Should I relocate my family to the Space Coast? (Jacksonville: apartments, condos)
Brevard CountySpace Coast: Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville area
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Nycgirl, If you do not currently live here you would not understand. I know it looks like all sunshine down here but believe me it is not! I absolutely never did all that either. But, keep in mind Orlando attractions are twice as much as the NYC events I mentioned. In NYC there are FREE days at all museums? Here? Nothing is free! Sports fan? Hmm well we have the Nationals spring training field lol. I know NYC is very expensive I lived on Staten Island before I moved down here. I do not plan on moving back to NY myself I am just getting out of Florida asap! I am definitely not alone in my feelings for the state, Just looks through 1000's of posts on this forum alone and you will find that out quicky.
We are coming from the San Francisco Bay area. I have a great job out here, but don't have any close family here and a even though I have a great job, affordability will always be an issue out here. My parents and sister live in Jacksonville, so the Space Coast is place we are looking at that would be relatively close. I also have a job interview in Eastern TN (tri cities area) where I have some more family, and am trying to feel out the pros and cons of each area. Can anyone speak more directly to the questions in the OP? Thanks!
I can answer some of the op's questions. I, personally, am not a fan of the area, but I'll try to be unbiased.
Crime - I do not feel unsafe here AT ALL. I know people will pull up random instances of crime, but if you've lived in a major city prior to living here then you will feel perfectly safe. I never worry walking alone or with my toddlers. There are areas that I would avoid after dark or alone (the area around FIT, for example) but I feel very safe here and I grew up on a farm in Indiana.
Good for families - I hear people say that this area is good for families. I don't understand why they say that. If you are into outdoor things then there are lots of opportunities for doing those things, but other than that I just don't get how it's so good for kids. There aren't many strip clubs or seedy places to avoid which is nice. Living in Tampa you would see billboards advertising strip clubs. You don't see that type of thing here. There is the zoo, and Disney type stuff 1.25 hours away, and things within a 3 hour drive - springs to snorkle in and pro sports, but right here there doesn't seem to be much.
My husband also interviewed in the TriCities area and although I don't care for it here, I am very grateful that we are here and not there. At least here you get the beach, a few months of nice weather, and can be to a city in 1.5 hours and 6 tolls.
Good luck with your choice. Either one will be a dramatic change from San Fran.
Mommster, thanks for the response. I am curious about why, even though you don't care for it too much, you are glad you are not in the tri cities? I am an outdoors kind of person and so I might find space coast to be ok, but I'm worried that after awhile the beach and flat land will get old. I much more resonate with mountains and lakes; hence, the appeal of eastern TN where I also have family located. Although my parents and sister live in Jacksonville. There lies the dilemma. I am hoping once I go to interview at each place it will become clearer.
I now realize that I need to live in the suburbs of a pretty large city. I like being able to go to a pro baseball game at the spur of the moment, stop in the Apple store if I need to, and just have convience without having to plan a day to drive to another city. Johnson City isn't very big and it's quite a drive to Asheville. Driving through the mountains is murder on my nerves so I probably wouldn't do that often. In the other direction is Knoxville, but that's just not what I'm looking for either. Tennessee was very pretty and seemed "homier" to me than Melbourne. That's probably b/c I'm from the midwest. There are the basic things you need in the Tri Cities if you are ok with that. I know someone who did student teaching there and raved about the schools so I don't think that is a concern. Housing prices in Johnson City are rising a lot due to retirees moving to that area instead of Asheville. I do miss the hills of the midwest for sure and the more dramatic change in seasons. We would have enjoyed those things in Tennessee. It just seemed too far away from stuff when we went for the interview but now we're in Melbourne and it seems too far away also. lol. If you can spend a few days with your family in each place it the answer may be obvious to you. For us, coming to Florida was the best choice. I'd love to hear what you think of both areas after your interviews. The culture and climate of both areas are going to be such a drastic change from S.F., although I understand JC is pretty liberal.
I now realize that I need to live in the suburbs of a pretty large city. I like being able to go to a pro baseball game at the spur of the moment, stop in the Apple store if I need to, and just have convience without having to plan a day to drive to another city. Johnson City isn't very big and it's quite a drive to Asheville. Driving through the mountains is murder on my nerves so I probably wouldn't do that often. In the other direction is Knoxville, but that's just not what I'm looking for either. Tennessee was very pretty and seemed "homier" to me than Melbourne. That's probably b/c I'm from the midwest. There are the basic things you need in the Tri Cities if you are ok with that. I know someone who did student teaching there and raved about the schools so I don't think that is a concern. Housing prices in Johnson City are rising a lot due to retirees moving to that area instead of Asheville. I do miss the hills of the midwest for sure and the more dramatic change in seasons. We would have enjoyed those things in Tennessee. It just seemed too far away from stuff when we went for the interview but now we're in Melbourne and it seems too far away also. lol. If you can spend a few days with your family in each place it the answer may be obvious to you. For us, coming to Florida was the best choice. I'd love to hear what you think of both areas after your interviews. The culture and climate of both areas are going to be such a drastic change from S.F., although I understand JC is pretty liberal.
Melbourne would be close enough for me to Orlando. You could be in SW Orlando in an hour, using 192 and then hopping on the turnpike. If you live in northern melbourne, you can use I-95 and the beachline with roughly the same timing.
