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If you think back to when Palm Bay, Port Malabar (before becoming part of Palm Bay) Deltona, Port St. Lucie, Port St. John and several other communities around Florida were originally conceived by General Development, there really was never a plan for a downtown area. These were designed communities to profit the owners (and eventually stockholders) of GDC. Thousands of acres were purchased and sold undeveloped to people around the world. When it was time to build, the infrastructure had to be placed and land owners were allowed to trade in their unbuildable lots to communities that were already actually being built. I believe Palm Bay was one of the later areas as most building took place in the late 70's to 80's. By then, money was running out and the roads were terrible at best. The natural progression of a typical community did not have a chance and what would be considered a downtown area, never formed. What you had was pockets of areas that were developed at different times. NE was the first area in Palm Bay and why the homes are older and smaller. GDC built most of them and they were of the cookie cutter variety. Many were smaller as they were designed for retirement or second homes. NW was the next area to be developed and that is where the first boom in the 70's to 80's took place when GDC was publicly traded and money was flowing in. It was short lived as other home builders sprung up and offered a much better product for the money. When GDC went under, so did the original plans and what was left was a lot of disarray and much needed infrastructure. The temporary roads (some gravel), led to the SE and SW looked like abandoned towns with mostly undeveloped lots sprinkled with a few homes here and there. I can remember driving around in 1990 after my then house was built (third on the block all the way at the End of Emerson in the NW section), and thinking about what would happen in the southern areas. I felt bad for my rental car with the pot holes and puddles after a rain storm. It was like another country in some parts, but I could see the future potential. Fast forward to 2000 and the next boom started. Now the streets were improved for the most part and the builders were grabbing up lots at a frantic pace. The newer southern neighborhoods were planned out and modern, larger houses popped up. When that all crashed, it just all stopped. With jobs lost, builders shut down or moved, these areas were left somewhat incomplete. It was like in 1990 up in the NW area with a couple of houses here and there. But at least there, you had builders building at a steady pace.
So understanding Palm Bay's history, you can get an idea of how the areas were conceived, built and settled. The economy had a lot to due with it. St. Lucie had the NY Mets build a stadium that drew people in. Deltona was the country area for the Orlando sprawl. Palm Bay relied strictly on a few large corporations to attract the jobs. If they cut back, the area slows down. So it's a strange mix of new and old, different builders at different times, but it does have nice areas (as well as some not so nice) with a lot to offer for a decent price point. That should attract people as they consider relocating to Florida.
Yeah I lived in NE Palm Bay in the mid 1990's the streets were paved, but I had friends in NW Emerson. We used to call BFE Boondocks. lol The roads were gravel. That was many years ago. I remember saying I hate this place and I would never go back basically because it wasn't a party place. Never say never is a correct phrase. lol It's a really nice community. Still can't believe after all these years traffic is still a joke. The people are still friendly. It hasn't been corrupted in a sense of a major city.
Our family has been living here for about 5 years. My husband is from the Orlando area, and I moved here from Tampa when we got married. It's definitely not Tampa, and it's definitely not Orlando. LOL! It's a slower pace for sure, but once we embraced it we learned to love it. As far as the downtown areas, you are right, that won't be found here. We lack some in entertainment, but even in the four years that we have been here, that has begun to change. The Hammock Landing area features a variety of dining options from Five Guys, Moe's, Longhorn's Steak House, Froyo, Thai, Panera, just about every fast food restaurant, and others. There is also a great variety of stores as well from Ross, Target, Kohl's, bridal shops, shpe stores, and more. Our dentist is also in that plaza, and they are awesome. There is a theater that opened up just a few days ago that has IMAX and serves beer and wine. With that being said, here you will also find a few local gems like the Portugese Corner Store (which I just read might have closed down. Say it ain't so PB peeps!?!), Ferrara's, and Thrifty produce. I love the diversity here. We aren't necessarily the overly friendly crowd, but I can honestly say that I haven't been completely disrespected here either. I will say though that folks in Viera tend to talk down about people in Palm Bay. I'm not sure why to be honest. We love it here. We live in the NW area, and love the sidewalks which help to make the area somewhat walkable. I can't really say that I walk to nearby stores and shops a whole lot because that's not as practical as I would like it to be. However, it's definitely developed enough to go out on morning walks with my son. We aren't into cookie cutter neighborhoods either, and love that our home is relatively new construction without another house like it for at least a couple of miles. Traffic can be annoying during rush hour times, but it's really not horrible either. I experienced much worse traffic in Tampa, and I'm sure that Philly has to be much worse than that. Just be sure that you live somewhat close to I-95 since you'll be commuting. Our son isn't school age as of yet, so I can't say much about the schools. Palm Bay Regional Park is a great county park with an excellent summer camp. They even have a teen camp with daily field trip to places like the beach or amusement parks. They have activities there from time to time along with a dog park area. The county also has an awesome race series for a very reasonable price once a year along with movies in the park featuring food trucks from time to time. So we do have some stuff every now and then for fun, though not a lot. However, downtown Melbourne and beachside Indialantic really is not that far away at all.
Funny thing Orlando and Tampa don't strike me as cities. They seem like they try hard, but just can't get it. I stayed briefly in both before staying in Miami. I thought Tampa was boring and country. Orlando was too touristy. Miami was just right back then for me, but not now. When I went to Palm Bay, I felt like I was in America. Everybody spoke English. lol
Funny thing Orlando and Tampa don't strike me as cities. They seem like they try hard, but just can't get it. I stayed briefly in both before staying in Miami. I thought Tampa was boring and country. Orlando was too touristy. Miami was just right back then for me, but not now. When I went to Palm Bay, I felt like I was in America. Everybody spoke English. lol
Palm Bay has a growing hispanic population though.
