Brevard County, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island real estate

Merritt Island

The Island
Merritt Island was originally an island and is still referred to as one. Because of the construction of the Crawlerway for the NASA Space Shuttle to move to the launch pad over the Banana Creek in the north, it has been connected to a mainland peninsula. To the west and south it is separated by the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The east side of Merritt Island splits and is divided by Syke's Creek and New Found Harbour. They, in turn, are separated by the Banana River Lagoon from Cocoa Beach, Florida.

To the north, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, along with a narrow barrier island that make up Canaveral National Seashore, are an unpopulated protected buffer area for the space shuttle launching site of Kennedy Space Center. The area is a wildlife magnet drawing huge sums of migratory birds and more resident wildlife including, alligators, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, bald eagles, ospreys, bobcats, and the rumor of the elusive Florida panther.

To its south and east, the Island is linked by the Merritt Island Causeway and the NASA Causeway to the beaches of the barrier island that run from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station opposite the southside of the Kennedy Space Center, past the cruise ship docks at Port Canaveral onward to Cocoa Beach, Florida and Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. To the west, the island connects to mainland Brevard County by the Max A. Brewer Causeway to Titusville, Florida and by the Emory L. Bennett Causeway and Merritt Island Causeway to Cocoa, Florida, and Pineda Causeway, just north of Melbourne, Florida.

Merritt Island's recent history dates back into the mid-1800s and centers around the growth of citrus, stressing the cultivation of pineapples and oranges. The famous Indian River oranges and grapefruits come from this sandy area. The Island became a huge draw in the 1950s and '60s as the Space Race took off and NASA expanded. The construction of a barge canal to the Intracoastal Waterway from the Atlantic Ocean cut off the northern half of the Island for many years and to this day remains slightly rural with cattle pastures still holding on to some land. Now though a 4-lane highway connects to the Space Center, moving workers rapidly from the more densly populated central and southern sections of the Island. The small towns of Merritt Island vanished with the coming of the Space Age, towns like Georgiana, Courtney, Tropic, Fairyland, Orsino, Angel City, Wilson and Indianola now only live on in the names of streets and historic churches. The area now belongs to no official city, however the central part of Merritt Island is home to the majority of the population and includes the local high school, library, and shopping district.

With the lack of a municipal government Merritt Island is subject to the care of Brevard County and the double-edged sword that it provides. There are no city taxes and only minimal county police coverage. However, without a local governing body developers have transformed much of the character of the wetlands, coastal marshes, and orange groves that were so dominant even just 15 years ago. Today there is a lack of local parks, public space, and road infrastructure and improvements are far behind schedule for an area of this size.

With Merritt Island's central location within Brevard County the region is a commercial economic hub with the crowded Beaches to the east and the older mainland cities of Rockledge and Cocoa to the west.

To its south and east. Merritt Island is linked by bridges and causeways to the beaches of the barrier island that run from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station opposite the south side of the Kennedy Space Center. past the cruise ship docks at Port Canaveral onward to Cocoa Beach and Indian Harbor Beach. To the west. the island connects to mainland Brevard County by a series of causeways. to Titusville. Cocoa and just north of Melbourne. Merritt Island is also Just 45 minutes from major Orlando attractions, Merritt Island offers its own attractions. Providing the closest accommodations to a launch from Kennedy Space Center or a trip to the KSC visitor's complex to view the space shuttle, see a rocket, and learn the history of space flight -- Merritt Island is the best place to stay. For more Island fun you can visit the local parks and recreation areas, including Kiwanis's Island, and many boat launch locations. If you want to just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Island, local entertainment and restaurants provide for every taste from ethnic to a more classical fare.

Local shopping is very convenient with areas that include the outdoor Grove Street Shopping District; the indoor air conditioned comfort of the Merritt Square Mall, and numerous major retail chain stores, including Circuit City, Home Depot, Office Depot, Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and others.

Information from Wilkepedia