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Brevard County Space Coast: Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville area
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Old 08-17-2018, 07:49 AM
 
Location: Cocoa, FL
35 posts, read 83,560 times
Reputation: 62

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Friends of mine are buying a house in Port St. John and we will be sharing it with them. My husband and I have never been there. I am originally from the New York City area and have lived in the Ft Lauderdale area and am now in the Cape Coral/Port Charlotte area of SW Florida. What is it like living over there and is there anything in particular I should know? Are there many folks from the Northeast over there, any Italians? I am not Italian but was raised in an Italian neighborhood just north of NYC and love all things Italian! How about shopping? Especially interested in finding healthy food like non-GMO, no hormones or antibiotics, raised and processed in US, etc. raw goat milk, locally grown produce, good butchers, proximity to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, Fresh Market, any German butchers? We are a retired couple so we shop thrift stores a lot. Any suggestions on those? Am really looking forward to living over there and we are both ready for a new adventure. We should be over there in time for the holidays. Anything special we should know about the area? Thanks for any help you can give us. How much cooler is it over there than on the SW coast? Any places to buy cheap locally caught fish??? How is that farmer's market every Saturday in Cocoa?

Last edited by ActionMgt; 08-17-2018 at 07:52 AM.. Reason: spelling and more questions
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Old 08-17-2018, 07:57 PM
 
3,972 posts, read 8,104,930 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ActionMgt View Post
Friends of mine are buying a house in Port St. John and we will be sharing it with them. My husband and I have never been there. I am originally from the New York City area and have lived in the Ft Lauderdale area and am now in the Cape Coral/Port Charlotte area of SW Florida. What is it like living over there and is there anything in particular I should know? Are there many folks from the Northeast over there, any Italians? I am not Italian but was raised in an Italian neighborhood just north of NYC and love all things Italian! How about shopping? Especially interested in finding healthy food like non-GMO, no hormones or antibiotics, raised and processed in US, etc. raw goat milk, locally grown produce, good butchers, proximity to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, Fresh Market, any German butchers? We are a retired couple so we shop thrift stores a lot. Any suggestions on those? Am really looking forward to living over there and we are both ready for a new adventure. We should be over there in time for the holidays. Anything special we should know about the area? Thanks for any help you can give us. How much cooler is it over there than on the SW coast? Any places to buy cheap locally caught fish??? How is that farmer's market every Saturday in Cocoa?
Pretty much gonna feel like you moved to a foreign country if you expect all that to be close. You are sort of moving to the country. Have you even looked the town or Brevard County up on line? Maybe you should take a drive to see what this area is really like. For TJs and Whole foods you will have to drive to Orlando. You will find a lot of New Yorkers and New Jersey retirees and families in the area.
Don't know bout Health food stores up there but Melbourne has a few.
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Old 08-17-2018, 09:06 PM
 
Location: Merritt Island, Fl
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I think Cape Coral and Pt Charlotte is even slower paced than on the east side. You may need to travel a little to find the healthier stores but they are scattered about in Brevard. Temps should be a bit cooler as you are a little more north, figure 5 to 10 degrees and you are likely to catch a nice breeze if closer to water. Definetly a lot of north easterner transplants in that area where the southwest side tends to attract more mid westerners (probably likely to proximity on the map when most people drove south to escape the colder north years ago).
Finally, my observation is that Brevard is full of young to middle aged working people with the Space Center and Port Canaveral and all the supporting industries fairly close by. Throw in an hour or so drive to the big theme parks and it just attracts a younger overall crowd. I find Pt Charollete to be an older demographic with fewer school aged and working families. More retitries, in my observations when traveling. Don't get me wrong, there are a good dumber of retirees in Brevard (and snowbirds galore). But the southwest has a higher population where you may see a ten fold increase of snowbirds as compared to a doubling of population in Brevard, during the winter months.
As suggested above, come drive by and do a couple of overnights to get better acclimated, as Brevard is huge compared your current county. Each area of Brevard has its own feel with different shops and specialty stores and malls, yet is easily travelled with main arteries running throughout. You should be fine after you get used to where the things you like are.
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Old 08-18-2018, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Cocoa, FL
35 posts, read 83,560 times
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Default I think we'll be fine!

I have lived in the country and in the big cty and in Europe. We can adapt to most any place, I believe. Just curious as to how far we would have to drive to things.. We are an hour from Trader Joe's and Whole Food's now but we go about once a month. We pack a lunch and make it a day trip stopping at thrift stores and consigment shops on the way. Is there a Fresh Market over there? That will do although their prices are just as high as Whole foods unless you hit a sale. What about a Walmart Superstore where you can pick up your online order? I am doing that now and between that and publix for a few asstd things it works out great. I am looking forward to living and seeing the area... we drove through many years ago on our way to southern Florida from NY but that was a lifetime ago! Im sure it's a lot different now. Besides, we worry about the Red Tide over here. Time to move to the east coast! Thanks for your tips!
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Old 08-18-2018, 03:38 PM
 