Also a lot of development, new 12-plex movie theater with IMAX, outdoor mall on Palm Bay Rd, Bass Pro shops etc
Debonair...It's funny that many people mention an area being boring at a younger age particularly suburbia, have big dreams of moving to a city where everything's happening...but then revert back to that suburban/rural life that we once despised because of it's "emptiness". As a teenager, my friends and I used to frequent Philly as much as we could considering we grew up only about 10 minutes south of the airport in the burbs. By my early 20's, I was living in Central NJ where NYC was an easy 35-40 minute commute by train. At that point, I would fantasize about owning a brownstone in Brooklyn or even renting a house in Queens. I loved NY. I've been through every boro of the city. I loved the atmosphere since that was the place to be. Philly then seemed small. Now, I'm still on the young side in my mid-30's but if I'm going to settle somewhere being that is the place where I rest after a long day of work, give me peace and tranquility. I don't necessarily want to hear car horns and chatter once I walk out of the front door.
It's nice to hear some people speak on this area in this manner compared to alot of negativity I've read on the internet in general about PB. Basically, the town's stereotype makes it seem like it's chock full of people of Walmart. Low cost of living if you can land a decent job make the area seem desirable. I'm still trying to understand the concept of HOA fees in Florida, since this is unheard of up in the Northeast unless maybe if you own a condo. PB unlike Viera doesn't seem to stress these fees in most of their neighborhoods from what I gather. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good or bad thing in all honesty.
KRichards... good to know that there are a decent amount of amenities as far as shopping and restaurant choices in the area. From what you describe, it's still growing. People from up here that have made the move to Florida and then come back always have the complaint that "the food sucks down there" or "nothing's authentic, it's all chain restaurants and Golden Corrals". I'll agree that's alot of what I saw in the several trips I've taken to Central Fl, but then again you have to know where to look to find the good stuff. Even though it seems like good mom and pop cheesesteak and hoagie shops come a dime a dozen here right outside of Philly, people who aren't familiar with the area will instead go into the city and hit up Geno's or Pat's Steaks(which honestly suck lol). The Portuguese corner store sounds interesting. I'm all for diversified foods. My girlfriend, however, she'd prefer Golden Corral lol.
In regards to traffic, ugh. Philly pales in comparison to the NYC and DC metro areas but it's still common to find yourself stopping and going over a 2 mile stretch during rush hour and it taking over 45 minutes. Also May to September is road construction season. So every stinkin highway has lane closures and delays during the busiest parts of the day's commute. The first time I made the I95 south to Florida trip, I was shocked on how smooth and peaceful the highway was once we passed Northern Virginia. It's 2 lanes and relatively empty through North Carolina for cryin out loud!! The only issues I noticed in Florida were of course the senior drivers going 15 miles an hour in the left lane then cutting into the right without a turn signal, but then again that week I was mainly in Vero Beach.... and how confusing the highway becomes around Miami. Other than that, no big deal.
As far as parks and recreation go, your description sounds nice. We have a state park about 15 minutes or so away that we bring our dogs to occasionally. We don't trek too deep into the woods because our three little guys get tired quickly.
Schools, yeah I've heard mixed things. By the time we go, one kid will be leaving for college and the other will be finishing her sophomore year. A selling point I'm using with her is that the UF has a great veterinary program that she's already shown interest in on her own.
From what we've discussed, we're leaning towards renting initially once we get down to FL to get a sense of the area, preferably a house. I wouldn't want to jump into a location anyway without experiencing the area first hand. We've been slowly but surely making small repairs and adding minor things to our house now with the idea that we can rent it out while gone before we actually decide to sell to then buy. Her mother can basically be the landlord and use money that we put aside while in FL for minor repairs, say if the heater goes or whatever. We figure the rent we obtain will pay its mortgage and give us the option to flee back north if the Sunshine State is such a horrible mirage as some say. Which is another reason I'm probably going to get state certification to teach in FL and PA to be on the safe side lol.
ChopChop everywhere has a growing Hispanic population though lol. Good to see construction is picking up. Hopefully this adds to my motivation to make a move before everything balloons up price wise once again.
Palm Bay. Stay away. I have lived in Brevard for 45 years. Lived in Palm Bay for 14.
1 car stolen.
1 home break in, and attack on wife.
3 cars broken into.
Odds and ends stolen from around the house.
You tell me, you want to live there?
The rest of the time, I have lived in Satellite Beach or Melbourne or Indialantic.
Palm Bay has a growing hispanic population though.
Also a lot of development, new 12-plex movie theater with IMAX, outdoor mall on Palm Bay Rd, Bass Pro shops etc
Bass Pro is not exactly "Palm Bay" Its on Palm Bay Rd at the very north end of the City, almost West Melbourne. Same with the movie theater. All off I95 and easily gotten to from other parts of the area without having to ride through the slums.
I was a resident here years ago. There is no downtown. If you are looking for low crime, nice well kept areas, and more of a family type community. Palm Bay is for you. If you are looking for nightlife, uh no. ha ha. Go to Orlando for that.The problem though pretty much as a whole in Brevard County is the job situation. Since you are transferring this won't be a problem.
I live in Miami now and um Palm Bay is far from sketchy IMO. I went there a few months ago and was amazed to see all the shopping centers on Palm Bay Rd and how it the street was widened. My question is why don't you look in Viera? SE Palm Bay seems so far out to me.
Low crime? Hahaha
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