24 year old food service professional evaluating Cocoa Beach (crime rate, home)

[FosterFox137]

Greetings,

So to start things off i currently live in Breckenridge, Colorado, waiting tables, and training to be a Sommelier. It pays great and i love it here. Since i moved to Breck three years ago i have always wanted to get it set up so that i work six months in the winter seasons in Breckenridge, and then work the warm six months of summer in a really great beach town. So for me, coming from a town of 5,000 permanent residents, and having always grown up in small towns, that is what i am looking for in my summer town. Small town vibes, solid tourism economy, and a safe place to live where i do not have to be overly concerned about my safety. Now with that said, i am intelligent and conscientious of my environment so i would not be doing things that might attract attention (I.E. leaving my wallet in my car). Since my situation would not be permanent, unless i truly fell in love (with the town or a woman), and no longer wanted to ski everyday, i would not be carrying much back and forth. So i have no intention of owning a home anytime soon, i do not have kids, i do have a dog, and a career that i could take just about anywhere.

My dad is launching a rocket out at the cape, and i am currently out here on vacation to watch with the rest of my family, and i must say, i have sort-of fallen in love with this quaint little beach town. I think Cocoa Beach is awesome, i like what i have seen so far. However, in my research, i have seen statistics of this area being highly prone to crime, and that is what concerns me most. I have looked at the occupancy reports from the area throughout the year, and while winter is the busiest time, summer still averages a 50% occupation rate, which i would be totally fine with. I have even looked at town council comments and ambitions, and everyone that lives here seems to genuinely enjoy it, and they want to make their community a better place to live.

But it all comes back to the crime rates. Breckenridge has next to no crime to be spoken of, at least of what i have seen, and me being a small town kid who is paranoid of crime, i do not want to risk anything. So my question is; how can a town twice the size of my town of Breckenridge (~5000), have twice the average crime rate of the nation, in nearly every category Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed & //www.city-data.com/crime/crime...h-Florida.html ? For the same data set in breckenridge there are whole years that pass without a single assault or robbery. So what's the story?

[1insider]

Crime rates use a flawed metric (incidents per 100,000 ) that can make a small town look far more dangerous than the reality. One murder in a town of 11,000 makes it look as dangerous as DC on paper. Cocoa Beach is really two distinct cities, the main tourist area north of downtown (around Ron Jons and the Pier) and then downtown and south, the real Cocoa Beach. Don't let what the daytrippers may be doing to one another at the Pier color your opinion of the small town further south. It's friendly and safe. Your flip flops and hat will still be on the beach when you're done surfing.

[clnewman]

I agree completely with 1insider. You also need to remember that areas with high tourist (i.e., transient) populations tend to have higher crime rates for crimes against property (smash and grab), as opposed to crimes against people.

What kind of work did you envision doing here during the summer? I wouldn't count on finding a sommelier position close by. There isn't much in the way of fine dining in the general vicinity.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by clnewman

I agree completely with 1insider. You also need to remember that areas with high tourist (i.e., transient) populations tend to have higher crime rates for crimes against property (smash and grab), as opposed to crimes against people.

What kind of work did you envision doing here during the summer? I wouldn't count on finding a sommelier position close by. There isn't much in the way of fine dining in the general vicinity.

CB is more of a fish taco and a beer kind of town. During the summer our general tourists are families who tend to be more interested in icies and hot dogs and don't even pack clothes to wear to fancier restaurants.

Maybe check with the cruise ships?

Also can't even guarantee your flip flops will still be there when you get back to them on the beach. My husband's keep getting taken when we walk.(I learned to carry mine) People probably think they were just forgotten when someone left the beach since we tend to walk for hours at a time. Also even surf boards do come up missing every once in a while. Not really often, but sometimes there are posts on the surfing forum to look out for boards that were stolen
.

[FosterFox137]

I appreciate the responses everybody!