Black family considering move to Melbourne (Miami, Orlando: middle-class, rental, fingerprints) - Brevard County - Florida (FL) -Space Coast: Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville area - City-Data Forum

songbirdsparkle · 04-05-2017, 11:49 AM

Hi! My husband just received a really nice job offer in Melbourne, and now we are trying to decide whether or not we should move to the area. We have three kids-preschool, elementary, and middle school age. Right now we homeschool, but I would consider putting them in school if we found a good fit. We are upper middle-class suburbanites and used to being one of the few black families in our neighborhood and immediate surroundings. I would like to find some diversity, sure, but more than anything my concern is SAFETY. And being a stay-at-home-mom, I would like for my kids and I to be able to find friends and social opportunities. Does anybody have any insight or experience in this area? Some of the comments I have found here on racism in Brevard county have been concerning.

Some other questions:

Does anyone have any suggestions for areas we might consider that are family friendly, safe, clean, good amount of shopping/ amenities? We are looking to rent at ~2-2.5k/ month

Also I understand it will be more humid there than what I am used to, but do you get many breezes? Is the sunshine very intense? I am so sick of burning, oppressive heat!

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.

wardniner · 04-06-2017, 12:14 AM

Hello!
Have you considered beachside instead of Melbourne?
It's MUCH more comfortable with the ocean breeze. It's so nice to be in walking distance to the beach, or to sit outside at night and hear the ocean. I personally would go insane if I had to deal with Melbourne traffic every day. People on the beachside tend to be VERY laid back. The other parents at school are super relaxed, as are the kids. You'll see kids on their bikes or skateboards carrying their surfboards to the beach, or fishing poles somewhere.
The schools are good - I have 4th and 1st graders. I haven't noticed any racism per se. (I moved back to my home state of FL after 13 years in Chicago. My God the racism there is institutionalized.)
Beachside is clean, family friendly, safe, etc. But there are no malls. There are grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, and Lowe's - the usual suspects --- but no mall. (No room for a mall.)

Good luck with wherever you land!

Taxlesslivemore · 04-06-2017, 09:11 AM

look up the towns on Google, there will be a breakdown of the population by Age, race and Income based upon Census Data. I find Me I find Melbourne and Rockledge to be very diverse in terms of race and ethnicity as opposed to some areas. Please remember that Brevard County went very heavy for Trump in 2016 so you are going to see a more conservative opinion here. Good luck in your endevors

songbirdsparkle · 04-06-2017, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wardniner

Hello!
Have you considered beachside instead of Melbourne?
It's MUCH more comfortable with the ocean breeze. It's so nice to be in walking distance to the beach, or to sit outside at night and hear the ocean. I personally would go insane if I had to deal with Melbourne traffic every day. People on the beachside tend to be VERY laid back. The other parents at school are super relaxed, as are the kids. You'll see kids on their bikes or skateboards carrying their surfboards to the beach, or fishing poles somewhere.
The schools are good - I have 4th and 1st graders. I haven't noticed any racism per se. (I moved back to my home state of FL after 13 years in Chicago. My God the racism there is institutionalized.)
Beachside is clean, family friendly, safe, etc. But there are no malls. There are grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, and Lowe's - the usual suspects --- but no mall. (No room for a mall.)

Good luck with wherever you land!

Actually, we had not considered that option! If my husband takes the job, we would like to stay in a short term rental for a month or two while we get to know the area and try to find what works for us longer term. I guess I started feeling a little apprehensive when I looked at the map again and realized Florida is The South (right?). I remember distinctly getting that feeling when we traveled from Orlando to Miami during vacation a few years ago. I had vowed I would never live in the South again (grew up in Tennessee) but this job offer and beach proximity is tempting me to strongly consider it. Never say never, I guess.

