![[Picture Of Our Home]](images41/house1.jpg)
Our home on south Merritt Island, Brevard County,
Florida, USA.
We have lived here for many years. Our
home is a Spanish style, Saltbox (sideways), and it is very comfortable to
live in.
The blue star on the map of central
Florida (see below) marks the approximate location of our home.
Merritt Island is a typical sub-tropical
island. Vegetation tends to grow low and dense in the near sea level soil.
Much of the land is composed of various types of sand and will not support
the growth of tall trees. Palm trees do grow well and we are surrounded by
many varieties of palms. This area is the home of the "Indian River
Orange." Orange groves are very common here and both of us love the
oranges. While this area is almost never the actual landfall for
hurricanes we still experience strong winds and heavy rains. During the
summer months we are on a storm track of large thunderstorms and this area
is often referred to as the "Lightning Capital of The World." You can see
that living here has some good features and some bad.
To the north of the island on the
main-land is orange groves and wilderness. To the east is the Banana River
and Cocoa Beach. To the south is Melbourne Beach. To the west is the
Indian River and the city of Cocoa. Merritt Island divides the Indian
River and the Banana River. In truth, both rivers are not rivers at all,
but are parts of a large lagoon that extends from Titusville, Florida to
Miami, Florida.
![[Map of central Florida]](images41/fl_map.jpg)
NASA owns the northern part of the
island and most of it is used as a US Wild Life Refuge. If you have been
to the Space Port Visitors Center then you have visited the island. If you
have watched a space shuttle launch on TV then you have seen the north end
of the island. Much of the southern part of the island has been developed
for human habitation.
The island community is diverse in race,
culture and wealth. One of the largest churches in central Florida is
located on the island. The First Baptist Church is a village in its self.
Betty and I live near the church, but we are not Baptist. There are also
many other denominations present on the island.
There is a shopping mall and many,
perhaps too many, strip malls. The business district is undergoing a
revitalization at this time. This rebuilding includes many very good,
franchised, restaurants. The main highway between Cocoa City on the main
land and Cocoa Beach City on the outer island has been widened and much of
the traffic problem caused by transit across Merritt Island to and from
the beaches has been resolved.
The primary employer on the island is
the US Government. The NASA Space Port resides on the north end of the
island. The requirements of space shuttle support creates many technical
and non-technical jobs. There is very little turn-over of employees, so do
not rush here to get a job. The second largest employer is Patrick Air
Force Base and its missile test range support contracts. Patrick Air Force
Base is located just south of Cocoa Beach on the barrier island. Patrick
Air Force Base is the "I Love Genie place" of television fame. There are
many other smaller entities in the employment market such as Sea Ray
Boats. Sea Ray Boats has 3 factories on the island, all located in a
single contiguous area, and is a major source of employment. There are too
many others to continue listing them.
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