Portsmouth Naval Medical Center is located on the northeastern corner of Portsmouth, Virginia. Portsmouth has a population of about 97,000, and is part of the larger Hampton Roads metropolitan area, with roughly 1.7 million people. The nearest major city is Norfolk, with about about 246,000 people. Other Hampton Roads cities include Virginia Beach (448,000), Chesapeake (229,000), Hampton (139,000), Newport News (183,000), and Suffolk (87,000). All of these are independent cities, outside of any Virginia county.

PNMC is in downtown Portsmouth, about a mile from city center; this takes about 5 minutes to commute, but the city and metro area is very large and somewhat congested, and travel times can vary tremendously. The average commute in the city of Portsmouth is about 25 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Portsmouth area ranges from $550 to $900 per month, with a median of about $700 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Portsmouth is about $184,000, compared to $244,000 - $255,000 for Virginia.

Short Description of the Area: Portsmouth was settled in the early 18th Century, and is one of the oldest settled areas in the USA, with a great many historic buildings alongside much more modern areas. The Hampton Roads area in general has a notably low crime rate, and a well regarded set of emergency services. This area is generally considered a good place to live.

Climate and Weather: The Hampton Roads area has a temperate climate, winter temperatures of the low 50s to low 30s, and summer temperatures from to the high 80s to low 70s. The area has fairly moderate weather; most major storm tracks are north or south of coastal Virginia, and moderate rainfall is fairly steady year-round. Summers are warm and humid with more frequent rain. Winters cool and mild with slightly less rain and occasional light snow.