Is there pretty easy access from the beachside to the mainland? What are some of the beachside towns with the most to offer a family (kids to play with, good schools, grocery stores, some restaurants, etc.)? We all really love the ocean, and you do make it sound appealing...

songbirdsparkle · 04-06-2017, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taxlesslivemore

look up the towns on Google, there will be a breakdown of the population by Age, race and Income based upon Census Data. I find Me I find Melbourne and Rockledge to be very diverse in terms of race and ethnicity as opposed to some areas. Please remember that Brevard County went very heavy for Trump in 2016 so you are going to see a more conservative opinion here. Good luck in your endevors

Thank you. I looked up Rockledge on this forum, and I see people really seem to like it. I will keep researching.

And thank you for the reminder. I know Brevard County with heavily for Trump and he has a lot of support there. My current county went for Trump too and is very conservative. I can handle that; it's just virulent, violent racism that I am trying to avoid. I want to be somewhere we can feel safe.

kyle19125 · 04-06-2017, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by songbirdsparkle

Is there pretty easy access from the beachside to the mainland? What are some of the beachside towns with the most to offer a family (kids to play with, good schools, grocery stores, some restaurants, etc.)? We all really love the ocean, and you do make it sound appealing...

Jumping in with my two cents and I'm highly recommending beachside as well. It is a wonderful area and almost wound up there myself versus here, but had family health issues which dictated otherwise. To answer your question specifically I would suggest Indialantic which offers easy access to downtown Melbourne across the Melbourne Causeway, has excellent school options along with some great little parks for outdoor recreation (and of course the beach!)

The Town of Indialantic Florida | Official Web Site

wardniner · 04-06-2017, 09:50 PM

Hi again!
Yes, very easy access to the mainland but be warned: within a couple weeks of living beachside you'll say stuff like, "Wow, I'd like to try that restaurant but I'd have to cross the briiiiiiidge." (Kidding! Sort of.)
I live in Satellite Beach which is South of Patrick AFB, and North of Indialantic, Indian Harbour Shores, and Melbourne Beach.
I love Mel Beach but I work at the space center and that's too far of a drive every day. (My sis lives in Mel Beach.)
Satellite Beach is pretty laid back and friendly. My kids go to Ocean Breeze and we like it. The Community Center always has things for kids to do, particularly on No School days, but they have many things geared towards homeschoolers too!
(My kids have done the "Dinos and Dragons Day" and a few other things they offered.)
I can't speak to the racism bit too much, because I'm white and naturally can't say what minorities experience on a day to day basis. But I will say that I knew Chicago was very very racist because a) it's very segregated and b) other white people I came into contact with had NO problems dropping the N word, etc. I have not met ONE person in Satellite Beach who has even hinted at that. I'm sure there are jerks around. Jerks are everywhere. But I personally haven't had it tossed in my face like I did in Chicago.
I think you'd love beachside and you should look into it! Great parks, nice beach pavilions where my kids have their birthday parties, decent people, a good city rec department, and equidistant from things like Cocoa Beach (fun party town) and the Barrier Island Center (great) and Viera for malls and whatnot.

wardniner · 04-07-2017, 01:23 PM

I just got the summer camp brochure for Sat Bch.
Ninja warrior Camp (obstacle courses), Jr Chef Camp, Mission to Mars, Crime Scene Detective (learning about fingerprints etc), Minions Camp...lots of fun stuff!

wardniner · 04-07-2017, 01:25 PM

Also I HIGHLY suggest "walking around neighborhoods" with google street view. Kind of gives you an idea of what the place looks like.

BrevardREALTOR · 04-07-2017, 03:57 PM

I live Beachside (Indialantic) and it is wonderful. The sea breeze is fabulous and the commute to the mainland is simple. The roads get a bit busy during snow bird season but not crazy. There are a limited number of restaurants and shops because it is such a small area but there are some great ones, and there is always the option of popping over to Melbourne or Palm Bay for a meal or shopping. Viera has a ton of shopping and restaurants but it is more busy than beach side and has less of a breeze. It is a nice area, none the less. You do pay more to live Beach Side, so if a fancy house is your preference you will get more on the main land for your money, but I think the laid back lifestyle is worth having a bit smaller house. It's all about your personal preference.