U-Haul analyzed migration trends by examining more than 2 million one-way truck contracts at more than 23,000 locations, said Cal Conner, the company’s eastern Florida president. Economic expansion by companies such as L3Harris, Leonardo DRS, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX is bringing a lot of people in. Even though a lot of them are working up at the Cape, they’re choosing to live down in the Melbourne-Palm Bay area Conner said.
Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina said his city’s initiatives, including a streamlined building-permitting process and the road-paving program, have led to an increase in single-family infill lots and new subdivision projects. “Palm Bay remains an affordable place to live, coupled with recreational amenities, quality of life and community pride. As the space and defense industries expand on the Space Coast, the city of Palm Bay strives to leverage development and workforce opportunities that attract the likes of industry leaders Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to compete for the No. 1 destination for relocation in 2022,” said Medina.
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Palm Bay-Melbourne ranks No. 3 in growth among U.S. cities in new U-Haul study
A roughly 50-mile stretch of U.S. 192 links two of America’s hottest growth markets – Palm Bay-Melbourne and Kissimmee-St. Cloud – according to U-Haul moving data throughout 2021. The Palm Bay-Melbourne corridor has rocketed into third place in the annual U-Haul Growth Index, while Kissimmee-St. Cloud ranked No. 1.