Mommster, thanks for the response. I am curious about why, even though you don't care for it too much, you are glad you are not in the tri cities? I am an outdoors kind of person and so I might find space coast to be ok, but I'm worried that after awhile the beach and flat land will get old. I much more resonate with mountains and lakes; hence, the appeal of eastern TN where I also have family located. Although my parents and sister live in Jacksonville. There lies the dilemma. I am hoping once I go to interview at each place it will become clearer.
My husband grew up in the Tricity area and have to say it is absolutely beautiful area of the country. The weather is pretty mild compared to Chicago etc. , but they do get ice and snow in the winter. Compared to here, there doesn't seem to be as much to do....windy, steep roads and the fast , not staying on their side of the roads drivers scares me every time we go up there. We seem to do the same thing every time we visit family....Nascar, or a local race, go to Bays Mountain Park, hit the home place on the mountain in Virginia and Natural Tunnel park, , go to a flea market, and eat a Powell hot dog, and shop for clothes cause sales are better. Family lives on Boone Lake so in summer that is fun, too. We usually hit DollyWood for a day if there in the summer, too.
You get more house and land for the money. Pay is better than here. Schools seem iffy....Either my guys were super smart or my nephew wasn't or the school he attended seemed way behind what my guys were learning here. They didn't suffer as much with the downturn as Florida did, but things have tightened up some this year up there.
One good thing about choosing to live in either place it is only a days drive away so you can actually enjoy the beach and the mountains.
I know that. We did it this weekend. Apparently it doesn't bother most people, but I really want to live in the suburbs of a large city. I can't run over to the Apple store on my lunch hour from Melbourne.
I know that. We did it this weekend. Apparently it doesn't bother most people, but I really want to live in the suburbs of a large city. I can't run over to the Apple store on my lunch hour from Melbourne.
I guess.... not an apple fan myself but I can see your point. Still, you also lose some of that Orlando traffic by not being in a suburb, so it's give and take
I am coming out later this month for an interview with a private engineering company in Rockledge. I am in the process of looking into the area and curious for other people's opinions about some questions I have. I have a wife and 2 boys (ages 3 and 8 months).
Here are some of the questions that I have specifically about the area:
- Would you say that the area in general is a good place to raise a family?
Yes. I think this area is a decent place to raise a family, but we are in Melbourne Beach which is a very small town where everyone knows everyone and there is virtually no crime. I will say that where we are, it can feel "boring" at times. By that I mean when we don't feel like going to the beach again or don't feel like eating at the same handful of so-so restaurants. We moved here from SW Orlando (about 3 miles from the entrance to Downtown Disney and had annual passes, every restaurant and store you could ever want, tons of stuff to do). I am originally from New Hampshire. If I had moved to the Space Coast from NH, I would not have found it boring here at all but I think we were spoiled living so close to everything in Orlando. It is growing on me though as we get to know the area better and find more and more things to do. It has been a bit of an adjustment where at first I hated it here and wanted to go right back to SW Orlando, but as I've made friends and gotten more settled, I am starting to like it better here and I think we are going to stay.
- How "stable" is the area? I know NASA just had layoffs, but what about everything else?(in terms of the housing market, jobs, etc...) I am worried about the on-going and future effect of the housing bust in FL.
Not really sure. There have been a couple of articles lately about businesses moving into the area and that Brevard County is one of the top searches on Trulia ( I think it was) so it could be picking back up. The housing market is still down, and apparently another wave of foreclosures is set to hit the market all over the country. I would HIGHLY suggest renting a home for a year or so to see if you like the area. I would also HIGHLY suggest Viera or Suntree. That being said, see my next answer below and also, I think the housing & jobs situation is a nationwide issue. Yes the housing market hit harder here in FL, but it's not great anywhere.
- What does the future growth look like for the area? Is it trending in a positive direction? I wish I knew, I don't know if anyone knows for sure. I do see some new construction, a new BMW dealership is being built on Harbor City Blvd which to me is a positive sign that they saw a market to sell new BMWs.....hopefully their market research told them things will be improving soon. Overall, over the past 6 months I have seen little things like this happening around the area that give a glimmer of hope that it may be turning around a bit. This is all just my opinion so take it as you like. There were quite a few empty lots here in my area (beachfront and across the street from the beach) that were for sale for a while and I have noticed new homes being built on several of them over the past few months.
- How are the public schools in the area?
Hit or miss. You really need to read reviews on-line, read the school reports/grades at the Florida Dept. of Education website, etc. We were in an A+ rated school in Orlando but the teacher was horrible and my daughter had an awful year of school. Teachers can make all the difference. That is why I say rent, get to know the area, meet friends, talk to people about schools around you. You get the best advice from people actually in the school district.
- Being that I would be working in Rockledge, where would you suggest living to balance commute and good neighborhoods/schools?
Suntree or Viera.
- We are Christians and go to what I would call a "progressive non-denominational church" and we love it; it is modeled after the Willow Creek church in IL. Any good recommendations for churches that I can check out online for the area?
- Given our situation, any general thoughts or advice?
Is your wife a stay-at-home Mom? If so, what does she currently do with the kids on a daily basis (i.e. parks, activities, etc.) If she is home all day with two little ones, you want to check around to see if she will be comfortable living here and have enough things to do with the kids.
Thanks for reading!
George
Good luck!
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or the school he attended seemed way behind what my guys were learning here. They didn't suffer as much with the downturn as Florida did, but things have tightened up some this year up there. 
