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Hey Everyone. I have been researching Melbourne for a while now and it seems like a cool little city. I am currently in the North East looking for a warmer climate. I love the hot weather so I am not concerned about the summers in Florida. I also lean slightly conservative. The city is also close to the beach which is fantastic. Melbourne seems to have a cool little downtown with a few neat bars and restaurants. Traffic doesn’t seem as bad as cities like Sarasota or West Palm. (If I am wrong let me know) If I were to move down, I am looking at apartments downtown (Highline) or the Eau Gallie area. Also the beach is close by. The city seems almost perfect for what I am looking for. I am 37 and single so I’m not looking for wild nightlife like Orlando or St Pete. A few bars downtown should be enough. The other cities I am looking at are Delray Beach Florida and Sarasota Florida. I am leaning towards Melbourne Florida though.
My only concern about Melbourne is the crime rate. On paper it seems like the crime rate is very high. I don’t live there so I obviously have no idea what to believe. Is the crime rate in Downtown And Eau Gallie bad? What areas of the city should I avoid? Have you had any bad experiences in downtown or the city in general?
Thank you so much!!!
Hey Everyone. I have been researching Melbourne for a while now and it seems like a cool little city. I am currently in the North East looking for a warmer climate. I love the hot weather so I am not concerned about the summers in Florida. I also lean slightly conservative. The city is also close to the beach which is fantastic. Melbourne seems to have a cool little downtown with a few neat bars and restaurants. Traffic doesn’t seem as bad as cities like Sarasota or West Palm. (If I am wrong let me know) If I were to move down, I am looking at apartments downtown (Highline) or the Eau Gallie area. Also the beach is close by. The city seems almost perfect for what I am looking for. I am 37 and single so I’m not looking for wild nightlife like Orlando or St Pete. A few bars downtown should be enough. The other cities I am looking at are Delray Beach Florida and Sarasota Florida. I am leaning towards Melbourne Florida though.
My only concern about Melbourne is the crime rate. On paper it seems like the crime rate is very high. I don’t live there so I obviously have no idea what to believe. Is the crime rate in Downtown And Eau Gallie bad? What areas of the city should I avoid? Have you had any bad experiences in downtown or the city in general?
Thank you so much!!!
Have you been to any of these cities?
They are very different… it’s sort of like asking where should I eat… I’m thinking sushi, but also considering American BBQ or Mexican. Maybe not the best analogy lol, but I hope you get the point I’m making.
I personally would never live in Melbourne, even if I was paid $100k in addition to my current income. It’s just too isolated, ugly, lost in time. It’s fine for a day trip from Orlando to enjoy the beach, but other than that… it’s just a small run down town in my opinion. The ocean color also doesn’t compare to South Florida or the Gulf side either. I know this might anger some people, but visit for yourself and decide.
Delray Beach has a very lively downtown. They have nice farmers markets and art festivals.
Sarasota has a very quaint almost like a movie setting downtown. You can feel there is a lot of wealth. You notice most residents are old and White, but for old people they are the more active type. The bars in downtown are thriving, people dancing, but it’s mostly silver foxes lol. The nearby beaches are beautiful.
I could live in Delray Beach or Sarasota, but could never imagine living in Melbourne Beach for the reasons above.
Hey Everyone. I have been researching Melbourne for a while now and it seems like a cool little city. I am currently in the North East looking for a warmer climate. I love the hot weather so I am not concerned about the summers in Florida. I also lean slightly conservative. The city is also close to the beach which is fantastic. Melbourne seems to have a cool little downtown with a few neat bars and restaurants. Traffic doesn’t seem as bad as cities like Sarasota or West Palm. (If I am wrong let me know) If I were to move down, I am looking at apartments downtown (Highline) or the Eau Gallie area. Also the beach is close by. The city seems almost perfect for what I am looking for. I am 37 and single so I’m not looking for wild nightlife like Orlando or St Pete. A few bars downtown should be enough. The other cities I am looking at are Delray Beach Florida and Sarasota Florida. I am leaning towards Melbourne Florida though.
