"Palm Bay, Florida" Palm Bay by noidiotsplease

Pastel colored strip mall in Palm Bay

Despite being the largest city of Florida's Space Coast region (Brevard County), Palm Bay is essentially a bedroom community to its smaller neighbor, Melbourne. The fast-growing city, now with a population exceeding 100,000 residents, is a typical suburban mix of neighborhoods and commercial strips and is bisected by Interstate 95. I have been to Palm Bay numerous times because my wife is from here, and her parents live here. My wife and I were also married at a church in Palm Bay back in 2001.

In recent years, several big box retailers and other developers have built commercial buildings in Palm Bay, some with Key West-inspired architectural styles and colors. These can be mostly be found near the interstate, along the Palm Bay Road and Malabar Road corridors. That said, Palm Bay has no real downtown or town center. The nearest mall is located in nearby West Melbourne.

Palm Bay stretches eastward to the Intracoastal Waterway, but there is no real waterfront focal point. Turkey Creek, a tranquil stream popular with kayakers and small boat operators, is an offshoot of a small body of water called Palm Bay, which itself is more like an alcove off the Intracoastal Waterway.