Residents enjoy water sports including excellent freshwater and saltwater fishing

Palm Bay's recent history began in the 1850's when the first white settlers, also drawn by the bounty and beauty of the area, built homes along Turkey Creek. In the 1920's the town was named after the bay, bordered with palm trees, situated at the mouth of Turkey Creek. In the 1940's the United States navy expanded into the area with air stations providing an economic boost.. Since the 1950's space related industries moved into the area and modern industry had arrived. Palm Bay experienced enormous growth in the 1980's. A municipal complex located on Malabar Road, housing city hall and the police station, was designed and completed in 1990 and the City acquired the General Development Utilities-Port Malabar Water and Sewer System, which is now the Utilities Department of the City later that decade.Over the years, the City has continued to grow and now more than 88,000 residents call it home. Today, Palm Bay is the 19th most populated city in FIorida with approximately 800 miles of roads and swales to maintain. At build-out, it is projected that the City will have more than 250,000 residents.

With an active community center and 21 parks including Palm Bay Regional Park, which spreads over 200 lush acres and offers one of the few cricket courts in central Florida and world class soccer fields with lights for night matches and practice. Palm Bay residents have plenty of options to enjoy quality time outdoors, whether it be a quiet picnic in the park or a vigorous game of tennis. Our Parks and Recreation Department embraces the motto "Fun, Fitness and Friendship." Activities like aerobics, karaoke, baseball, softball, soccer and dancing, as well as entertainment like jazz, are sponsored at parks throughout the city. While Palm Bay has plenty of traditional community parks featuring an array of activities, the city is also home to the Hurricane Paintball Park, one of the few dedicated municipal paintball parks in the country.

Palm Bay residents also delight in their share of water sports and water related activities. Residents enjoy excellent fishing in the countless freshwater creeks, streams, marshes as well as the Indian River Lagoon, surf fishing from our nearby Atlantic beaches, and bass fishing from the nationally known Stick marsh. In addition Palm Bay offers sailing, water skiing, jet skiing and even parasailing as everyday enjoyments along its shores.

You can find plenty of other wet fun with the Atlantic beaches. Brevard County's 72 miles of pristine shores are just across the causeway. Here you can indulge in surfing, kayaking, windsurfing, volleyball, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, shell collecting or possibly you may prefer a soft patch of sand on a quiet stretch of beach to soak up the sun. For those that prefer a sand-free water experience, the newly opened Palm Bay Aquatic Center is the place for family fun. This beautiful water park features a huge water slide, plenty of activities for children, dedicated swim lanes, a 2 meter diving board for competition and comfortable indoor facilities.

For a more aesthetic water experience, manatee also flourish in our waterways. Enthusiasts will delight at the chance to get "up close and personal" with these gentle creatures. The docks of the "Captian's House" is just one of the many locales offering marvelous viewing opportunities.

The City has much to offer its citizens. A new category "High Tech Jobs" was recently created, confirming that Palm Bay is a metropolitan area, adjacent with other municipalities on two of our borders and very progressive in terms of our economic development and other creative ways for delivering government services to the community.

Attractions

Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a favorite attraction frequented by thousands each year. Here visitors can stroll along the 4,000 foot boardwalk or run the 1.5 miles of jogging trails that meander through this flourishing tropical setting. In addition, you may wish to canoe down the peaceful waters of the creek itself, encountering the acquatic wildlife face-to-face. The lush vegetation is home to numerous varieties of wildlife including an impressive assortment of birds. As many as 50 species of birds have been spotted here in one day! At the Margaret Hames Nature Center you'll find a quaint display of hands-on artifacts and teaching guides, a reference library, videos and more.

Another wildlife adventure just waiting for you is the Brevard Zoo. Stroll along shaded boardwalks through lush, unspoiled Florida habitat as you get close to animals from around the world. The "Expedition Africa" exhibit attracts countless visitors with its giraffes and endagered white rhinos. Encounter a jaguar, monkeys, alligators, wolves, otters, and more. Take a ride on the rails of the "Cape Cairo Express" throughout the lemur and scimitar-horned onyx habitat or kayak the wetlands featuring sandhill crane, deer, bobcat, manatee and dolphin. The Brevard Zoo hosts several events during the year including "Holiday Nights," where you can enjoy nightly choirs, fresh snow, jolly old Santa and a moonlit walk through a wonderland of Christmas trees and decorations.

Travel from earth to the heavens in just a few short minutes at the Brevard Community College Planetarium & Observatory. From their rooftop observatory witness the real night sky through the largest telescopes in Florida. Visitors enjoy many hands-on demonstrations and exhibits, such as the Hubble Space Telescope in the Science Quest Hal, or relax in the 70 foot planetarium dome with the Magnificent Minolta Infinium star field. The planetarium also features a giant 3 story high screen where guests delight in breathtaking spectacles from Iwerks Films.

