You have received your orders to PCS to Patrick Space Force Base and you are looking for information on the area…what to expect living in Florida, housing options, schools, shopping, entertainment, and things to do, then this post is for you.
Patrick Space Force Base is surrounded by water with the Banana River to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The northern border is the city of Cocoa Beach and the southern border is the city of Satellite Beach. There is a gate on A1A closer to Cocoa Beach and there is a gate on the south end of South Patrick Drive and the 404/Pineda Causeway. A1A and the Causeways are how you get to & from the Base, the Barrier Islands, and the Mainland. Besides Pineda, there is the Eau Gallie Causeway and the Melbourne Causeway to the south, and the 520 Causeway and 528 Causeway to the North. All of the Causeways will connect you to A1A and to I-95. The central location in Brevard County allows you to get to anywhere between SR192 and 528 in about 30 minutes. There are a lot of options in this area.
If Shopping and restaurants are important to you, there are options all around the area. Viera is a great place to start. Here you have The Avenues, which is an open-air mall, with movies, shopping, and restaurants. There’s a good-sized TJ MAX and Home Goods store. This is where you find a good selection of chain-style restaurants (Chilis, Outback, Longhorn, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc)
Other areas for Malls and chain-style restaurants are south in Melbourne off 192/Melbourne Causeway and West Melbourne off Palm Bay Road. North would be in Merritt Island or Titusville.
If you like Costco, we have one off the Pineda Causeway in Viera. If you like the other membership-type stores, we also have Sam’s and BJ’s in Brevard County.
Beachside, you will not find a mall, but the shopping centers for a variety of shops that include Beals and Ross. The restaurants tend to be more mom & pop versus the national chains (except for fast food)
Groceries stores in the area are Publix, Winn-Dixie, & Aldi’s. We also have Wal-Mart and Target. Of course, we have Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware in the area too.
If you are looking for nightlife/clubs, you might be a little disappointed in the area. We definitely have bars where you can eat, drink, watch a game, and hear some live music. If you want to go clubbing…you will need to head to Orlando or plan a trip to Miami.
If you like to see a concert, we do have the King Center in Melbourne. They have national acts coming through all the time. See what is on their schedule here https://www.kingcenter.com/events I will see an occasional show at the King Center, but do head to Orlando more often to see a show at either the House of Blues or Hard Rock Live.
Parks and recreation. Brevard County and our local municipalities have some amazing parks. Wickham Park in Melbourne offers trails, playgrounds, frisbee golf, pavilions, and picnic areas. If you like to kayak, Desoto Park in Satellite Beach has a launch site, or just pull off on the side of the Pineda Causeway and launch your kayak. Patrick has 4 parks on the ocean to offer access to the beaches. All of our beach towns offer easy access to the beaches too. Get a boat or jetski to explore the rivers and canals. Lots of places to fish. Just know that you do not need a license to fish from the shore but you do need a license to fish from a boat.
If you have kiddos, schools might be important to you. The good news is that most of the schools rank well in Brevard County and there are great resources like GreatSchools.org and SchoolDigger.com to see what the school district is for a particular address and how these schools rank. The bad news is, that I can only quote the source of how a school performs & not give you an opinion. Here are the links to help you do the research.
https://www.greatschools.org/florida/
The same goes for asking about crime or how safe a particular area/neighborhood is. Really, the question “How safe is this area?” is definitely a personal opinion. I have been in areas I am quite comfortable with that the Buyers I was working with did not like and vice versa…Here are a few good sites to learn more about crime, etc
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/fl
https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/
If you’ve never lived in Florida, there are a few concerns that usually come up I’d like to address right away…The weather, hurricanes, alligators, and mosquitoes…If you have others, let me know and I would be happy to address them.
Brevard County has beautiful weather 9 months out of the year. July through September is exceptionally hot and humid & it will probably take a season or two to fully adjust. The hot summer months usually mid to upper 90s with overnight lows around 80. December through March we are usually in the mid to high 70’s/lower 80’s with overnight lows in the 60’s. Our “cold” weather gets in the 40s and is usually only here for a couple of days.
Hurricane season is June through November with the peak of the season during August and September. Yes, these storms are dangerous. You also have time to prepare if a storm is coming and if it poses a threat to Florida. The local news & weather will be all over it. I follow Mike’s Weather Page on social media for my updates. Depending on where you live will depend on if you are in a mandatory evacuation area. The barrier islands (all of the beaches and Merritt Island) and east of US1 on the mainland is in the mandatory evacuation area. I am usually asked how often have had to evacuate. I have lived in my current house in Cocoa Beach for 8 years. We have boarded up for approaching storms 5 of the 8 years and evacuated three times. To help you be prepared for an approaching storm, I have several videos and blog posts on how to prepare for a hurricane.
Alligators do live throughout Brevard County and Florida. They could be present in any body of water. Some areas are more prevalent than others. They want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. I usually see them in the more rural areas…driving through the Space Center…Pine Island…the Viera Wetlands. I have seen them showing property and they were floating in a lake behind a house. I have seen them kayaking on the Banana River north of 528 near the Port. You will more than likely see them on a golf course near the water hazards. They usually submerge and swim away. The County or Municipalities usually post signs near the bodies of water that are more prone to have alligators. When we had dogs, I would not let them swim in a lake or walk near the water’s edge. If I had small children, I would definitely use these same rules.
