Palm bay (Melbourne: for sale, HOA, high crime)

[luvfishing]

Share your thoughts about Palm Bay. I see some good prices on homes in the area.

[annerk]

There's a reason for that.

Frankly you couldn't pay me to live there.

[jdoty]

I live in Palm Bay and love it. We were able to get a much nicer house on a much bigger lot than we would have elsewhere in Brevard County. The neighborhood I'm in is nice, my neighbors are friendly, and I have no HOA to bother me. It has a more rural feel than other parts of Brevard. I can't stand some of the newer places like Viera; every house looks alike there and the lots are so small you can reach out your window and touch your neighbor's. Palm Bay also seems more friendly than other areas nearby, at least in the part of Palm Bay where I live. People wave to each other on the streets and there's always folks out talking with neighbors. It has more of a sense of community in my opinion than the areas in Melbourne that I've lived.

For some reason Palm Bay has a reputation for being high crime. This simply isn't true. Look at the crime numbers. Melbourne has two or three areas in town that you really don't want to go. Palm Bay doesn't, except for maybe the far northeast side, right on the edge of one of Melbourne's "ghettos". I think that this perception has to do with the fact that, due to lower property costs, Palm Bay has more working-class immigrant families (mostly Puerto Rican) than the richer parts of town and gets stereotyped because of it. My wife and I both feel perfectly safe going for a walk or a bike ride after dark.

Palm Bay isn't without its problems though.Traffic can be bad at times, especially if you have to cross I95 during rush hour. I live and work east of I95 so I don't really have to deal with it. Because most of Palm Bay doesn't have deed restrictions or HOA's, some parts can get pretty redneck. There are a few homes with confederate flags flying and parking lots for yards in most neighborhoods, but most residents take care of their houses. I personally like the variety - no two houses are alike. Just watch out. Some parts of town are more redneck than others. Also, large parts of the city don't have city water. I personally would hate having to deal with the nasty, sulphury well water we have here. We made sure to move to a part of town with water service.

[bcfarmlady]

I agree with Jdoty. Palm Bay has had a bad rep. I lived there for 4 years and my husband has been there for 20 in the NW area. We decided to move so he can be near his aging parents here in Kentucky. Our home there is for sale along with many others and it has city water and septic. No problems with the septic. I never had any problems with crime in our area. It's quiet and friendly and most of the people there keep their yards looking nice. We often walked and rode bikes in the area just as jdoty said and never felt threatened in any way. Give it a chance.