Minutes away is the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex. Tour NASA's launch and landing facilities, experience interactive simulators, live shows, back-to-back IMAX theaters, touch a real piece of Mars, board the Space Shuttle Explorer, experience awe inspiring encounters with massive rockets and much more. You may even meet a real life astronaut. From any back yard in Palm Bay you can watch a rocket or space shuttle launch. This is why our area code is 321...

Less than 30 minutes away is Port Canaveral, the second busiest cruise port in the world, Embarking on a fabulous vacation from this seaport is a popular activity, offering numerous cruise options with a choice of partial day as well as two, three, four and seven-day itineraries. There are several cruise lines to choose from, such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, the popular Disney Cruise Lines and more. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the partial day or evening cruises on Sterling Casino Lines' Ambassador II which embarks twice daily and offers free parking, free buffet, free entertainment, free drinks for gamers, no port charge, and a choice to sail daytime or evening cruises, The port also offers charter fishing, where you can go aboard for a deep sea fishing adventure, or an exciting evening of shark fishing. Port Canaveral also presents an array of fine dining, parks and camping.

Conveniently close to Palm Bay, about an hour drive, are Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios Orlando Resort, SeaWorld and more.

Arts & Culture

Palm Bay has two libraries - the Palm Bay Public Library and the Franklin T. DeGroodt Public Library - as part of the Brevard County Library System, comprising of 16 libraries and featuring 900,000 total volumes.

The Theater Company of Palm Bay offers delightful community theater performances. The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne presents high quality, diverse touring and local performing arts events. The Brevard Symphony Orchestra also performs at the King Center.

For art enthusiasts, Palm Bay and the surrounding Brevard County community offer a wide selection of galleries, museums and festivals. Most notable is the Brevard Museum of Art and Science, which has five galleries of rotating exhibits and hands-on learning activities for children.

Statistics
Population (year 2000): 79,413
Elevation: 19 feet
Land area: 63.6 square miles
Median house value: $78,300 (year 2000)
Latitude: 27.98 N, Longitude: 80.66 W

Hospitals/medical centers:
CIRCLES OF CARE INC (about 8 miles; MELBOURNE, FL)
HEALTHSOUTH SEA PINES HOSPITAL (about 8 miles; MELBOURNE, FL)
HOLMES REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER (about 8 miles; MELBOURNE, FL)

Airports certified for carrier operations:
MELBOURNE INTL (about 9 miles; MELBOURNE, FL; ID: MLB)
PATRICK AFB (about 18 miles; COCOA BEACH, FL; ID: COF)
VERO BEACH MUNI (about 29 miles; VERO BEACH, FL; ID: VRB)

Other public-use airports:
VALKARIA (about 8 miles; VALKARIA, FL; ID: X59)
SEBASTIAN MUNI (about 18 miles; SEBASTIAN, FL; ID: X26)
MERRITT ISLAND (about 25 miles; MERRITT ISLAND, FL; ID: COI

College/University:
DARLYNE MCGEES ACADEMY OF COSMETOLOGY (4711 BABCOCK ST NE STE 26; Private, for-profit)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students:
FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-MELBOURNE (about 8 miles; MELBOURNE, FL)
BREVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE-COCOA CAMPUS (about 27 miles; COCOA, FL)
INDIAN RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 45 miles; FT PIERCE, FL)
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (about 58 miles; ORLANDO, FL)
VALENCIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 61 miles; ORLANDO, FL)
ROLLINS COLLEGE (about 65 miles; WINTER PARK, FL)
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX-ORLANDO CAMPUS (about 66 miles; MAITLAND, FL)

Private high schools
COVENANT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (720 EMERSON DR NE; Grades: KG - 12)
VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (100 EMERSON DRIVE NW; Grades: KG - 12)
LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL (4690 LIPSCOMB ST NE STE 4B; Grades: 9 - 12)
PALM BAY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (PO BOX 60201; Grades: 5 - 12)

Biggest public primary/middle schools
SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL ( Grades: 07 - 08)
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
LOCKMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
CHRISTA MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
PORT MALABAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
JUPITER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
RIVIERA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
PALM BAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)
COLUMBIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grades: PK - 06)

Private primary/middle schools
ST JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 5320 BABCOCK ST N E; Grades: PK - 8)
PALM BAY BAPTIST ACADEMY (2601 EMERSON DRIVE SE; Grades: PK - 11)
DIAMOND COMMUNITY SCHOOL (PO BOX 60534; Grades: PK - 7)
WELLINGTON ACADEMY (1436 TROUTMAN BLVD NE; Grades: PK - KG)

By combining the power of the Internet and our own network of real estate professionals, HomeJoy of the Space Coast Real Estate is supremely able to assist you in finding a home to fit your needs or help you sell your present property. Whether you are looking for townhouses, condos, luxury homes, or investment properties, let us help you find your new home in Palm Bay, Florida.

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Merritt Island, FL
321 459 2079
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