Fort Pickett

Name: Fort Pickett
Address: VA, US

ArmyVA, US

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The National Guard's Training Heartland, Now With a Volatile Gate Sign

Fort Pickett (1942, original Confederate honoree) → Fort Barfoot (March 2023, honoring Col. Van T. Barfoot — Medal of Honor recipient earned as a Technical Sergeant near Carano, Italy in May 1944, Mississippi-born Choctaw Nation citizen, served Korea and Vietnam) → Fort Pickett again (June 2025, this time honoring Pvt. Vernon W. Pickett, a WWII soldier, not the Confederate general). Whatever the gate signage reads when you arrive, the structural truth is the same: this is the Virginia Army National Guard's primary training installation, federally released to Virginia in 1997 and operated by VAARNG ever since. The federal active component has a small cadre presence and routes federal training tenants through here; the soul of the post is Guard. 41,500 acres of Southside Virginia configured as the Maneuver Training Center Heavy and the Joint Maneuver Training Center — one of the Guard's premier heavy-maneuver venues, hosting armor and mech-infantry rotations year-round plus federal/state law enforcement training, the 183rd Regiment's RTI courses, and a peak summer Annual Training surge. Blackstone (3,400 residents) is the gate town and the cultural anchor — the post and the town are functionally one ecosystem with a deep VAARNG identity. Crewe and Burkeville are smaller still. Farmville (30 min west) has Longwood and Hampden-Sydney. Richmond is an hour north for actual urban amenities. BAH at $1,515 (E-5 deps under MHA ZZ710) against $900-$1,400 3BR rents in Nottoway makes this one of the most generous cost-of-living trades in the federal active-component Army — if you're stationed here on Title 10 orders. The Southside landscape — pine forest, slow creeks, tobacco-history small towns — is genuinely pretty. No MTF on post, so plan healthcare around Centra Southside, Kenner clinic at Fort Lee, or Richmond. Pack patience for the gate-sign tense.

37.0367°N, 77.9667°WVA, US

Blackstone, VA (Nottoway County, 5 min); Richmond, VA (1 hr); Petersburg, VA (45 min)

|Hot & humid summers, mild winters with occasional ice|low COL

Virginia Army National Guard primary training installationManeuver Training Center HeavyJoint Maneuver Training CenterFederal Law Enforcement Training Center–Cherokee training tenant

PCS Intel

Major UnitsVirginia Army National Guard (VAARNG) — primary tenant and operating force · Maneuver Training Center Heavy (MTC-H) — the post is the VAARNG's primary training installation and one of the Guard's top heavy-maneuver training venues · Joint Maneuver Training Center — supports multi-service and joint training rotations · 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute (VAARNG) · Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) tenant footprint · Rotational AC/RC/ARNG/USMC/federal-LE training units year-round

PopulationSmall permanent-party footprint (a few hundred VAARNG full-time staff plus federal contract and limited Title 10 cadre). Tens of thousands of training-rotation Soldiers/Marines/airmen and federal LE cycling through annually, with peak summer training (AT) population surging into the thousands.

Nearest AirportRichmond International (RIC) — 1 hr north; Norfolk International (ORF) — 2 hrs east; Raleigh-Durham (RDU) — 2.5 hrs south

HousingVery limited on-post family housing — the installation is fundamentally a training base, not a permanent-party post. Most assigned cadre live off-post in Blackstone (Nottoway County), Burkeville, Crewe, or commute from Chesterfield/Colonial Heights (Petersburg metro, 45-60 min) or Mecklenburg (1 hr). 3BR rents in Southside VA run $900-$1,400 — among the lowest in Virginia.

SchoolsNottoway County Public Schools is the local district — small, rural, adequate but limited. Most cadre families with school-age kids commute from Chesterfield County Public Schools (Richmond suburbs, well-rated) or Amelia/Dinwiddie/Prince George County districts. No DoDEA.

MedicalNo on-post MTF. Care routes via Tricare East (Humana Military) to the regional civilian network — Centra Southside Community Hospital (Farmville, 30 min west) and CMH Blackstone (small local hospital) are the closest. VCU Medical Center (Richmond, 1 hr) is the regional academic Level I trauma. Fort Lee (45 min east) is the closest military medical option (Kenner Army Health Clinic — outpatient only).

Spouse EmploymentVery limited in Nottoway/Lunenburg/Amelia counties — rural Southside Virginia. Most professional spouses telework, commute to Richmond/Petersburg, or work civil-service GS positions on the installation. The Richmond/Petersburg metro is the realistic professional job market for any spouse who can absorb the commute.

Commute / GatesMain gate access from US-460 / VA-40. Traffic is minimal — this is rural Nottoway County. The bigger commute story is the drive in from Richmond/Petersburg metro for cadre who choose to live there for schools/amenities (45 min to 1 hr each way on US-460).

Local AreaBlackstone is the immediate gate town — Nottoway County's largest community at ~3,400 residents, with a historic downtown, a small commercial strip, and a deep VAARNG cultural identity (the post and the town are functionally one ecosystem). Crewe and Burkeville (Nottoway County) are smaller still. Farmville (30 min west — Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney College) is the closest college-town. Petersburg (45 min east) is the closest mid-size city. Richmond (1 hr north) is the regional capital with full urban amenities. The Southside Virginia landscape — pine forest, tobacco/peanut farm history, small clear creeks, rolling piedmont — is genuinely scenic. The post itself sprawls across roughly 41,500 acres of varied training terrain.

