When we got orders to Fort Benning in 2023, the closest I had ever been to Columbus, Georgia was Atlanta.

I was moving across the country from Washington with a newborn and two dogs, we were building a house I had never lived in, and I really didn’t know what to expect from the area.

Three years later, we’re still here—and at this point, Fort Benning and Columbus genuinely feel like home.

That doesn’t mean everything about living here is perfect. There are things I love, things that took some getting used to, and a few things I would absolutely do differently if we were PCSing here all over again.

So, if you just got orders to Fort Benning and you’re currently doing exactly what I did—scrolling Facebook groups, staring at Google Maps, and trying to figure out where the heck you’re supposed to live—here’s my perspective after actually living here.

Coming to Fort Benning From Washington

I grew up in Washington, so moving to Georgia was a pretty major change.

By the time we received our PCS orders, though, I was ready for one.

Washington is beautiful. The summers are incredible, there’s a ton to do outdoors, and the landscape is hard to beat. But it’s also expensive. We had purchased two homes there and felt like we had overpaid for both of them.

The idea of moving somewhere with a significantly lower cost of living was exciting.

The actual PCS? A little less exciting.

To make our move as efficient as possible and maximize what we could get back from it, my husband and I had to divide and conquer. He drove across the country with our two dogs while I flew to Georgia with our newborn.

We were fortunate to have family helping us, but not being able to make that move together was probably one of the hardest parts.

How We Figured Out Where to Live

Like a lot of military families, I started with Facebook groups.

We also had friends who had been stationed at Fort Benning before us, so I asked a lot of questions about areas they liked, areas they wouldn’t necessarily choose, commute times, and what everyday life was actually like.

Once we had a better understanding of our budget and what we wanted in a house, we connected with a local Realtor to fine-tune the search.

Our number-one priority was the area.

We spent a lot of time researching crime and safety information before we started worrying about square footage, finishes or any of the fun house stuff. Once we narrowed down where we were comfortable, then we focused on the house.

We ultimately chose Midland, Georgia.

For us, it checked a lot of boxes. We could have a relatively easy commute to Fort Benning, live in a quieter residential area and still be close to the shopping and everyday amenities we wanted.

Why We Chose Midland

We ended up building a new-construction home in Garrett Pines, and I’m really happy with where we landed.

Our neighborhood has a combination of established homes and newer construction, and we’re roughly 10 minutes from Midland Commons. Even in the few years we’ve lived here, that area has continued to grow with more restaurants, shopping and amenities.

At the time, Midland also felt like the safe choice for us—not just in terms of our priorities for the area, but because we didn’t know Columbus yet.

I wasn’t ready to move farther into a rural area without really understanding what that would mean for our commute or access to things we used regularly.

Now?

I’d probably be more adventurous.

After living here and working throughout the area, I understand the different pockets around Columbus, Harris County and even the Alabama side much better. If we buy another home here, I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up a little farther out in the Midland/Harris County direction.

That’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned since moving here: there are a lot more options than I realized when I was trying to make sense of everything from Washington.

I Completely Underestimated the Alabama Side

Before we moved, I had an impression that living on the Alabama side would put us farther away from everything.

Fort Mitchell, Phenix City and the surrounding areas just felt far when I was looking at them from across the country.

Living here changed that perception.

The accessibility to major highways makes a big difference, and traffic around Fort Benning is nothing like what I was accustomed to in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

That’s also why I wouldn’t automatically eliminate an area based purely on how far away it looks on a map.

From our home in Midland, my husband’s commute is usually about 20–25 minutes to the main gate and another 10 minutes to where he actually works on post. Traffic is rarely a major issue.

Coming from Washington, that still feels pretty amazing.

My First Impression of Columbus

We moved here during probably the worst possible time if you’re trying to fall in love with Georgia weather.

It was HOT.

The heat and humidity have honestly been the biggest adjustment for me, and three years later, I’m still not going to pretend I’ve completely adapted.

But there were also things I noticed immediately that I liked.

Everything was incredibly green, and Columbus was much more built up than I expected. I didn’t feel like I was giving up access to shopping, restaurants or basic amenities by leaving Washington.

The landscape itself was an adjustment. As someone who grew up in Washington, Georgia felt incredibly flat. Washington’s scenery changes dramatically depending on where you go, and I definitely missed that variety.

But what surprised me most wasn’t really the landscape.

It was the people.

Southern Hospitality Is Actually a Thing

This might be one of my favorite things about living here.

People are NICE.

We became friends with our neighbors relatively easily, and people generally seem more willing to talk to each other and build relationships.

Coming from the Pacific Northwest, there can sometimes be a little more of a standoffish culture. There’s even a stereotype around that, and while obviously it doesn’t describe everyone, I had experienced it.

Here, people just seem more sociable.

That has played a huge role in making Georgia feel like home.

There wasn’t one dramatic moment where I suddenly thought, Okay, we’re home now.

It happened gradually.

We got out of the temporary housing. Our household goods finally arrived. We moved into our house. I started putting things on the walls—which, as someone who cares probably way too much about interiors, is when a house starts feeling like mine.

Then we met people.

Our friends had kids. Our kids started playing together. We developed our routines.

Eventually there weren’t so many unknowns anymore.

Our Temporary Housing Actually Worked Out Really Well

Because our new-construction home wasn’t finished when we arrived, we needed somewhere furnished to stay without knowing exactly how long we’d need it.

