Anyone in the Melbourne, FL area?

[Hoff 0]

So, I've been contemplating moving for the last couple years. Florida has always been on my radar, and while looking at housing on the East coast side, I ran across a little place in Palm Bay, which led me to nearby Melbourne. I did some digging, and...it looks really, really nice. Seems like a very strong community, and several websites mentioned a strong economy in that area of the country. The job sites seem to have many opportunities, as well. So now I want to hear from people that live in that area. What's it like? What's the culture, the atmosphere? How @#$% tight is living near the ocean? In all seriousness, anyone over in that area on the "space coast" who has experiences to share, I'd love to hear them.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

I looked into the northern Florida area as a place to move. The economy is good, many job opportunities and living expenses are lower there than most. But, Florida weather is the fucking worst, at least to me. I'd rather live in Minnesota.

[Hoff 0]

Try it for a quarter of a century. The snow itself isn't so bad, nor the cold, but it's the bullshit with it -- bad roads, shoveling the walk, brushing your car off every morning...tiresome. And then we get maybe a month of spring/fall (less this year, if trends continue), and then a lot of heat and storms and tornadoes. I'm not looking forward to possible hurricanes, and I know it gets muggy (bogues?), but I'm ready for a change of scenery.

 

That being said, thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

[MrRant 0]

Did you just ask if Florida got black?

[Guest Vitamin X]

Florida is fucking awful. Especially a po-dunk, hillbilly town like Melbourne.

 

The weather sucks. The people are god awfully rude. The oceans are filthy and crowded, usually (although this is more the case in Miami). People are ingrained into their own little cliques and don't like associating with outsiders, so the best recourse if you want any friends is to make friends with other out of staters- not much of a chance of that in a place like Melbourne.

 

Seriously dude, you'd like the West Coast a hell of a lot better.

[Hoff 0]

I find your ideas intriguing, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. What's so great about the West Coast, if I may ask?

[Slayer 0]

The grass is greener

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

The Pacific Northwest. Hoff, for once I sympathize with you fully. The weather in the great lakes area of the midwest is horribly annoying. Inconsistent year round, and awful in both seasons. No happy medium or more than a few months of being pleasant. As soon as I decide to leave Indiana, I'm migrating to either Washington or Oregon. I got along quite well there when I visited. Not so much the urban centers as the backwoods mountain folk. Plus the Cascade region is the prettiest place in the country, outside of maybe Glacier in MT.

[Hoff 0]

Hmm. Actually, at one point I had been considering Seattle, as I have friends there. Recently I've been looking elsewhere, but any time that area of the country comes up, people do speak fondly of it, be it for the contemporary culture or the picturesque scenery. So it's definitely something to think about. Thanks, Agent.

 

Did you just ask if Florida got black?

Wait, what?

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Don't forget over here. There's plenty of room.

 

The Census Bureau says except for areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, the Pittsburgh region had the biggest population drop from 2000 to 2006.

[Longdogger_Pete 0]

I live in Palm Bay, Florida. DON'T DO IT!

[Guest Vitamin X]

Hmm. Actually, at one point I had been considering Seattle, as I have friends there. Recently I've been looking elsewhere, but any time that area of the country comes up, people do speak fondly of it, be it for the contemporary culture or the picturesque scenery. So it's definitely something to think about. Thanks, Agent.

 

Did you just ask if Florida got black?

Wait, what?

 

Ditto on the Pacific Northwest. The only gripe I have is that employment opportunities can be difficult in some fields, but otherwise it's great. You have to not mind the rain too much though, while it doesn't pour, you do get a lot of very light/misty rain all the time. Seattle was a little too much of a big (and therefore kind of expensive and competitive) city for me, but Portland is great. No sales tax too! (No income tax in Washington) and both states are famous for having the highest wages in the country (although Portland has cheaper housing and real estate). Clean as hell, lots of stuff to do outdoors, friendly and nice people, and there's plenty of things to do at all hours of the day. I don't think Portland's great if you're obsessed with nightclubs or anything, but we have the most bars per capita (and strip clubs overall) in the country. Lots of good food, diversity. And safe. The only downsides is the amount of homeless people and tweekers, but they're not really dangerous or anything (just take care of your shit so it doesn't get jacked), and like I said, there are some issues with employment opportunities since it's a small (but fast growing) city.

[Hoff 0]

Thanks, X.

 

Pete -- BUT WE COULD HANG OUT! IT WOULD BE THE COOLEST~~~

 

Seriously, though, why do you say that? Can you throw me a little more insight?

[Longdogger_Pete 0]

OK, in all honesty, if you're looking at buying a house and have the qualifications to get a decent job, I'm sure you'd do fine here. Can't tell you too much about Melbourne but Palm Bay is growing at a phenomenal rate so there's plenty of opportunity here.

 

The problems come in if you are not so well off. Renting is expensive and getting more so, and the jobs aren't paying any better than they were at entry level. Like I said, if you've got the qualifications to do better than more power to you.

 

As far as lifestyle here. Palm Bay was much smaller when I moved here ten years ago. Almost *everyone* here comes from out of state. So, it's not very hard to make friends with others Those that *do* come from this area, I've noticed, are very passionate about their local lifestyle - like high school sports, for instance. Die hard high school football fans.

 

I wouldn't say there's plenty to do in Palm Bay or Melbourne, but you're within one to two hours of most of the major tourist areas in Florida - them being Orlando, Disney, Daytona Beach to the north, Vero Beach to the south, KSC, etc.

 

Living near the ocean is nice. Just watch out for hurricanes.

 

Hope that helps. Any other questions?

[Hoff 0]

No. Thanks a lot, man.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I looked into the northern Florida area as a place to move. The economy is good, many job opportunities and living expenses are lower there than most. But, Florida weather is the fucking worst, at least to me. I'd rather live in Minnesota.

 

You don't want to live in northern Florida. Trust me.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Northern Florida might as well be southern Alabama or Georgia, really. There's no relation between the panhandle and that Jacksonville/Lake City area and the rest of the state, especially when you travel south past Orlando and even moreso past Palm Beach.