Airport Traffic/ where would you live? (Orlando, Palm Bay: low crime, big house, neighborhood)

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Greetings Brevardians!

We just learned that the company my husband just joined will be officed on the grounds of the airport. In DC, that means there is no escaping traffic. If you had to work at the airport, where would you choose to live if you wanted to keep your commute under 20 minutes while balancing a reasonably low crime neighborhood (crime happens everywhere, I know) and access to a nice supermarket (lots of good choices around Melbourne, I know, from input gathered on another post). We'd love to live at the beach/close to the beach if we could afford the amount of space we need. We don't want to max out our housing budget; I'd love to stay under 600k but could go higher for a house that was a great fit. The biggest priority for us is to drastically cut my husband's commute. My poor dear has been driving an hour each way, give or take 10-15 minutes five days a week for seven years and it has deeply impacted our quality of life. Traffic is almost always heavy (did you see that DC placed first this year for the worst traffic market in the U.S.!?!) and after a pretty standard 10 hour day it's bone crushing.

Do a lot of people use the Melbourne Airport? I see it is international but presumed it to be smaller than the Orlando airport. Is that accurate?

[mogwai316]

The MLB airport is tiny, there are hardly any flights in/out of it. It's really nice to fly out of (if you don't mind going through Atlanta to get anywhere), short lines, close parking, etc. It's so small that I wouldn't say it has much effect on traffic, although traffic in that area is generally pretty bad just because so many people work at companies around there, plus it is close to major shopping areas on 192, etc. I work at one of the big companies right by the airport and it takes me 25-30 minutes each way to commute from pretty far out in Palm Bay (about a 12 mile drive). I'd definitely like to live closer to cut that down even more, but it's not too bad compared to most major cities. Given your budget you should have no problem finding a really nice place with an even shorter commute. This area was hit really hard by the housing crash and ending of the shuttle program. It's started to recover some but is still way cheaper than most of the country. For 300k you can get a big house in a nicer subdivision of Melbourne or Viera, Suntree, etc. with no more than a 20 minute commute to the airport, and also be able to drive to the beach in the same time.

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Mogwai316,
You've made my day! I am so happy to hear that the airport is not maddeningly congested with traffic! My husband will be thrilled to hear this. Also, and I'm sure I'm seeing the map through my DC goggles, Viera/Suntree look like 45 minute commutes but it is wonderful news to hear that it is less than half of that.

We aren't fancy people but we have space gobbling hobbies that drive our need for square footage. I sew and quilt along with glass etching and some other maker kinds of things, so I need quite a bit of space for equipment and supplies. Hubby too, is a man of varied interests, so we use bedrooms for hobby space. We'd be happy with a single level home that had a big eat in kitchen (I cook and bake from scratch a lot), a pool big enough to swim laps (due to physical disabilities swimming is the only exercise that I can do for cardio) and a giant workspace for hobbies. If we had those spaces we'd be happy with two bedrooms and 2.5 baths but most homes are configured for folks with families, so we end up needing extra bedrooms to house our hobbies.

Palm Bay looks really nice and I've read that it's growing by leaps and bounds relative to retailers and such. How do you like it there aside from wishing to shorten your commute?

My husband will jump for joy if we find a great house in the 3's. We are on the retirement horizon and welcome the opportunity to spend less on housing and save more for retirement.

Thank you for your input.

[chopchop0]

At $600k, you should live either beachside or viera

[ExIslander]

Dittos on the above. The airport is centrally located and passenger traffic is minimal relative to what you think of for an "international" airport, so pretty much anything that's considered Melbourne or is right next to it (Viera, Satellite Beach, northern parts of Palm Bay etc.) would offer a reasonably short commute.

[beckerd2]

You should look at Melbourne Village and West Melbourne. You will find homes with big lots in these areas and the traffic for your husband's commute will be almost nonexistent.(At least compared to what your used to in the northeast). They are nice areas.

Also check out the beachside. You'll find bigger lots in Indiatlantic, Melbourne Beach, and Indian Harbour Beach.

I would avoid Palm Bay....they have a LOT of traffic compared to the rest of the places that I've mentioned.

One other place that has large lots are the homes along Tropical Trail. It travels from Merritt Island down into Indian Harbour Beach. It wouldn't be too bad of a drive for your husband if you lived along there as well.

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

I've tried to rep all of you who responded to my query but it won't let me rep you again so soon so let me just say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone! When I shared all you've told me here with hubby he was so happy! Your feedback means that essentially, all of the places I've been looking are reasonable commutes for him and he could not be more excited about that after sitting in 1.5 hours of traffic each way between San Jose and Palo Alto every day this week! He can't wait for his new company to move into the Florida digs. We are scheduled to come down on 9/25; neither of us has ever been to Melbourne. We both visited Cape Canaveral as kids but all I remember is being on a scale that told me what I would weigh on different planets (which is when I first became interested in living somewhere with less gravity than earth!!!!).

Merritt Island, Melbourne Village, West Melbourne, Suntree, Viera, Satellite Beach, Indialantic, and Melbourne itself are all places that look fantastic to us, along with some homes I've seen on Cocoa Beach (I grew up on I Dream of Jeannie and used to pretend that I lived on Cocoa Beach with Major Nelson so it's kind of funny that we will be so close to my childhood fantasy...I lived in the bottle on those groovy pink sofa pillows!) which is probably pushing the windshield time too far, it all looks wonderful to us from here.

I'm so grateful for all of the input here folks. You've all made me feel a touch more sure footed and a whole lot more excited about yet another move. We are nomadic by nature but I do find the logistics of moving more daunting with each move as I get older. Yet I am so restless when we stay anywhere longer than 3-4 years. My wish is to fall in love with Melbourne and have the nomad inside me still herself...but there are some states left in which I have not lived so we will see!

Nippon Thai is high on my list along with Meg O'Mally's. I'm allergic to fish/seafood/iodine so I can't indulge in what must be plentiful fresh seafood restaurants, but Indian, Chinese, Italian, and anything else that you all think is great are welcome dining recommendations. I am for sure going to check out The Green Turtle's cafe/restaurant...the menu was tantalizing!

Woooo hoooo I'm so excited to visit your tropical paradise!