Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County, located in the middle of Florida’s Atlantic coast is renowned for
its beautiful beaches. The Brevard County coastline is 72 miles in length, the
longest in Florida. The county is known by most as the home of the Kennedy Space
center and NASA’s most historic landmark.
From here, man started the journey to the landscape of the Moon. The county and
it’s residents have played a part in virtually every major space mission that
the United States has endeavored. What most don’t know is that the same place
that man began his quest for the moon and outer space is also the same place
that the old world began one of its quests for the new world. In the year 1513,
Ponce de Leon, the Spanish explorer landed at and named Cabo de Canaveral,
meaning Cape of Canes. Americans know that place as Cape Canaveral, home of
America’s Space Program.
The area has a rich and colorful history from Spanish Conquest, pirates
including Blackbeard and Captain Kid, and Indian wars. Today, while the Space
center is an important employer, tourism, retirement relocation, and industry
are all factors in the County’s continued growth.
Brevard County residents enjoy a rich and rewarding lifestyle with great outdoor
recreation, exceptional healthcare, plenty of activities to enjoy, and a rich
cultural calendar.
Brevard County is home to over 502,000 residents. The largest cities in the
county are Palm Bay, population 78,280, and Melbourne. population 68,000. There
are several other cities in the county of interest to retirees including
Titusville, Cocoa Beach and Port St. John.
The Area enjoys a mild climate year- round with few extremes. The average daily
temperature in January is about 60 degrees with the high in the low70’s and lows
in the low 50’s. In July, the hottest month, the average daily temperature is
81.4 degrees, with highs in the low 90’s and evening lows in the low 70’s. The
average annual temperature is 72 degrees. The area enjoys over 300 days of
sunshine each year and the Atlantic ocean provides a pleasant breeze that cools
in the summer and warms in the winter. During the summer, afternoon rainstorms
are not unusual. The county receives about 48 inches of annual rainfall.
Hurricanes are a threat to the county with six hurricanes recorded in the past
100 years, the hurricane season runs from June until November.
Melbourne International Airport is served by Delta and Spirit Airlines, with
service throughout the United States and beyond. Port Canaveral is America’s
second most popular cruise line departure port with cruises throughout the
Caribbean.
Local transit service is provided by Space Coast Area Transit, SPAC, with a
number of routes throughout the county.
The county is ideally suited for those who want to explore Florida. Melbourne is
only 76 miles from exciting Orlando with its theme parks and attractions, 95
miles from Daytona Beach with it’s beautiful beaches, and Miami, 216 miles to
the south, with it’s shopping and international flavor.
The cost of living is 100% of the national average with the greatest savings on
housing costs. The State of Florida does not have a personal income tax saving
residents money every year.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, Brevard County ranks as the 11th most
affordable housing market in the nation and the most affordable in the South.
Real estate taxes are less than one percent of the value of the home annually.
The Melbourne area has a violent crime rate lower than the national average.
Property crime is at the national average.
There are several Hospitals in the County including 521-bed Holmes Regional
Medical Center, the largest acute care facility in the area. The county is home
to over 400 physicians in virtually every medical specialty. This highly
progressive medical community offers state-of-the-art medical care to the
citizens of the county.
There is plenty to do in the Melbourne- Palm Bay area. For the outdoor lover,
there’s swimming, sailing, surfing, and boating in the Atlantic or the Indian
and Banana Rivers that run through the county. Fishing is a favorite past-time
with plentiful catches of snook, tarpon, shark flounder, bluefish , and seatrout.
There’s bass and other game fish to be found in the rivers and area lakes.
The golfer will find over twenty-three courses both public and private
throughout the county and the tennis player will find eight courts available.
The county is home to several Nature Preserves including the Merritt Island
National Wildlife Refuge, a 22-square mile wetland area that is home to over 300
species of birds. There are eight beachside parks, 27 general parks and twelve
recreation and community centers. The Brevard Zoo is open seven days a week for
the family to enjoy and the baseball fan can watch the Florida Marlins during
spring practice and a summer season of the Brevard Manatees, the local Class A
Florida State League minor league team. If you enjoy racing, Melbourne Greyhound
Park features year-round pari-mutual betting and racing.
There are hundreds of events and festivals throughout the year including the
seafood festival in February, the Melbourne Art Festival in April, and the
Melbourne Harbor Festival in November.
Throughout the year there are Broadway and celebrity performances at the Maxwell
King Center and the offerings of the Melbourne Civic Theatre, the Titusville
Playhouse, and other community theaters in the area along with musical
performances by the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Space Coast
Philharmonic and other musical groups. The county is home to many museums
including The Brevard Art Center and Museum, the Brevard Museum of History and
Natural Science and many interesting art galleries. The bookworm will find 12
public libraries and two community libraries in the county.
One of the favorite attractions is the Kennedy Space Center and Astronaut Hall
of Fame featuring IMAX films that take the viewer into space, a life-size
replica of the Space Shuttle Explorer and International Space Station Center and
residents of Brevard County have a ring-side seat for the biggest attraction of
all during the several yearly launches of the Space Shuttles from the Kennedy
Space Center.
There are a number of colleges in Brevard County for those that wish to continue
their education including Brevard Community College, the University of Central
Florida-Brevard, and Florida Tech with degree programs at the bachelor’s,
Master’s, and Doctoral level.
The Shopper will find plenty of great places to search out bargains or that
perfect one-of-a-kind item at the many malls and shopping centers in Brevard
County, or in the unique restored areas of Downtown Melbourne or Cocoa Village;
both offering a splendid choice of specialty shops, stores and restaurants.
What can you say about Brevard County? For those seeking a Florida lifestyle
near the water, it is just about perfect. There’s plenty of great outdoor
recreation, low taxes, affordable housing and lots of things to do.
If you are interested in Florida, by all means look at
Brevard County.
Contact us now for more information
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