RecreationTwin Lakes State Park and Bear Creek Lake State Park · Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (45 min west) · Petersburg National Battlefield (45 min east) · Richmond and the James River (1 hr) · Lake Gaston (1 hr south) · Southside Virginia hunting and fishing

The Good

+Quiet rural Southside Virginia
+Generous BAH-to-rent ratio
+Strong VAARNG cultural identity
+Petersburg, Richmond, and the Tidewater all in day-trip range

The Bad

−Very small permanent-party Army footprint — primarily VAARNG and rotational
−Blackstone is genuinely small
−Most assigned cadre commute from outside Nottoway County
−Limited on-post family infrastructure
−No federal active-component MTF nearby

By the Numbers

DFAS · state revenue

BAH 2026 · MHA ZZ710

Grade

w/ dependents

w/o dependents

E-4

$1,404

$1,128

E-5

$1,515

$1,227

E-6

$1,818

$1,362

E-7

$1,890

$1,419

E-8

$1,968

$1,581

E-9

$2,082

$1,665

O-1

$1,560

$1,293

O-2

$1,815

$1,482

O-3

$2,016

$1,704

O-4

$2,253

$1,887

O-5

$2,424

$1,926

Tax & Domicile

State Income Tax

Virginia: graduated 2.0% to 5.75% individual income tax for tax year 2024 (per VA Department of Taxation; top 5.75% bracket starts at $17,000 of taxable income — most active-duty SMs hit the top bracket). Active-duty military basic pay subtraction up to $15,000 only if deployed >90 days, phasing out at $30,000 of basic pay (Code of VA §58.1-322.03). Military retirement subtraction up to $30,000 for tax year 2024. VAARNG members on Title 32 / state active duty face VA tax on that pay (federal SCRA SLR protections do not extend to state active duty status the same way they do to Title 10 service).

Sales Tax

VA state 4.3% + local 1.0% = 5.3% combined Nottoway County. VA exempts most groceries from state sales tax (1% local portion still applies).

Vehicle Registration

VA DMV registration $40.75 base + local personal property tax (Nottoway County rate $3.75 per $100 NADA value; Chesterfield County $3.60 per $100 with PPT relief). No annual safety inspection statewide as of July 2024. Emissions inspection NOT required in Nottoway/Chesterfield/Dinwiddie (program covers Northern Virginia only).

Domicile Play

SCRA preserves SLR for Title 10 active-duty SMs; MSRRA extends to spouses of Title 10 SMs. VAARNG members serving in state active duty / Title 32 status have different residency rules — most VAARNG soldiers are VA-domiciled and pay VA tax on Guard income. For Title 10 active-component SMs on orders to Barfoot, the no-tax-state SLR play (TX/FL/TN/WA) saves real money. The MSRRA spouse election is high-value for AC spouses; less applicable for VAARNG soldiers' spouses.

Family Logistics

Childcare

CDC

Limited CDC footprint on post given the small permanent-party population. VAARNG family-readiness and CYS-equivalent support exists; MilitaryChildCare.com waitlist applies for the federal CDC component. Demand is structurally lower than at maneuver posts, but supply is correspondingly thin — pre-PCS registration recommended for infant slots.

EDIS

EDIS (Educational and Developmental Intervention Services) coordinated through regional military medical catchment referral (Kenner Army Health Clinic at Fort Lee, 45 min east) for Title 10 dependents ages birth-3 with developmental needs. EFMP is the gateway.

Off-base options

Nottoway, Lunenburg, and Amelia counties have a thin licensed civilian childcare market. Chesterfield County and Richmond have a deep market within commuting reach. VDSS Division of Licensing Programs maintains the Virginia public license registry. Fee Assistance Program offsets civilian costs.

Pets

Breed Restrictions

On-post family housing follows Army restricted-breed policy (where applicable to the federal Title 10 cadre footprint): Pit Bull family, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, wolf hybrids prohibited. Max 2 pets typical. Verify at lease signing. Southside VA reality: ticks endemic (Lyme/RMSF/ehrlichiosis), copperhead and timber-rattlesnake exposure in wooded training areas, heartworm endemic.

Vet Access

Limited on-post veterinary services — most pet care via the regional civilian veterinary market (Blackstone, Farmville, Petersburg, Richmond). Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (Blacksburg, 3.5 hrs) is the regional academic/teaching/specialty resource.

Healthcare on the Ground

MTF

No on-post MTF — care routes through the regional military and civilian network. The nearest military medical facility is Kenner Army Health Clinic at Fort Lee (45 min east — outpatient primary care only, no inpatient or ER).

Specialty Referrals

All care routes to civilian Tricare network via Humana Military (East). Centra Southside Community Hospital (Farmville, 30 min — small community hospital), CMH Blackstone (very small local hospital), and HCA/Bon Secours hospitals in the Richmond/Petersburg metro are the closest civilian options. VCU Medical Center (Richmond, 1 hr — Level I trauma, academic) is the regional tertiary destination. Complex pediatric cases route to Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU or further.

Mental Health Access

Behavioral health via regional military catchment referral and Tricare network. Embedded behavioral health is limited to the small permanent-party population. VAARNG offers state-level behavioral health support for Guard members. Military OneSource 1-800-342-9647. Military Crisis Line 988 press 1.

Civilian Tricare Network

Tricare East network in Southside VA is thin locally and improves significantly at Richmond/Petersburg distances. VCU Health, HCA Virginia (Chippenham, Henrico Doctors'), and Bon Secours (St. Francis, St. Mary's) all participate. Specialty depth is limited locally; complex cases route to Richmond.

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