Melbourne Florida Pros and Cons

Making a move to Melbourne Florida? No matter where you live…there are going to be things you love about living there and there will be some things you cannot stand! Melbourne is no different…Here are the Pros and Cons of living in Brevard County’s 2nd largest city Melbourne.

I love the location of Melbourne Florida. You are kinda-sorta in the middle of the County. You can get to almost every city in Brevard County in about 30 minutes. You have 3 causeways connecting you to the beaches. You have 6 access points to I-95. (18 exits in Brevard & Melbourne have 6 of them!)

I love a city that has great parks & outdoor recreation. I have mentioned Wickham Park in another video and the 2 city golf courses. There’s also great golfing at the north end of Melbourne (Suntree, Baytree, and Durans). Some great parks to explore-Erma Nixon Park is a 53 acre preserve with nature trails. Lake Washington Park is a great place to watch the sunset, run into some “natives”, and launch a boat (regular or airboat), & Crane Creek Promenade for watching manatees. The Viera Wetlands is a guaranteed place to see alligators and other Florida wildlife. There are playgrounds and tennis courts throughout the city and several municipality pools too.

A con that seems to be associated with parks lately is the homeless that can congregate there. Fortunately, the mayor of Melbourne has been working with several organizations to help with the homeless population. (Daily Bread Inc, Brevard Homeless Coalition, & Cita Rescue Mission to name a few) Paul Alfrey was elected mayor in 2020 and believes the city parks should be safe for the children to go and play at (which I commend) You can learn more about Melbourne’s plans here https://www.melbourneflorida.org/services/helping-those-experiencing-homelessness

This is a news clip of Mayor Paul Alfrey walking through a homeless camp they cleaned up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp6aq15_KXE

If you like to kayak, I recommend launching at Ballard Park to explore either the Eau Gallie River or Elbow Creek OR you can launch on the Crane Creek near 192 (Front St Park, Riverview Park, or Crane Creek Promenade)

Kayaking up the Eau Gallie River and under the train tracks in Melbourne Florida

Melbourne also has a great running community. There are 5ks, half & full marathons throughout the year. I recommend checking out the fun runs scheduled throughout the week at the running zone’s website (they are also a great place to get fitted for your next pair of running shoes) https://www.runningzone.com/funruns/

I love live music and seeing almost any type of live entertainment & in Melbourne, you have a few options to choose from. The Henegar Performing Arts Center has Broadway-style shows throughout the year. https://henegarcenter.com/ The King Center also has Broadway-style shows, musicians, and comedians throughout the year too. https://www.kingcenter.com/

Hospitals, doctor offices, and walk-in clinics. Melbourne has 3 major hospitals. Health First in Viera, Melbourne Regional on Wickham just north of Ellis Rd, and Holmes Regional near Hibiscus and Babcock Road. Besides these locations, there is the VA hospital in Viera. Orlando Health Arnold Palmer on Eau Gallie Causeway. There are walk-in clinics and emergency clinics throughout Melbourne too.

Map view of the area hospitals for Melbourne Florida

Property taxes for Melbourne depends on where you live. If you are inside the city limits, your mileage rate is around 17.1069. If you are outside the city limits (32934 or 32940 zips have areas outside the city limits) then your milage rate is 11.7258 for 2022. More information can be found on the county website https://www.bcpao.us/

Are schools important to you? According to GreatSchools.org, Melbourne has some of the best in Brevard County. Suntree, Longleaf, and Quest elementary schools are considered above average. Westshore Jr/Sr high school is considered above average. Melbourne High and Lyndon B Johnson Middler are considered average. See how the other schools in Melbourne rank https://www.greatschools.org/florida/melbourne/schools/?gradeLevels%5B%5D=h&gradeLevels%5B%5D=m&view=list

Map view for some of the schools in Melbourne Florida

Worried about hurricanes and having to evacuate? The good news unless you are living East of US 1 or on the Indian River, you are not in the mandatory evacuation area if a storm is approaching. Whenever I have questions about hurricanes, living in a flood zone always comes up. The good news is that most of Melbourne is in flood zone X which means flood insurance is not required. There are pockets of Melbourne that will be in a flood zone (which are usually near a body of water-Crane Creek, Eau Gallie River, etc) You can always check the FEMA maps to see if a property is in or near a flood zone.

Map view of Melbourne. IF you live east of US 1, you are in the mandatory evacuation area.

The worst thing about living in Melbourne in my opinion is the traffic! Wickham Road can be a nightmare, especially from around the Eau Gallie Causeway south to 192. US 1 is a little better because the speed limit is a little faster…but it also gets congested around Eau Gallie, Babcock St, and 192/Melbourne Causeway. The Pineda Causeway (404) gets jammed up depending on the time of day. Mornings when you are heading west towards 95 and then in the evenings heading east near Wickham Road. 192 is just a tough road to travel going in either direction. With that being said, there are also plenty of alternative routes throughout Melbourne to make traveling easier. I like Croton, Stewart, and Babcock on the east side of town; and John Rodes & Turtle Mound on the west side. I also travel on 95 a lot to jump from the north to the south side of town too.

If you are looking for a place to live in Melbourne, you can start your search here https://www.ericlarkin.com/melbourne

If you have any questions about an upcoming move to Florida or the Melbourne area, I am happy to help find an answer. Call or text Eric Larkin with Real Broker, LLC 321.795.1854 or drop a comment below.

Eric Larkin is a Broker Associate with Real Broker, LLC. He lives, works, and plays in the Cocoa Beach area. If you have questions about moving or relocating to Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast, let me know! I get calls, texts, direct messages & comments on my posts every day about the real estate market and things that are happening in Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast that I love answering. Ask me your questions on moving, relocating here, or anything about the community. I am here to help. I have been helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs since becoming a real estate agent in 2003. My focus is always on helping, answering your questions, and doing everything possible to make certain you have a smooth transaction from beginning to end.

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