Mosquitoes are part of life living in Florida. It depends on the area and the direction of the wind if it is a consistent issue or not. If you are living in an area that has a lot of trees, shrubs, and tall grass, you will more than likely have mosquitoes around. If we have had a lot of rain, there will more than likely be mosquitoes around. There are services that can spray your yard to minimize them being around. We use citronella candles. There are also preventative devices like a Thermacell that help deter mosquitoes.
Where will you live? While there are housing options at Patrick, most personnel live off-base. I will go over both renting and owning options to keep you within 20 to 25 minutes of the gates, which are located on the northeast side of A1A and the south end of the base near the 404/Pineda Causeway.
Beachside. The closest cities/communities to Patrick are Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach…and they are also more expensive because you are on the beach. Satellite Beach offers a large selection of single-family homes & townhouses, along with some condos. Cocoa Beach offers a large selection of condos, with some single-family homes and townhouses.
Satellite Beach & Indian Harbour Beach (32937 zip code). Single-family homes will be dry lots, on canals, on the river, or on the ocean. Most were built in the 1960s and 70s with new construction happening right now. There are quite a few townhomes. The townhomes are almost all dry lots. There might be a few on a pond. There is some oceanfront. They range from the 1960s to the early 2000’s Condos are mostly oceanfront, some are dry lots, and a couple are on a canal. They were built from the 1960s to 1990s. New construction is happening & they are pricey. Homes are from the $400s to multimillion. Condos and townhomes can be found in the mid $100’s to over a $1M.
Rentals in the 32937 Single family home $2100 to $6000. Condos and townhomes $1150 to $6800
Active listings can be found at EricLarkin.com
Cocoa Beach is similar to Satellite Beach in regards to the age of properties. Most of the homes were built in the 1950s to 1980s with some new construction happening. The homes can be found on dry lots, canal lots, riverfront, and oceanfront. Same with the condos, built in the 1950s through the 90s with some new construction and they can be dry lots, canal front, riverfront, or oceanfront. There are townhomes that were built in the 60s to the 80s. These are all on drylots with a few that are on a canal and ocean. Homes can occasionally be found under $500K to multimillion dollars. Condos and townhomes from the low $100s to over $1M.
Rentals in Cocoa Beach. Single-family homes are $2400 and up per month. Condos and townhomes $1100 to $6000 per month
Merritt Island is a good option because it connects to the Pineda Causeway OR you can connect to A1A via the 520 Causeway. For this reason, I would recommend either south or central Merritt Island to keep your drive time to under 30 minutes. Merritt Island has some townhome & condo options but is almost entirely single-family homes. You can live on a dry lot, on a canal, or on either the Banana River or the Indian River (aka the Intracoastal Waterway). Homes are mostly older (1950s to the 1990s) with new construction happening. Prices are in the mid $100’s to multimillion dollars. South Merritt Island has some of the most expensive homes in the county. Condos and townhomes are in the mid $100’s to over $1M
Rentals in Merritt Island. Single-family homes $1800 to $8000 per month. Condos and townhomes $1000 to $3200.
Viera/Suntree is one of the most popular areas in Brevard County. You can find homes, condos & townhomes. There is a lot of new construction happening in West Viera. Just know that the properties in the 32940 are all in an HOA (there are a handful that are not in an HOA). So, if you do not like the idea of living in an HOA, this might not be the right place for you. It’s also good to note, if you are interested in a 55+ community, there are 5 communities in the 32940 to consider.
All of the homes, condos, and townhomes are either on a dry lot, on a lake/pond, back to a preserve, or could be on a golf course. There are only a handful of homes that are on the river. Home prices range from $300K to $2M+ . You can find condos and townhomes ranging from $175K to $600K.
Rentals in the 32940. Single family homes $2000 to $7000. Condos and townhomes are $1300 to $4000.
Melbourne 32934 & 32935 and is the center of Melbourne Florida. This area is mostly single-family homes both in an HOA and not in an HOA. You also have some condo and townhome options too. There is a large variety of homes in this area. Homes were built anywhere from the early 1900s to new construction with a lot of homes built in the 60s and 70s. Lot sizes will range from 40’ wide zero lot line to multi-acre parcels. Waterfront options could be on Lake Washington/St John’s River, the Intracoastal Waterway, a tributary of the Intracoastal, a lake/pond, or a dry lot. Home prices are from $200K to $1M+. Condos & townhomes range from mid $100s to $1M+.
Rentals in the 32934 & 32935 are $1700 to $4300 for houses and $950 to $3200 for condos/townhomes.
Since Brevard County is over 70 miles from end to end, I am only going over areas within 20 to 25 minutes to the gates at Patrick Space Force Base. If you have any questions about, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Cocoa, or Titusville…Let’s schedule a call.
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.
Planning a move or have questions about our area? Eric Larkin with Real Broker, LLC can help! Schedule a call here https://www.ericlarkin.com/schedule-a-call
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