Palm Coast Gl and Flagler County (population 68,000) is located on the upper east coast of Florida between Daytona Beach and historic St. Augustine. People have definitely discovered this formerly remote corner of Florida. Palm Coast, the only “city” of size in the county, is growing rapidly both east and west of I-95. Real estate options here run mostly to new and newer, but at this time the county’s price index is still well belong the state average.
Occupying 26 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, Flagler County has unspoiled and uncrowded beaches, pristine lakes and waterways, grasslands and forests, good golf courses, and a lot of parklands. On the oceanside, the little town of Flagler Beach is still off the beaten track, and still charming in its own way. Its ocean pier is a local hangout. There’s a state recreation area called Gamble Rogers a couple miles south of there that harks back to Florida as it used to be, with a fine undeveloped beach and hiking trails. If you’re a kayaker, you can put in there and explore virgin salt marshes and trails.
North along A1A a few miles is one of those secret places you might go back to again and again once you’ve moved here: it’s called Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, known as “The Rocks” for its 1boulder-strewn beach, and it’s part of a plantation that dates back to Spanish Florida. It has a rich mix of coastal scrub, hardwood hammock, marshland, and that unusual beach.
But there’s more. Unexpectedly, in the midst of all this are huge formal ornamental gardens under grand oaks and palms, with roses, bromeliads and fruit trees arranged around koi ponds, bridges, and fountains. It’s a pretty cool place to meditate, take pictures, or just chill.
Flagler's climate ranges from a winter average of 64º F to a summer average of 84º F. That means lots of sweaters in the comfortable but cool winters (263 miles north of Miami!), but also that it’s usually pleasant here in the summers even when other parts of Central Florida get unbearably hot.
Flagler County has both the relaxed quality-of-life benefits of its relative remoteness, and day trip proximity to the big cities. Thus for day trips, all of Orlando/Central Florida's theme parks and major ttractions are just 75 miles away. Metropolitan Jacksonville and its big city nightlife, Arts and health facilities are just 55 miles away. Flagler is about equidistant in driving time (1:45) to the international airports at Orlando or Jacksonville.
Nearest smaller cities to Palm Coast include:
Now is definitely the time to think seriously about buying into northeastern Florida, given how rapidly everything is growing and how prices are increasing. In the past two years Flagler and St. Johns counties (St. Johns is St. Augustine) have been among the fastest developing counties in the United States on a per cent of population basis, albeit from small baselines. (Florida recently had 14 of the top 100 counties in the country, by rate of growth.)
Courtesy of http://www.flarren.com
Surrounded by lakes, forests and streams, it is an ideal location for outdoor activities
Ormond Beach description and assets:
A seaside community, located in the northeastern corner of the East-central region of Florida, separated by the Halifax River on the west, and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
It is a small community of only 40,000 and offers a great peaceful lifestyle. If you do opt for more choices (shopping-entertainment) then the neighboring communities of historic St. Augustine, Orlando and metropolitan Jacksonville are less than a 1 to 2 hour drive.
For exact distances go to
http://www.ersys.com/usa/12/1253150/distance.htm
The environment:
The subtropical climate feels more tropical in the summer. With an average high temperature of 88 degrees during the summers.
White sand beaches offer sunning and relaxation, water and jet skiing, surfing, scuba diving, fishing and windsurfing.
Just three miles north of Ormond Beach is the scenic Tomoka State Park, which offer fishing, boating, hiking and camping. The park also has walking and biking paths, wooded campsites and guided canoe tours along the Tomoka and Halifax Rivers. In addition to this there are a total opf 16 other parks in the area.
Bulow Creek State Park, Featuring one of the largest stands of Southern Live Oak, can be found just off the Old Dixie Highway.
Business in Ormond Beach
Ormond Beach enjoys a firm place in the expanding commercial and residential market of Daytona Beach Metro. (population 509,545). Business owners here, have a healthy business climate and opportunities to take part in worldwide marketing.
Public Schools
Name: Hinson Middle School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32117
386 258-4682
Name: Ormond Beach Elementary PTA
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 100 Corbin Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32174
386 258-4666
Name: Ormond Beach Middle School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 151 Domicilio Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32174
386 258-4667
WebSite: http://www.obms.org
Name: Osceola Elementary School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 100 Osceola Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32176
386 258-4669
Name: Pine Trail Elementary School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 300 Airport Rd., Ormond Beach, FL 32174
386 258-4672
Name: Seabreeze High School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 2700 N. Oleander Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118
386 258-4674
WebSite: http://www.seabreezehigh.org
Name: Tomoka Elementary School
Category: Schools-Public
Address: 999 Old Tomoka Rd., Ormond Beach, FL 32174
386 258-4676
Private Schools
Name: Bet Sefer Heritage School
Category: Schools-Private
Address: 55 N. Washington St., Ormond Beach, FL 32174
386 676-0539
Name: Our Lady of Lourdes Church & School
Category: Schools-Private
Address: 1014 N. Halifax Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118
386 255-0433 Ext:
WebSite: http://www.olld.org
Name: St. Brendan School
Category: Schools-Private
Address: 1000 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach,, FL 32176
386 441-1331
Health
Name: Florida Hospital Memorial Division
Category: Hospitals
Address: 875 Sterthaus Ave., Ormond Beach, Fl 32174
386 676-6000
WebSite: http://www.FHMD.com
Name: Florida Hospital-Oceanside
Category: Hospitals
Address: 264 S. Atlantic Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32176
386 672-4161
WebSite: http://www.FHMD.com
To see a full list of all health facilities go to http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/
In conclusion Ormond beach is a popular retiree area, so if you are looking foe a small community with options nearby, this could be the place.
