Looking for safe area in Space Coast Gold Coast (Miami: spring break, crime rate)

[cheryllleee]

Hello, we are looking for an affordable, but safe area to relocate to in the Space Coast/Gold Coast area. All the crime statistics seem extremely high compared to where we live now (rural NH) but they also don't seem to match the vibe we get when we visit the area.

The areas we are checking out are: Melbourne, Titusville, Palm Bay, Mims, Stuart, Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach.

We're in our 40's, kids are in college, so we're not concerned about the local schools, although they usually are an indicator of how the area is in general.

Not a huge fan of HOA's, but won't rule them out if they turn out to be the "safest" areas.

Any advice is appreciated

[cheryllleee]

anyone?

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by cheryllleee

Hello, we are looking for an affordable, but safe area to relocate to in the Space Coast/Gold Coast area. All the crime statistics seem extremely high compared to where we live now (rural NH) but they also don't seem to match the vibe we get when we visit the area.

The areas we are checking out are: Melbourne, Titusville, Palm Bay, Mims, Stuart, Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach.

We're in our 40's, kids are in college, so we're not concerned about the local schools, although they usually are an indicator of how the area is in general.

Not a huge fan of HOA's, but won't rule them out if they turn out to be the "safest" areas.

Any advice is appreciated

People who live here do not really think the crime rate is so high as everyone who is looking to move here, do. Most of us have never had any problems. I have been here for 40 years in the Southern part of the county nad have not been shot, stabbed, raped, robbed, house broken in to, purse snatched etc. But my husband did leave his new flip flops on the beach during spring break once and someone took them. Also a group of runaway teens did break into our car on the beach. Thankfully they did not take anything but our emergency $20. Cost more to fix the lock than that.

You do not expect to live anywhere in this day and age without being aware of surroundings and locking car and house doors, do you? Even the farm town I used to live in Illinois is full of drug users. We didn't use to lock our doors and left windows wide open 24/7 40 years ago here, but as more people from the North move down we had to learn to be more cautious. For example: one business here back in 1976 used to put the coffee pot and the donuts on the counter with a note that said. Coffee or donuts 50 cents . Put your money in the pot. They did not lose money; but today they would be handing out free donuts and coffee because of the way people think and if honest people did pay, the pot would be taken, too.

Actually all of the towns and cities you listed are safe to live in. We do not live in a gated community or feel a need to live behind high fences and locked gates like in some areas of the world.

As I usually tell people.....you should be fine.....unless you buy drugs or sell drugs.
You will be fine if you get along with your own family and no one in it is crazy enough or has a bad enough temper to hurt you.
You will be fine if you aren't messing with someone else's wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend.
You should be fine if you don't cheat in friendly card games with other retirees . That actually happened.
You should be fine if you are not one who gets road rage and act out against another road rage sufferer who hands it back to you.

BTW the Gold Coast will get better answers in the South Florida boards like Miami and Fort lauderale.

[DanielAvery]

Yes, and if you're looking for input about Vero Beach/Stuart, there is a separate forum for them. I moved to Stuart from Savannah, GA, and was most surprised by how little "major" crimes are committed in this area (when compared to that shooting gallery known as Savannah). It's kind of a local joke here that most of the people arrested for crimes in Martin County are actually from Broward County, that we have to import our criminals.

[cheryllleee]

Thank you, I assumed a lot of the crime rate was due to drunk tourists and college students and not the people who made their home there.

This info helps.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by cheryllleee

Thank you, I assumed a lot of the crime rate was due to drunk tourists and college students and not the people who made their home there.

This info helps.

No you can't blame it on the tourists or college kids. It is just people in general. When a county grows from having 100,000 or so to having a 1/4 million population in a matter of 10-15 years, not eveyone that moved here were stellar citizens in their old communities. Some moved here on a dream for better life. Sometimes it doesn't happen and the problems remain.

Most crime here comes down to drugs somewhere along the line , just like in every state. A lot of the stuff you hear on the news is within a family or friends just like in other states. Some break ins and theft are due to bored teens just like in all states. And just like in other states some people take advantage of the elderly and niave people who believe everything they read or is said as fact instead of investigating before throwing their money away.