My only concern about Melbourne is the crime rate. On paper it seems like the crime rate is very high. I don’t live there so I obviously have no idea what to believe. Is the crime rate in Downtown And Eau Gallie bad? What areas of the city should I avoid? Have you had any bad experiences in downtown or the city in general?
Thank you so much!!!
As someone else asked, have you visited? I don't have personal experience with Melbourne, but I see it is one of the most affordable coastal cities in Florida. Probably for a reason, I don't think there is that much there. But if you are looking for a lower priced area not far from beaches, it may fill the bill for you.
We lived in Sarasota for decades; it has now become one of the most expensive cities in Florida. You didn't say what your budget is, but there is a severe shortage of apartments in general, let alone anything that is considered "affordable." Population is a lot of wealthy retirees, with a smattering of college students due to the small colleges on the north Trail. Traffice is horrific a good part of the year with snowbirds and vacationers. No real community feel, it's a place people take vacations or live part time.
Delray seems like a neat place, but again no personal experience and I imagine it too is rather pricey. You may want to visit all these places; also helps to know your budget and if you need a job. Good luck!
Hey Everyone. I have been researching Melbourne for a while now and it seems like a cool little city. I am currently in the North East looking for a warmer climate. I love the hot weather so I am not concerned about the summers in Florida. I also lean slightly conservative. The city is also close to the beach which is fantastic. Melbourne seems to have a cool little downtown with a few neat bars and restaurants. Traffic doesn’t seem as bad as cities like Sarasota or West Palm. (If I am wrong let me know) If I were to move down, I am looking at apartments downtown (Highline) or the Eau Gallie area. Also the beach is close by. The city seems almost perfect for what I am looking for. I am 37 and single so I’m not looking for wild nightlife like Orlando or St Pete. A few bars downtown should be enough. The other cities I am looking at are Delray Beach Florida and Sarasota Florida. I am leaning towards Melbourne Florida though.
My only concern about Melbourne is the crime rate. On paper it seems like the crime rate is very high. I don’t live there so I obviously have no idea what to believe. Is the crime rate in Downtown And Eau Gallie bad? What areas of the city should I avoid? Have you had any bad experiences in downtown or the city in general?
Thank you so much!!!
Congratulations on your decision to move to Florida.
It's a big move and apparently you have done some comparisons which on paper seem to make sense, but in reality are all quite different.
Of the three cities Melbourne retains by far the most "old Florida" feel in terms of pace of life and residents. Melbourne does have a nice little downtown with a few nice bars and restaurants. Beachside (across the Intracoastal Waterway) are two separate small towns bordering one another closely, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. Both are among a handful of Florida beach towns that have managed to hold on to the past more successfully versus a lot of high-rise oceanfront development.
Melbourne's average resident will be substantially more MAGA-types along with a lower rate of educational attainment with about 28% of residents holding a Bachelor's degree or higher, while in Sarasota or Delray Beach that rate is closer to half (40+ percent or higher).
While Melbourne has some working professionals from the space program (NASA, SpaceX, etc) much of the population otherwise is service industry and blue collar. Sarasota has a larger well-to-do retiree base contributing to its educated population base.
Delray Beach partially acts as a bedroom community to the white-collar workforce in Fort Lauderdale/Broward County area. It is by far the more liberal of the three, being just left of center versus Sarasota's centrist feel and Melbourne's more far right feel. Delray Beach has a heavier presence of Northeast US transplants (NY-NJ) while Sarasota is more Midwest (MI-IL).
Melbourne has seen a population influx and is becoming more "progressive" but well behind the other two. If that matters to you, I would consider that aspect heavily in your thought process. Otherwise, it's perhaps a plus for you.
Crime Rates are not particularly useful (especially in Florida) where zip code crime stats are usually deceiving for where you would wind up living, considering they cover around 100 square miles typically and the vast majority of crime is in one or two pockets nowhere near home, or places you would opt to visit. Eau Gallie does have a couple of nearby rough patches versus Downtown Melbourne, so do keep that in mind.
I lived in an ocean front condo in Indian Harbour Beach in the early 2000's, I kick myself now for selling that! I also lived in a condo in Cocoa on the Indian River just south of Cocoa Village. I had a single family house in Viera, a lot of people don't like this town because it's very cookie cutterish. I'm a single female and felt safe in these three places. You don't necessarily have to move to downtown Melbourne, there are a lot of places nearby. I moved to Miami 9 years ago to be near family, but if I had to, I'd move back to Brevard County in a heartbeat. Good luck!
