What's the deal with Palm Bay?

[Theaxman]

Will have to agree with the sentiment about PB. My wife and I moved to Brevard County from the Midwest (in our late 30s). The relocation company got us an apartment in West Melbourne/N. PB near 192. I didn't feel comfortable at night and I grew up in the Detroit area. When we moved there in 2004, PB was marketed towards relocators as surburban living in a small town setting. In reality, it turned into an overdeveloped, underfunded community with people that either couldn't afford to live there or people that wanted what they moved from (Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Boston).

We wound up moving to Viera area and like it. As a single, you may want to look into the N. Melbourne area, between Post Rd. and Viera Blvd. There are alot of nice condos, apartments and reasonably priced homes in the area. You would also be about the same distance from the airport.

Look, every where has crime and Brevard County's meth reputation is primarily in the boonie north and south parts of the county. But I'll take a county that has 1 murder a month (usually domestic violence related) to one murder every three days in alot of major cities. As far as jobs, hope you have some sense of security in your role (I know, doesn't mean a whole lot today). The job market dried up a couple of years ago and if you do have to look for another opportunity, you will probably have to move to Orlando. There are plenty of opportunities if you're looking to open a business.

[MartinEden99]

Palm Bay is not a bad place...just a big place which has good & bad spots in it.

It isn't terribly exciting, there isn't a lot of culture, etc...but it is a safe & affordable place to live where you can get a little more for your money, and some land & privacy. Now, as with all places that are "cheap"...it's cheap for a reason...and that is the lack of good paying jobs & industries. But if you have a (reasonably) secure job, it can be a highly desirable place to live.

I'd suggest the OP (if truly interested in Palm Bay) look into the Lockmar area. If Viera is too far, I'd say W Melbourne area off Eber Rd. (as suggested by others as well).

You can certainly do well in other areas of Palm Bay...but the drive to the airport may be lengthy if you go too far south and those areas are where I would tell my (hypothetical) 30 yr old single sister to look.

[floridadreamer]

I live in a condo that is down a residential street between Aurora Rd and Lake Washington Rd, it's very quiet and gated, with a pool. There are some restrictions on certain large dog breeds though. I agree this area and north offers many options for nice and even somewhat reasonably priced rentals. This complex offers upper and lower level options, I have small children, so living upstairs isn't an option for me either.

As for Palm Bay, there are a couple of complexes along Palm Bay Rd, one is Oakwood Villas and the other in Malibu Villas (I think that might actually be on Riviera). Their 2 bd units are a bit small as far as living room space, but bedroom sizes are okay and they offer a nice private courtyard area that is better than any little patio I've seen for a condo. The 3 bedrooms are all 2 story townhouses but still offer the courtyard area. As far as crime, anywhere you have an excessive amount of renters, there will be a bit more. These two are within about 20 minutes of the airport and offer easy access to 95 if wanting to go to Orlando.

[luciano navarro]

hi ! looking to move in palm bay area...cause ..heard there is chances for septic cleaner thanks. and home improvement work....also escavation and septic thank intallation business...not knowing the area well..i would like some suggestion...willing to invest and create work in the area...thanks !

[jdoty]

Originally Posted by luciano navarro

hi ! looking to move in palm bay area...cause ..heard there is chances for septic cleaner thanks. and home improvement work....also escavation and septic thank intallation business...not knowing the area well..i would like some suggestion...willing to invest and create work in the area...thanks !

Most homes in Palm Bay have septic tanks. It's probably a good business to be in here.

[CountryGirlSmeddums]

What kind of big dog do you have? I had a German Shepherd and found it extremely difficult to find someone to rent from. Even though it is the most popular breed in America, the entire country views them as a vicous breed (never mind that small dogs bite quicker).
But, I still wouldn't recommend moving to Palm Bay. The crime rate is higher than the rest of Brevard, and there are many more accidents. I live in Melbourne, and it's really not too bad, but again it depends on what area you move too. Mid-town has more problems. The northern section of Brevard (Viera & Suntree) are more expensive, but quieter and has less crime.

[jdoty]

Originally Posted by CountryGirlSmeddums

What kind of big dog do you have? I had a German Shepherd and found it extremely difficult to find someone to rent from. Even though it is the most popular breed in America, the entire country views them as a vicous breed (never mind that small dogs bite quicker).
But, I still wouldn't recommend moving to Palm Bay. The crime rate is higher than the rest of Brevard, and there are many more accidents. I live in Melbourne, and it's really not too bad, but again it depends on what area you move too. Mid-town has more problems. The northern section of Brevard (Viera & Suntree) are more expensive, but quieter and has less crime.

The crime rate is absolutely not higher than the rest of Brevard County. The city with the highest crime rate is Cocoa, with Melbourne in second. Go look at the data.

[TestEngr]

I like living near Palm Bay, which is just a few blocks from me. Palm bay has a large set of employers. Palm Bay is were a good diversity occurs, I can buy all the exotic foods we as a family love, and I feel 100% comfortable going around Palm Bay. I do not know where the bad press came from, of course a few run down areas exist, but less so than Melbourne I would say. I agree with jdoty quite a lot on this.