We found a furnished rental through Furnished Finder rather than Airbnb and signed a month-to-month lease.

The home happened to be owned by another local real estate agent, which made communication and the application process really straightforward.

And when you’re moving somewhere you’ve never lived before, there’s something incredibly reassuring about pulling into a quiet neighborhood, walking into the house and realizing it actually looks like the pictures.

For us, it ended up being a really good transition while we waited for our home to be completed and our belongings to arrive.

Raising Kids Near Fort Benning

When we moved here, I had a newborn.

That newborn is now four, and we also have a one-year-old, so my perspective on Columbus has increasingly become the perspective of a mom raising young kids here.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed it.

The hardest thing for us was finding high-quality, reliable and consistent childcare. It took longer than I expected to find the right fit, and we ultimately chose more of a home-daycare setup rather than a traditional childcare facility.

As our oldest has gotten older, education has naturally become a much bigger part of the conversation.

One thing I’ve appreciated is having different options depending on what matters to your family. For us, finding a school with more of a religious foundation was important, and we were able to find an environment where our daughter could receive the kind of hands-on education we wanted.

As far as things to actually do with kids, I don’t feel like we’ve run out of options.

They’re just not always obvious.

I’ve found a lot of our favorite little places through talking with other parents—indoor play options, crafts, activities and other hidden gems that I probably never would’ve discovered when we first moved here.

Summer is admittedly harder.

When it’s pushing 100 degrees outside, you’re probably not spending your afternoon casually wandering around a playground. Unless there’s a swimming pool involved, we tend to look for indoor activities.

Which brings me to the one housing decision I would absolutely change…

I would’ve bought a house with a pool.

Seriously.

If I could go back to 2023 Alexandria and change one thing about the house, that’s probably it.

The Cost of Living Was a Huge Positive

This was something I expected to appreciate, and I absolutely do.

Coming from Washington, the difference in everyday expenses was noticeable. Even something as simple as grocery shopping can feel dramatically less expensive than what we were accustomed to.

Housing was also a major factor.

Moving here allowed us to increase our square footage and get much closer to the type of home we actually wanted.

For our new construction, I cared about having enough bedrooms and bathrooms, a two-story layout, a large backyard for the dogs and the ability to customize finishes and upgrades.

Moving somewhere completely unfamiliar made the house itself even more important to me.

Home was my safe space.

I wanted to be able to unpack our things and feel like we could immediately start living rather than jumping into a list of renovations.

But Pay Attention to Why Homes Cost What They Cost

One thing I would tell anyone moving here is not to look at price alone.

There can be significant differences in home prices and rental rates depending on where you are around Columbus and the surrounding areas.

Do your research.

Crime and safety information were major considerations for us personally, and those were things we looked into before narrowing down where we wanted to live.

A home that seems like an incredible deal on Zillow might be priced differently from another seemingly similar property for a reason.

That’s where local knowledge becomes incredibly valuable—especially when you’re trying to make these decisions from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Buying vs. Renting Near Fort Benning

Becoming a Realtor after moving here has also completely changed the way I look at housing around Fort Benning.

I’ve realized there can be a lot of long-term investment upside to purchasing here when you have the right information and resources.

Military families have a unique problem, though.

You don’t necessarily know how long you’re staying.

You could buy a house thinking you’ll be here for several years and receive PCS orders two years later. Depending on the market and how much equity you’ve built, selling immediately may not always make sense.

So when I look at homes now, I think about two things:

Can this feel like home while you’re here?

And:

Does this property still make sense if your plans change?

Could it potentially work as a rental later? Does the location make sense? Are you buying something that gives you options?

For our family, buying made much more sense than renting. But I don’t think that’s a blanket answer for every military family.

One of the Best Things About Columbus Is That You Can Leave Columbus

And I mean that as a compliment.

There are plenty of things to do here, but I also love how easy it is to get away.

When we have the time, we can head toward Florida for the beach or drive north toward the mountains.

That accessibility has been a huge plus.

You can have a relatively manageable cost of living and quieter everyday lifestyle here without feeling completely isolated from everything else the Southeast has to offer.

So, What’s It Actually Like Living at Fort Benning?

If you just received orders, you’re probably going to hear opinions.

A lot of them.

And there are definitely people who don’t have very good things to say about Fort Benning.

My perspective after living here since 2023 is pretty simple:

You make the most of where you’re stationed.

Fort Benning has a lot of positives.

For us, the lower cost of living has been great. My husband’s commute is manageable. We’ve found good options for our kids. We’ve been able to own a home we love. We’ve discovered parts of Georgia and Alabama we never would’ve experienced otherwise.

But more than anything, we’ve built a community here.

If we received orders tomorrow, the hardest thing about leaving wouldn’t be our house, Midland Commons or even giving up the convenience of living here.

It would be our friends.

We’ve been incredibly fortunate to build strong relationships with a small group of people, our kids have friends here, and somewhere along the way, the duty station we knew almost nothing about became home.

So if you’re sitting in another state right now with Fort Benning orders in hand and feeling completely overwhelmed, I understand.

Do your research. Ask questions. Don’t assume the first opinions you hear about an area are the whole story. And give yourself some time to actually experience Columbus before deciding how you feel about it.

Oh—and if you’re house hunting during the summer?

Maybe add pool to your wish list.