Navigating the waters of Hampton Roads is tricky—and was even more so in the late nineteenth century. A Lighthouse Depot illuminated the waters on the Elizabeth River until the U.S. Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard in 1939. Several more expansions and mergers led to the present day U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, or Base Portsmouth for short. Base Portsmouth occupies 187 acres of waterfront property in Portsmouth, Virginia and is home to 24 commands.

Because there is no housing on Base Portsmouth, Coast Guard families have to live “on the economy” in the surrounding Southside communities. Privatized housing is available through other Hampton Roads military installations or sprinkled throughout the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and others.