| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
July all year, except when it's winter, then it's more like April in NYC if you've ever been there. It has much warmer days and much colder days but it's usually a consistent "hot" degree temperature.
As far as extreme weather, we do get the occasional hurricane and heavy rain. It rains a lot in Florida (though not as much as people claim it to). Flooding can occur in lower sea level areas but you don't see much of that around Melbourne. | | These are claims I've heard from people I know from Melbourne:
"I had my car stolen from my driveway in a gated neighborhood."
"I have a friend whose apartment was robbed. She lived in the bad part of town."
"There have been murders and drug deals along a particular stretch of East University Blvd near Florida Institute of Technology. It is a low income area."
"I have read in the newspaper about prostitutes being arrested in the Eau Gallie area."
This isn't small town crimes as much as it is a lot of drug exchanges and some gangs, but overall it isn't the worst place in the world to live, and is much better than other places in the world relatively speaking. | | "University boulevard is cleanly split into two - the good part of it west of Babcock Rd where Florida Tech is, and the east part of which is really bad. People have said to me "A white boy like you has no business in that part of town."" - A friend of mine from Melbourne.
Another clear divide is the Indian River Lagoon separating the mainland from the Beachside. Generally the upper middle class and wealthy live on Beachside. Middle class and lower live on the mainland. Beachside is where one would generally find mansions and gated neighborhoods.
The further away from the lagoon you go, the lower the average income is. Palm Bay is generally a poorer, working class area deeper into mainland Florida. There is an inversion in line area - Viera, which is in two parts with Interstate 95 bisecting it. Viera East is generally middle class, whereas Viera West is generally upper middle class or wealthy. | | The elderly will, and do, enjoy living in Melbourne. However, younger people (20s-30s) will not, as there is barely any nightlife or activity to enjoy except in old downtown Melbourne. People often move there from elsewhere in their forties and fifties as they're winding down and looking to live a quieter life in a neighborhood where staying at home and attending social gatherings is the big to-do.
Depending on the neighborhood of Melbourne that you're in, you'll find more or less people of the same ethnicity as you (see my post on the Best/Worst parts of town) who will either accept you there or won't. Racism is a big thing in certain areas of Florida. This is no exception. |
| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
| Downtown Melbourne is pretty neat. Main street USA kind of place. There's also an upscale shopping center called The Avenue in Viera which is where many of the "uppity and rich" people do their shopping, but the stores are pretty cool. | | My favorite, by far, is Meg O'Malley's in downtown Melbourne. The shepherds pie is to die for.
If you enjoy hot dogs, Long Doggers is the place to go.
For sushi and Thai food, Thai-Thai is where it's at. | | I've only experienced schooling in Melbourne at the high school but I thought the quality was excellent. The teachers were worthwhile and the education I got I really felt was personalized to me even though every student was getting a similar education. | | Not for LGBTQ, but if you're straight there are some bars in Mebourne, but then once again it should be said you'd have to be older because really only older people go to Melbourne when they want to settle down. |
| Noise | | town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions |
Interstate 95 is a major thoroughfare but they have erected soundproofing walls.
Melbourne international airport, despite the name, is really microscopically tiny and has low traffic since it mainly serves the Bahamas, Caribbean and Atlanta.
People living near the water may hear boats and the like but it generally isn't a problem. | | The area is part of the Melbourne-Cocoa-Titusville statistical area so I will compare Melbourne with the other towns.
Cocoa is very industrial oriented with factories, manufacturing, etc. it is the center of the aerospace industry since it is in close proximity to NASA at Cape Canaveral. It's better to live in Cocoa if you're interested in such things or if you work at NASA.
Titusville is generally poorer despite part of it being within the Cape. It's much better to live in Melbourne because Melbourne has the better finances and wealthier people. Also even though it's a quieter town there is much more to do in Melbourne than in Titusville.
Melbourne is more prosperous than the other two towns. If people were looking to find something to do, they would either go to Melbourne or the Avenues shopping center in Viera. In Titusville there's... A Denny's restaurant. A Waffle House. Walmart. Target. That's about it. | | Holmes Regional Medical Center. Currently the only Level II trauma facility in Brevard County. There's also Viera Hospital. Both are very good with friendly staff waiting to help you. | | The Beach, definitely. Obviously. It's really beautiful. The parks. Downtown Melbourne with it's "main street USA" feel is always worthwhile to see. It's a cute town to shop in. |
| General comments | | | | | | |
It's dreadfully dull, but pretty. It's very slow paced and there's ample parking everywhere. Not a bad place to de-stress oneself after a long day working a hard job. There's not much quarrel in Melbourne (besides the crime mentioned in the Crime section) so it's relatively easy to "chill out" and relax after working hard.
When I walk through Melbourne, since there is nothing much to do, I get to take in a lot of the scenery. The houses are genuinely beautiful, old-style houses and the people are generally really nice folk. Some are retired and some are snobbish, yes, but the people who are down to Earth are very cool and the town has a very quaint almost "homey" vibe to it. | | | | | | |