For more stats countywide go to the Daytona general info links. For Real Estate information and related businesses see the Real Estate section.
“Think about the possibilities of living in an area where most people go for vacation.”
Courtesy of http://www.flarren.com
Daytona is known internationally as the world’s most popular beach and as the worldwide center of NASCAR and the Daytona 500. Daytona however is much more than that. It is a diverse and growing community, with 6 colleges and universities and lots of business, education, health and cultural opportunities. Key transportation links are helping drive current and future growth. Daytona is at the intersection of I-95 and the I-4 corridor which affords rapid access to Orlando and Tampa Bay southwest across Florida, and has its own international airport connecting to the world through Orlando International Airport.
Centrally located about an hour’s drive from Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Gainesville, Ocala, Melbourne, and Orlando, Daytona also offers its residents close proximity to professional sports such as the NFL and NBA. In addition there are also world class attractions and outdoor recreational opportunities of all types.
For distances between cities go to
http://www3.dot.state.fl.us/mileage/default.asp
Daytona is surrounded by water with over 47 miles of Beaches to the east and the St Johns river to the west. The beaches are really wide, and stretch from Ponce de Leon inlet and picturesque lighthouse at funky Port Orange in the south (with New Smyrna Beach and eventually the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral beyond), to the residential towns of Ormond Beach and Flagler Beach in the north.
To Dayton’s west you will find a unique part of old central Florida: the land of springs, lakes, rivers, and forests. Posted along Route 40 are signs to remind you that this is black bear country too. In the 19th century the old steamboat lines were strung along the St. Johns river basin and streams with intriguing names like Oklawaha, and some of the old river towns are still there. In fact, some of the most interesting old backroads of a still-existing Florida that most tourists and many residents don’t even know about begin right at Daytona’s back door.
And finally, Daytona is a thoroughly affordable area to relocate to, invest in, or vacation at. Check out the REal Estate section under agents and be sure to see the cost of living index for the area.
General Information.
Major Employment By Industry in order of numbers
In conclusion, if you like beautiful sunrises, lots of sun and like the outdoors Daytona could be just the ticket. In addition having Orlando only an hour away will really come in handy when everyone comes to visit. See google map at the upper right.
Cocoa Florida is really two areas, a beach town and a mainland town separated by yet a third town. And geographic terminology can be somewhat confusing too. Let’s try to sort it out for you!Cocoa Beach is a town on the barrier island located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Banana River Lagoon on Florida's Central East Coast, just south of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.
The city of Cocoa is on the western (mainland) side of the Indian River. Merritt Island, a long pointed piece of land and town parsing inland bay or lagoon waters into the Indian (Westside) and Banana (Eastside) “rivers” separates Cocoa from Cocoa Beach. Got that?
Cocoa Beach
This beach town has made it to the radar screen of most Americans with any knowledge of Florida. Like many of the towns in the area, it was more or less a service town for NASA and a nearby air force base, but has now really found its identity as Orlando’s beach, a popular resort town, and a main center of Space Coast night life.
Just six miles long and mostly less than one mile wide, Cocoa Beach is really an adventure in diversity. You can swim, surf, cruise out to sea on a gambling boat, catch a cruise to the Bahamas, enjoy the 800’ long Cocoa Beach Pier, choose fine dining or a beach joint, listen to music, find an art gallery or fly a kite. The place is laid back.
Other options here range from watching a space launch from the beach with hundreds if not thousands of folks from all over the world, to the intensely personal solitude of watching/photographing marine and bird life in their natural habitats. And then there’s good golf, boating, and fishing too.
When thinking about real Estate here, it helps to remember that Cocoa Beach is both a residential community and a tourist destination. The base population is just over 13.000 but it grows to as high as 30,000 during the tourist high season (January through March) and on many weekends.