There are exceptions, but the general rule-of-thumb for decent and convenient areas in Melbourne: north of Palm Bay, east of I-95, and south of (including) Rockledge.
Even then, the most crime-ridden parts of Brevard are not that bad compared to other parts of the country
Congratulations on your decision to move to Florida.
It's a big move and apparently you have done some comparisons which on paper seem to make sense, but in reality are all quite different.
Of the three cities Melbourne retains by far the most "old Florida" feel in terms of pace of life and residents. Melbourne does have a nice little downtown with a few nice bars and restaurants. Beachside (across the Intracoastal Waterway) are two separate small towns bordering one another closely, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. Both are among a handful of Florida beach towns that have managed to hold on to the past more successfully versus a lot of high-rise oceanfront development.
Melbourne's average resident will be substantially more MAGA-types along with a lower rate of educational attainment with about 28% of residents holding a Bachelor's degree or higher, while in Sarasota or Delray Beach that rate is closer to half (40+ percent or higher).
While Melbourne has some working professionals from the space program (NASA, SpaceX, etc) much of the population otherwise is service industry and blue collar. Sarasota has a larger well-to-do retiree base contributing to its educated population base.
Delray Beach partially acts as a bedroom community to the white-collar workforce in Fort Lauderdale/Broward County area. It is by far the more liberal of the three, being just left of center versus Sarasota's centrist feel and Melbourne's more far right feel. Delray Beach has a heavier presence of Northeast US transplants (NY-NJ) while Sarasota is more Midwest (MI-IL).
Melbourne has seen a population influx and is becoming more "progressive" but well behind the other two. If that matters to you, I would consider that aspect heavily in your thought process. Otherwise, it's perhaps a plus for you.
Crime Rates are not particularly useful (especially in Florida) where zip code crime stats are usually deceiving for where you would wind up living, considering they cover around 100 square miles typically and the vast majority of crime is in one or two pockets nowhere near home, or places you would opt to visit. Eau Gallie does have a couple of nearby rough patches versus Downtown Melbourne, so do keep that in mind.
We live in Satellite Beach, which is just across the intracoastal waterway from Melbourne. Much of what Kyle has written is accurate. The area is a bit more laid back, more “old Florida” and less congested than most areas on the Gulf or South Florida. I don’t think crime is a problem here; I feel very safe wherever I go. We watch rocket launches almost weekly, the beaches are not crowded at all, there’s a small but nice art and music scene, Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral close by. Not too much excitement, but Orlando is an hour away if we want to go there.
My wife and I have lived in 6 places since we have been married more than 30 years ago, and in talking the other day Melbourne, FL was the standout as bottom of the list. We are mixed race family, and thus tend to like more democratic and/or more progressive places I guess. Too much far right politics, a terrible medical care system, employers that just didn't work out like they portrayed before moving there plus seemed just too narrow on everything they did all the time, and other things made Melbourne on the bottom. A few other places had some of those things but Melbourne had the most for us. There are nice things in Melbourne too, I enjoyed the birds, some of best bird watching I ever did. In social events we had some good friends so good people are in there too, but overall it was a toughy for us. I hope you do better if you move there, but we would never go back. Sarasota was too high end for us, housing is high, costs are high, not many employers and no calls for jobs we applied, so we never moved there. I loved it when it was a quiet place, became over run by high end homes/cars/rich. Outer areas of Volusia work better, S. Fl works better if you can find a place not taken over by too much inflow of people. Best of luck.
My parents have lived on the Eau Gallie side of Melbourne for over 30 years. I moved away as soon as I graduated high school and would never consider moving back. It has been growing lately but I would not think of it as a city with a downtown. It's more like suburbs with a few streets of a walkable downtown like area and a secondary smaller walkable area near the Eau Gallie causeway. It is not like the other places you mentioned. It's an ok place to raise a family and the past few years has brought some restaurant & bar growth but many people who live there will drive to Orlando for entertainment.
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