[smash731]

My opinions after several years in Brevard, coming from Baltimore:
1. Palm Bay = gross.
2. North Melbourne is very nice (also includes Viera).
3. Cocoa has a good little shopping area (Cocoa Village) but otherwise is gross...however, there are some super rural neighborhoods in Cocoa that are beautiful (Canaveral Groves).

Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach are fun. Watching the shuttles and rockets launch is really unique. I'm glad I left ol' Brevard (too boring for a 24yr old) but for a family it is an affordable, clean place with beaches and such.

Just visit first.

[RC_HOBBY]

I first moved to Palm Bay when population was 7000, 1977. I moved away in 1980 and returned in 1983, moved away again in 1988, and returned in 1993 and have been here ever since. Palm Bay crime statistics are right online and it's below the national average. You asked about schools and that is one of Palm Bay's strengths, as well as Melbourne. Several schools are available in this fast growing area that is now 84,000+. Palm Bay was always known for middle income family residential living. Little industry is here for the professional unless he wishes to commute to a city. The average income for this area is below the national average. Taxes took a big jump, and real estate has taken a big fall. You can check prices on zillow.com, many local builders are advertising $99,990 builds a 1400 sq ft home on your own lot, which varies in price, but as cheap as $7000. You can have my place now for $200k, 2004 sq ft, fireplace, 2 car garage, 30 ft screen porch, shed, fenced, new roof thanks to 2005 hurricanes, and I'm 9.75 miles from the beach, so State Farm won't give you insurance. The pattern I've seen in the area over the decades is out of every 4 people moving in, 3 are moving out. There isn't enough jobs or good paying professional jobs for the number living here. With the fast growth back starting in 2003 through 2006, homes doubled in price. Now they are quickly falling a few thousand ever month for the last year. Reading comments from others in Indian River County and others giving advice to go to Viera, well, if you want to pick up a home on a tax sale sure, but Viera, Bayside, and other new luxury areas are all hype. Palm Bay is famous for misleading new Floridians into a false market again and again. Port Malabar was my learning experience in the 70s. They all promised navigable canals to the river, and a Causeway over Malabar Rd crossing the Indian River to A1A where the beach front is located, and how great a time to buy it was. Well, homes in Port Malabar are no more than they were in the 70s! NONE OF THOSE PROPOSED PROJECTS TO DATE EVER MATERIALIZED! It's got a horrible drug reputation and more rapes than suburbs of Boston, 148 auto thefts last year alone as well. So much for the pristine future of Port Malabar. It will take years for Palm Bay to get into shape. So they scratched off Port Malabar and started another luxury community 10 miles west called Bayside. What a joke. $500k homes are now far less than that if they can sell at all. All kinds of hype, and nothing is really here for families to enjoy without leaving town. Period. Melbourne has always been a better place to live and still is. After my kids graduate school, I'll be certainly leaving Palm Bay, again. Coastal areas are all overpriced especially the further south you go. Speak Spanish? Your best bet is to go inland where you could find a more professional career opportunity without a 70 mile commute. You can try Port St John, Mims, even Titusville, and you'd do far better than South Brevard, in my opinion.

[tvillegirl]

Concern moving to the west side of the Indian RIver due to the HIGH cost of insuring the islands and beaches - unless you are renting. Great deals on rentals right now due to condo buyer speculating - rent for $1200 for new 1920 SF condo on the Indian RIver in Titusville (north Brevard county). Or $1500 for 2600 SF 3 bedrooms, 3 baths corner condo with wraparound balcony - view of manatees, boating activity, and NASA launches. Teachers are in high demand - other jobs at Knight Enterprises, a gun maker (we are at war) and other high tech jobs. One can purchase a new home in North Brevard from $150,000's in nice, safe area. New waterfront condos from low $300,000. Lots of new mixed use condos planned too in the downtown areas of Cocoa and Titusville. See more at Venture Properties, Inc - Titusville Real Estate Properties, Brevard Florida Waterfront Condos or check out REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale.

