MCB Quantico is in a high cost of living area. It is highly recommended you get a sponsor when PCSing to MCB Quantico in order to get up-to-date information regarding the cost of living so you can be prepared to successfully transition to a high cost of living area. Contact your local Relocation Assistance Services at your installation to get information about obtaining a sponsor. Contact your Base Personal Financial Counselor for assistance with financial preparation for a PCS move.
MCB Quantico Installation Personal Financial Management Counselor: 703-784-2650 or email mccsquanticoppdregistration@usmc.mil
Uniform -- All military personnel reporting aboard should check-in wearing the service "Alpha" uniform, regardless of the uniform season.
Area Traffic -- Newcomers should be aware that I-95 is a very busy highway linking Florida and Maine, as well as the commuter link to Washington, DC from this area. One can expect all the characteristics of "rush hour" near any large city including delays, accidents, and construction. While there is mass transit available (i.e. train, bus, vanpool, carpool in HOV [High Occupancy Vehicle lanes]), traffic is extremely busy during peak hours. It generally takes up to an hour or more to commute between the Quantico area and the Pentagon or DC. Toll lanes can reduce travel time but tolls will be higher during peak travel hours.
Cost of Living -- Cost of off-base housing is relatively high in the Quantico area due to the close proximity of the base to Washington, D.C. Be sure to check-in with the Housing Office prior to negotiating any off base housing agreements. The Housing Office is located at 13201 Perkins Street. Liberty Military Housing can be contacted at 703-432-8500 and The Family Housing Branch can be contacted at Family Housing Reception Desk: 703-784-2711 or (DSN) 278-2711
Telephone Access -- When making phone calls aboard Quantico, please follow these guidelines: if you are calling a Quantico base number from a base number, you must dial either 784 or 432 and the last four numbers. Phone numbers that begin with 640 or 630 must first be preceded by the area code 703. The DSN prefix for Quantico is 278. Base Information: 703-784-2252 or 278-2121. Command Duty Officer: 703-784-2707.
Defense Service Network (DSN) Dialing Instructions
The DSN is the provider of long-distance communications service for the Department of Defense (DoD). Every installation has a special DSN number and the numbers vary by world-wide location. In order to place a call using DSN, the caller must be using a military phone on an installation. Cell phones cannot dial DSN numbers. When dialing a DSN number from a United States installation to another United States installation, it is unnecessary to dial the DSN 312 area code. When dialing a DSN number to/from overseas locations, the DSN area code must be included. The operator can be reached at commercial 703-784-2252. Please note that long distance charges may be incurred.
MCINCR-MCB Quantico commands and controls assigned organizations and provides facilities and services to tenant commands, military and civilian personnel, and family members in order to promote and sustain training, readiness and facilitate Inter-Agency, Joint, and Service-level missions.
The U.S. government acquired Quantico in 1917. The Marine Corps desperately needed an east coast base to train both officer and enlisted Marines. During its infancy, the base was known as Marine Corps Schools Quantico. It is the most unique post in the Marine Corps because it is truly the "Crossroads of the Corps." It is here that all Marine Officers begin their careers and where many thousands of Marines attend professional military education schools throughout their careers. In 1968, the name was changed to Marine Corps Development and Education Command, reflecting the command's dual mission of military education and the development of new concepts and weapons. Since 1987, however, the command has been known as the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. For more information on the history of MCB Quantico, please visit Quantico's https://www.quantico.marines.mil/Home/History/
QUANTICO ViIRGINIA POPULATION
August 2022 Population Report:
The population of Prince William County 492,576 (2023)
The population of the Washington, D.C. metro area 5,490,000 (2023)
The population of Stafford County 165,381 (2023)
The population of the City of Fredericksburg VA 29,092 (2023)
Marine Corps Base Quantico is located 35 miles south of Washington, D.C., in Prince William County, Virginia. It can be reached from exits 148 (South Entrance) and 150-A (North Entrance, Main Gate), just off I-95. Quantico has many attractions surrounding it. To the north is your nation’s capitol with the world’s largest museum complex consisting of 15 museums, galleries and the National Zoo. To the south is the city of Fredericksburg, one of the most historical cities in America, along with its many civil war battlefields. To the east is the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and to the west are the breathtaking Appalachian Mountains, Shenandoah Valley and Skyline Drive.
Quantico is considered a high-cost area for housing, whether you’re buying or renting. There are no geographic bachelor accommodations aboard Quantico. Personnel who intend to leave their family in another location must be prepared to pay for housing off the installation. The Base Operator's phone number is 703-784-2252 or 278-2121.
Marine Corps Base Quantico is located off of Interstate I 95 in Virginia, 36 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 20 miles north of Fredericksburg.
Driving from I-95
Take exit 150A, Quantico/Triangle. Take route 619 east to the entrance of the base. Marine sentries assist visitors arriving at the base, giving directions to their destination. Proper identification, such as a state driver's license, is required for base entry.
Airports
The two airports closest to MCB Quantico are Dulles International, located in Centerville, VA, and Ronald Reagan Washington National, in Washington, D.C. Shuttle services are available from both.
Bus and Train Transportation
There are both Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express train services to the town of Quantico.
All personnel requesting access to MCINCR-MCB Quantico must have an approved ID and be registered into the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS), prior to being allowed access to the base. DoD issued ID cards (CAC - common access card & TESLIN - retiree, dependent, reserve, individual ready reserve) do Not require any action and will be automatically enrolled into DBIDS. All other approved ID’s require registering that ID credential into DBIDS at the visitor control center, or other approved site aboard the installation. There is no cost to the individual or company to register or obtain a base access credential.
Other approved IDs that can be used for installation entry, after registration into DBIDS, are as follows:
Federal PIV Cards – DHS, FBI, DEA, State Department, etc.
Personal Identity Verification Interoperable (PIV-I) Cards – based on the same standards of vetting and issuance developed by the U.S. government for its employees, but it has been tailored for non-federal use.
Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) Card from another military installation.
REAL ID or Enhanced ID
Visit this website to get information on procedures to get access the base for non-military affiliated personnel: https://www.quantico.marines.mil/Info/Base-Access/
Shuttle bus service is not available aboard Quantico. Local taxi service is available. For transportation off-base, the OmniLink Bus Service provides transportation from the town of Quantico to the towns of Triangle, Dumfries, and Woodbridge. There are both Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express train service to the Town of Quantico.
Quantico Base Contact Number
703-784-2252 or DSN 278-2121
Release 2024.03.06.1