Location: Cocoa, FL
35 posts, read 83,560 times
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Yes, I have looked it up online.. looks pretty desolate. Not wall to wall stores like here in Port Charlotte! We have a Prius, though, so we don't mind driving as long as we have some basic things nearby, which we do.. a Publix is a mile away. That will suffice for now. Glad to hear there are some New Yorkers up there, you are right, my town is mainly mid-westerners.
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Old 08-18-2018, 05:53 PM
 
Location: Merritt Island, Fl
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Publix are common throughout Brevard. Two in Cocoa a Beach alone. Not sure where in Port Saint John. There are Walmarts around too. Just go on line and search by town or zip codes. Nearest Trader Joes (for now) is in Orlando about an hour away. There is a small mall in Merritt Island and in Titusville (I believe being or was renovated). I am just not as familiar with PSJ. Can't say much about Whole Foods as I don't shop there. Everything should be an hours drive or much less if you do some research on line and then drive around when you get to the east side.
As for the water, well the rivers are full of brown water from algae that is out of control from over fertilizing run off from homes, farms and businesses. Hopefully the fertilizer ban will really go into effect and some filtering stations begin the process that will take several years to clean up. I won't scare you with the contaminated ground water recently found in parts of Brevard (not in the drinking water). But every area seems to have its issues. The ocean water is nice most of the time so at least you can enjoy that and the waves are quite different (and more fun) than the calm of the west side Gulf.
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Old 08-19-2018, 08:42 AM
 
3,972 posts, read 8,104,930 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ActionMgt View Post
I have lived in the country and in the big cty and in Europe. We can adapt to most any place, I believe. Just curious as to how far we would have to drive to things.. We are an hour from Trader Joe's and Whole Food's now but we go about once a month. We pack a lunch and make it a day trip stopping at thrift stores and consigment shops on the way. Is there a Fresh Market over there? That will do although their prices are just as high as Whole foods unless you hit a sale. What about a Walmart Superstore where you can pick up your online order? I am doing that now and between that and publix for a few asstd things it works out great. I am looking forward to living and seeing the area... we drove through many years ago on our way to southern Florida from NY but that was a lifetime ago! Im sure it's a lot different now. Besides, we worry about the Red Tide over here. Time to move to the east coast! Thanks for your tips!
If you are used to driving that far now. You will find much more to do. It puts you about that close to everything in Orlando, Melbourne, Daytona Beach. There are lots of antique and thrift stores throughout Brevard County, too.

Be sure to come south and check out the antique stores in Melbourne and Grant. There are some really nice ones with lots of Highwaymen Art.

There is a Walmart in Cocoa and one just off 95 in Titusville. There is a Fresh Market on Wickham Rd in N. Melbourne. If you are 65 be sure to get the lifetime pass for National Parks so you can get out to the National Sea Shore often. It is awesome.

Brevard County is a good place to live. Your house may be in 1 town but you tend to be in many towns to do things almost everyday and it is just a 50 mile or less drive at most. Have never really been in Port St. John except for on the river off US1 to watch rockets which is totally a fun thing to do. Hope you love it in the area like we do.
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Old 08-19-2018, 08:44 AM
 
Location: Titusville, FL
113 posts, read 140,438 times
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Super Walmart up the road in Titusville or down in Cocoa. Merritt Island is closer to you than Orlando so I would see if there is something there first. Publix has stores in PSJ and Titusville. Sam's Club in Cocoa along 95 on 520.
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Old 08-20-2018, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Florida Space Coast
2,356 posts, read 5,061,305 times
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Water temps are much cooler in the atlantic vs gulf. overall temps seem to be a few degrees cooler than SWFL and the breeze seems to be cooler. Not near as many snowbirds on atlanctic side. much more northeast vs SWFL being more influenced by mid west due to location of rt 75 going to Ohio and rte 95 going to NY. Pace in SWFL is slower more of a tropical feel. People are a bit more polite in SWFL. Atlantic side much younger aka working families. Drivers on East Coast much more aggressive, speeding, weaving, no one seems to know how to merge, use roundabouts, or use directional. you hear a lot more horn beeping from other drivers.
East coast seems to have a lot more trees and shaded areas. Schools are better in Brevard county vs charlotte and lee. Lot more gated subdivisons and HOA in Brevard county
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Old 08-22-2018, 09:29 AM
 
Location: Cocoa, FL
35 posts, read 83,560 times
Reputation: 62
Default thanks everyone!

Great tips that I didn't know.. I think we will like it just fine~

Which internet and/or cable company shall I get? What about those HD antennas you see advertised? Do they work over there?

Is there a good pool company in the area? My husband plans to do our own pool and lawn. So he will need a place to pick up chlorine, etc.

Getting excited now. Closing is tentatively set for 9/4 and we plan to drive over then, even though the house will be in our friend's name in the beginning. I have been hearing about more and more senior couples sharing houses in order to get by, as you can't live on Social Security alone.. but two couples can. Kind of like the Golden Couples rather than the Golden Girls! ha ha I'll bet this would make a good reality show! lol
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