The City of Cocoa
Located west of Merritt Island, this small multicultural city has a population of just over 17,000 and fronts 4 miles of the Indian River. The city was long a bedroom community for various NASA facilities and Patrick Air Force Base, but it’s in the process of reinventing itself. It’s still that, but it’s also a destination, a great place to live, and you can even commute to Orlando if you want to live here and work there. It’s got its own great shopping and other good shopping varieties at nearby Viera on the mainland side or Cocoa Beach or Merritt Island.
Recreational opportunities abound too: They include boating, fresh water fishing on the nearby St. Johns River and salt water fishing in the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean, golf, and minor league and major league baseball spring training. Because of its mainland location, Cocoa also has great access to Canaveral National Seashore (north of the Cape), to the NASA space complex at Cape Canaveral, and to nearby wilderness areas.
Cocoa has a unique downtown historic area which is referred to as Cocoa Village. Over 60 restaurants, art galleries, clubs, theater and unique shops in a great atmosphere make this an enjoyable place to spend a day or an evening for residents as well as tourists. Most weekends in Cocoa Village there are street celebrations, art exhibits, parties and fund-raisers.
All this and Orlando is a straight shot (about 45 minutes) on the Beeline expressway-highway 528. This proximity means that you have easy access to the smorgasbord of entertainment that a major metropolitan center can offer, including concerts, dining, sports, and other entertainment activities. Orlando’s major international airport is only about 30 minutes away; Melbourne’s, easier to use because it’s smaller, is about the same distance.
Cocoa really lets you have your cake and eat it too. World famous beaches, fishing, entertainment and shopping are right here or nearby. You can work locally, or easily commute to Melbourne or Orlando. This plus a quality lifestyle in a small town atmosphere makes Cocoa a stand out community. To top it all off, real Estate here still offers a good range of options and prices.
For more stats countywide (Brevard) go to the Melbourne general info links.
For Real Estate information and related businesses see the Real Estate section.“Think about the possibilities of living in an area where most people go for vacation.”
.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Historically, the place that gives this entire area its “name” is Melbourne, the oldest and best-known community on what Floridians call the “Space Coast”. Melbourne is right in the center of a long north-south corridor – coastal Brevard County – that is sandwiched between the St. Johns River Basin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches from Palm Bay and other smaller communities in the south through Melbourne, West Melbourne, and Melbourne Village in central Brevard to Viera, Cocoa and Titusville in the north.
And it includes a half dozen beach communities on one long, fabulous barrier island stretching from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral. This “greater Melbourne” is one of the most rapidly growing residential areas in Florida, and it currently boasts the fifth most rapidly appreciating home property values in the entire United States [USA Today, Sept 2, 2005]!
Yet Melbourne itself is reminiscent of an older not so built up Florida.
The main streets are wide and the city is well maintained. It has Arts, Fine Dining Health and Educational facilities that compare with the best Florida’s larger cities offer. It’s just an hour from Orlando and three hours from Miami.
The location makes anywhere in the state very accessible. Even remote Key West is just a 5 or 6 hour drive. As to Outdoor and recreational opportunities, in my opinion it’s one of the best places in Florida. The beaches are not jammed, there is plenty of access and it’s not wall to wall development.
When you approach the Ocean over the high bridge across the Indian River (the Intra-Coastal Waterway or ICW), your view is sweeping. It is not blocked by condos and hotels, thanks to strict zoning laws enacted well before the current rapid growth and development. For one thing, there are 3- and 4-story height limits, unlike what you find throughout much of South Florida.
For another, there is lots of easy to find, easy to use “forever” beach access. Before development there was conservation, and Melbourne and its beachside communities have some of the nicest public beaches in all of Florida
Melbourne also has a great Old-Town, downtown area with specialty shops, antique stores, theaters, restaurants and more. There are dining places overlooking both the Indian River Lagoon (the IntraCoastal) and the Ocean. Another Old Town section, Eau Gallie, features art galleries and the county art museum.
In a recent study, with a major space employer in Melbourne, the employees had this to say.
Melbourne is a safe place to live
It has great weather and lots of sun
It’s easy to travel and get to work and there are good job opportunities..
There is a wide variety of recreational facilities.
It’s easy to get involved in the community.
It’s a great place for creative people.
Three out of four would recommend a friend or family member to relocate to Melbourne.
Melbourne has the amenities that a larger town would have yet it has a small town atmosphere.
I call it user friendly.
All that and the Real Estate is a good deal. As of this writing (summer 2005) single-family homes, minutes from the beaches can be had from 200,000 up.
Melbourne, and its landside communities of West Melbourne and Melbourne Village, plus its beachside communities of Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, and Floridana (going south), or Indian Harbor Beach and Satellite Beach (going north) is simply a great place to live. Ditto for the greater Melbourne area from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral. What a great place to relocate or retire to.
Check out the dropdown menus to the left for more information. Better yet, come down and take a look for yourself! See the google map to the upper right.
.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved
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