amtrak or the VRE to either one of the airports. And here's a bonus: you can park for free at the Quantico Station.

Housing Options & Things To Do

Now let's talk about where you might live. Living off base happens to be one of the most popular options. However, if you're looking for base housing, Liberty Military Housing offers 1,137 homes within seven communities on base. It also offers an on-base movie theater, bowling alley, playgrounds, a golf course, paintball, and so much more.

Here's another fun fact: Marine Corps Base Quantico covers over 55,000 acres and three counties. It's in Prince William, Stafford, and Fauquier counties. It's huge. Just outside the Marine Corps Base is the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

The cool thing about this museum is it's very interactive; you can experience the intensity of boot camp, test your rifle firing skills, and bravely land on Iwo Jima. It’s a really cool place to experience and a must-visit when you're here.

Insider Tips

If you happen to live around the Quantico base and look up above, you may see an Osprey flying over your head. The cool thing is that Quantico has 43 live fire ranges, ranging from small arms all the way up to explosive demolitions. So if you feel that shake, rattle, and boom, that might be why. If you're interested in finding out when these things are actually happening, they do post the information so you know when to expect it.

Here's another insider tip: Quantico has what's called the Loan Locker Program. This program allows service members, family members, and DOD civilians to borrow basic household items for a period of up to 30 days while they await the arrival of their household goods. This service is absolutely free and is available both to inbound and outbound personnel that are assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico and the surrounding military installations.

Making Quantico Home

I hope this gave you a good idea of what you can expect when you arrive here in Quantico, Virginia. If you have any questions or would like more information about housing options, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to assist you.

Make sure to subscribe to my channel so you’re notified when the next episode of Give, Work, Play comes out, my show all about living in Northern Virginia. Stay tuned to see what I feature next!