Are you ready to turn your dream of living small beach town into reality & you are starting to do your research on the Cocoa Beach area? This post will introduce you to North Cocoa Beach.
Cocoa Beach is one of the 6 beach towns on Florida’s east coast that we have in Brevard County. We are known for our miles of sandy beaches, surfing, vacationing, bioluminescence, rocket launches, Kelly Slater, and I Dream of Jeanie. Besides Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach is one of the closest beaches to Orlando.
See what’s for sale in the Cocoa Beach area https://www.ericlarkin.com/cocoa-beach-cape-canaveral
Cocoa Beach is small in population and is unique in size and shape It is a long and skinny town, 7.5 miles from Grant Ave to Patrick Space Force Base. The widest point is Minutemen Causeway & it is 2 miles from the ocean to the river. Most of Cocoa Beach is less than .5 miles wide with the narrowest point at 600 feet.
Cocoa Beach is not officially divided up into sections, but I like to break Cocoa Beach into 4 areas. South Cocoa Beach, Downtown Cocoa Beach, Central Cocoa Beach, and North Cocoa Beach.
North Cocoa Beach is just south of 520 to Cape Canaveral. You have East of A1A, along Ocean Beach Boulevard and West of A1A along N Banana River Boulevard, and all the crossroads connecting east and west.
West of A1A is N Banana River Boulevard. This area has mostly single family homes with several condo complexes at the north end. The single family homes are either dry lots, canal lots, or direct river. Even though there are a lot of canal-front homes in this area, most of the homes are dry lots. Most of the homes in this area were built prior to 1977. Home size ranges from 1000SqFt to almost 4000SqFt. Most of the homes are between 1500SqFt and 2500SqFt.
If you have a boat, you are very close to the Banana River. If you want to get to the Ocean or Intracoastal, you simply need to head north to 528 to access the barge canal to the Indian River or to the Canaveral Lock for ocean access.
There are 5 condo complexes in this section of Cocoa Beach. There are Bayvue Condos, Rio Vista Condos, and Winslow condos in Cocoa Beach and I am including the 2 Cape Canaveral complexes of Costa Del Sol and Hidden Harbor on the list and they are also nice size complexes. Costa Del Sol is a large complex with 12 buildings, 2 of which are direct river. All 5 condo complexes also have community pools as an amenity.
What I like about the N Banana River section of Cocoa Beach is how easy it is to around. If you need to head north on A1A, simply take Shepard Ave to the light on A1A, and its easy to cross the 4 lanes of the highway. Need to head south, either take your closest crossroad to A1A and hang a right to go south. If you need to get to Merritt Island, head south on Banana River Dr to 520 and hang a right.
I also like that it is definitely a “residential” area. There are sidewalks along N Banana River Dr. The crossroads leading into the community are all 20 mph, and seem pedestrian friendly. When we used to live in Costa Del Sol (this was waaaay back in the 1990s) we would walk our dog to 520 to rent a movie from the Movie Gallery, maybe hit Carvels for ice cream, and then walk home with the newest video (Be kind, rewind) Carvel & the Movie Gallery are long gone BUT you can still get a nice walk in to grab a Starbucks, something from the Kava bar, or a nice meal from one of the restaurants off 520.
You are close to a grocery store. You have Publix on the north end of Shepard and you have Winn Dixie on the south end on the other side of 520. This is also the area for restaurants, bars, and other shops.
If you want to go to the beach, there are 3 lights to help you cross A1A…Shepard, Osceola, and 520. This is one of the things I do not like about this section of Cocoa Beach. You have to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to the beach.
There is also S Banana River Blvd which runs south of 520. This area here is all condos with a few townhomes. There are 4 condo complexes along the river (Sunset Harbor, Pebble Cove, Four Seasons, and Rock Pointe) along with 4 complexes on the east side of S Banana River (Cocoa Beach Townhomes, St Lucie Villas, St Lucie Gardens, and Riverview Manor)
Besides the easy access to all the restaurants and shops on 520, you can close to the restaurants and shops on A1A by either St Lucie Lane or 520.
East of A1A you have Ocean Beach Boulevard which runs parallel to A1A and becomes Ridgewood Ave as you leave the Cocoa Beach city limits just north of the Cocoa Beach Pier. Most of the crossroads will connect you to A1A to the west and the ocean to the east. There are quite a few hotels in this area that give it a “touristy” feel. So does the Cocoa Beach Pier, Ron Jons & the Cocoa Beach Surf Company…they are all magnets for tourism.
There are a lot of condos on Ocean Beach Boulevard, most of them are direct ocean complexes (Almost 50 from the Coral Seas Condo to the Emerald Seas Condo) There are several oceanfront condos near the Cocoa Beach Pier that are AirBnB friendly. The other condos in this area are on “dry lots”.
There are a lot of single family homes along Ocean Beach Blvd/Ridgewood and on the cross streets connecting A1A to the beaches. Some of the homes between 520 and the Pier have studios or in-law suites. None of the homes in this section of Cocoa Beach are in an HOA. None of the homes in this section of Cocoa Beach are oceanfront, only dry lots. The only ocean from properties are condos, hotels, timeshares, and a couple multi-family.
Homes in this area range from tiny under 900SqFt bungalows to over 3500SqFt homes. There are a lot that were built in the 1950s, 60’s, and 70’s. There is new construction happening too.
There are a lot of townhomes or half duplexes along the Ocean Beach Blvd/Ridgewood corridor. Most of these do not have an HOA.
I mentioned, there are a lot of hotels in this area…there are also quite a few AirBnB’s too. The single family homes from E Volusia to E Alachua have them. The townhomes & multi-family properties on the President Streets have them too.
What I like about this area is how pedestrian-friendly Ocean Beach Blvd is. There is a dedicated bike lane. There are sidewalks. I always see people out walking, riding their bikes, riding their skateboards, & riding their one wheels.
Since you are east of A1A, you don’t have to deal with crossing 4 lanes of traffic to get to the beach. Most of the streets will lead to the beach too. Shepard Park at the end of 520 and the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier are high-traffic beaches, even during the week. The other beach access points in this area aren’t as crowded.
The commercial properties (shops, restaurants, bars, etc) are concentrated near 520 & A1A or closer to the Cocoa Beach Pier.
Some of the cons I see about the north end of Cocoa Beach is that it does get congested with traffic on A1A around 520 and the Pier. This section is also heavy on the tourists visiting Cocoa Beach. Especially during our snowbird season (January through April), any nice weekend, or holiday. What I do like about the north end is you have quite a few restaurants to enjoy, you have both a Winn Dixie and Publix for shopping and you are close to 520 to help get you to Merritt Island or the mainland if you have to leave the beach. What are your thoughts on North Cocoa Beach?
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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