[JstLookin]

I used to work in law enforcement and most of the people who got arrested were from Palm Bay, Titusville and Cocoa. Any area beachside is fine. The Suntree/Viera area is nice too. Newer homes, newer stores. But very crowded roads. They didn't plan that part out to well. Satellite Beach has great public schools. I don't know about any private schools but I'm sure we have them somewhere in Brevard. I feel safe in this county but I did hear on the news a few weeks ago that Brevard has as many murders so far this year as Orlando. I think they said 22. I hope that's not a sign of things to come.

[specialk115]

You wanted more info on Viera and you can find EVERYTHING you need, including real estate, shopping, schools, etc at www.viera.com

You can compare area schools at GreatSchools.net -- including private ones. Viera has a brand new HS and at least one new elementary. They also have land ready to donate for 2 more elementarys, a middle school and another HS.

The shopping imo is the best in the area. You'd have to go to Orlando or Vero to do any better.

It's a really well planned, beautiful community. We're getting ready to build a house there and I'm so excited! Can you tell?! Good Luck.

P.S. I have a great realtor friend if you need someone...

[NotSureYet]

Hi,
We are thinking about relocating to Indian River Colony Club, I think it is in this area and wanted to know if there is anyone here, who is presently or has in the past or have friends who lived in this development that could give us honest feedback? As we are unable to visit the area due to work schedules. I know it is an older 55+ community.
So, my questions are:
1. Is it in a decent part of town.
2. How high is the insurance.
3. Is it beginning to show its age
4. Are the HOA patrol out of control. (Golf Cart Citizen Police)
5. Friendly or cliquish
6. Grandchildren friendly
Or if you can add any other info it would be greatly appreciative, realtors are very helpful but they are there to SELL you the place. All honest opinions welcome.
Thanks

[vicki_c]

Disclaimer - I didn't live in IRCC, or even in Viera.
1. Yes, that's a fine and newer part of town, north of Melbourne proper, south of Rockledge/Cocoa.
2. Don't know - insurance has been crazy in Florida, so check that out very carefully. It will be lower than it would be beachside.
3. I would say probably not - everything in that area is on the "newer" side vs. a lot of other areas.
4-6. Can't tell you.

My husband and I thought that IRCC offered the best value for homes when we moved in 2004, but didn't realize while searching on line that it was 55+. So, we didn't qualify.

[vicki_c]

To respond to a number of questions and points made on this post, random order musings:

1. Viera is definitely nice, but my husband and I thought it was too "fake" or too "planned" or too "Stepford." If you think like we do, you will probably understand that comment, or if you're looking for that uniformity, it's your place. It irritated us that all the mailboxes had the Viera corporate logo on their posts, if that gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.
2. Ascension is the name of the Catholic elementary/middle school. It's fine - my son went there. That's the best education you'll probably get in the area. The high school is Melbourne Central Catholic - can't say much about it, since we didn't attend. Tuition there is like $8000-9000/year.
3. While I agree that beachside (I prefer riverside) is the nicest place to live, you need to be really careful with homeowner's insurance.
4. The Viera area is where you're going to be closest to the best shopping/entertainment options.
5. If you want "non-uniformity", try Melbourne Village. That always struck me as the place where all the nonconformists might live! And yes, they have their own VERY DILIGENT police force (make sure you come to a complete stop at the stop sign!)
6. West Melbourne has both nice and not so nice areas, but it's kind of a "blah" place with no sense of self, if you ask me (that's where I lived until 2006).
7. I think Windover Farms in Melbourne is a very nice neighborhood - always aspired to live there. Also Suntree, which is right south of what is now called Viera.
8. Palm Bay never impressed me - I always thought it was kind of "icky." That said, they built some new developments there - Bayside Lakes and nearby - and I would have probably moved there in a second. I think Palm Bay's image is going to go higher in the future.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Get ready for the heat & humidity, though.

[JstLookin]

The only thing I know about IRCC is that my daughter got married a few years ago in their community center building and it was really nice. What I "heard" about it is that it used to be only retired military that were allowed to buy houses there but there weren't that many military retirees wanting to buy there so they opened it up to anyone over 55. It is definitely a nice area but I don't know the particulars.

[NotSureYet]

VickiC & JstLookin
Thanks for your input, I almost gave up I guess the fact that there is no negative info is great.