Top Satellite Beach, Florida Restaurants

As you might expect due to its location along the Atlantic Coast, Satellite Beach, Florida is home to some great seafood restaurants and outdoor patios for both casual and fine dining.  First, Abby’s Cove, at 1462 SR A1A, Satellite Beach, is great whether you’re looking for a casual meal or an exciting night out on the town.  There is live music throughout the week and three bars, all with distinct personalities.  The tiki bar just outside is right on the beach and has a dance floor to make your night a memorable one.

Enigma is located at 1550 State Road A1A in Satellite Beach.  The atmosphere is relaxed, yet chic, with an eclectic blend of  old-Florida meets South Beach.  The food focuses mostly on seafood prepared with an Italian flair, and one of the house specialties is the Portobello a'la Lucio.  The menu also offers a full array of appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, gourmet pizza, desserts and specialty drinks. There is a distinct  island vibe to enjoy as you watch the tropical fish in the circular aquarium in the main dining room.  There is also an outdoor dining area to enjoy the peaceful Atlantic.

For the best of Japanese and Thai fusion cuisine, try NipponThai, at 1114 State Road A1A, Satellite Beach.  This restaurant boasts the talents of an award-winning sushi chef, and there are gorgeous sushi boats for the first time sushi diners.  Signature dishes include the shrimp tempura roll, pad Thai and the ninja roll.  A fantastic mango/rice dessert is a great way to finish up a NipponThai meal experience.

Fun Activities and Historic Landmarks of Satellite Beach, Florida

Its location along the Atlantic Coast means excellent beaches and exciting water sports adventures for the visitors and residents of Satellite Beach, Florida.  The city is proud to state that 40% of Satellite Beach’s beachfront property owned outright by the public, which means that citizens have easy access to the beachfront through designated parks and dune crossovers.  Recently, substantial improvements have been made to the Pelican Beach Park, Hightower Beach Park, and Gemini Beach Park, as well as renovations to the dune crossovers that protect the beach ecosystem, dunes, sea turtles, and birdlife.

To take advantage of the Banana River, Indian River and Atlantic Ocean, water sports enthusiasts should check out Hayley’s Jet Ski and Boat Rental in Satellite Beach.  Experts and several publications rate Hayley’s as one of the best spots in Florida for renting a wide range of water craft, from personal vehicles to those that can be enjoyed by up to 10 people.  Its convenient location means that renters can choose which body of water to have fun in.

Hayley’s has a large and diverse selection of boats and jet skis, and boasts the only boat club in Brevard County.  There are plenty of boat or jet ski options, whether it’s for dolphin watching, island exploring, tubing, fishing, skiing, out to dinner, or just having some family time.  All boats feature bimini tops for protection against the hot Florida sun.  There are also several types of boating accessories available for rent, including tubes, knee-boards, wakeboards, skis and fishing poles.

History of the City of Satellite Beach, Florida

Before it was developed into the bustling town it is today, Satellite Beach, Florida was a region covered in saw palmetto and oak scrub.  Mangrove swamps were prevalent along the banks of the Banana River.  As of the late 1800s, the area was mostly government-owned public land and remained that way until 1923 when the last of the plots came under private ownership.  Still, nothing permanent was developed and deer, bear, and panther roamed the area even up to the late 1940s.

In the early 1950s, a group assisting with the testing of long range rockets at nearby Cape Canaveral needed a place to call home.  Because housing was at a premium further north, these residents established a settlement of about 50 homes and one restaurant in the future city.  There were no utility or governmental services.  The official origin of the City of Satellite Beach goes back only to August 1957 when residents voted to incorporate.  Development surged rapidly after Satellite Beach was incorporated, and the original city building was completed in December 1957 at a cost to the City of about $6,500.  A garden club was formed to plant and maintain the city’s landscape areas.  In 1968, the City’s original recreation center was built on a former tennis court, and in 1977 the volunteer fire department bought and donated the land on which the existing Fire Station now stands.

Due to its dedication to enabling access and enjoyment of the Satellite Beach beachfront areas, the City received in 1994 the first annual Florida Excellence in  Coastal Management Award.  Since then the City has placed over 1/3 of its oceanfront into public open space and volunteers continue to provide more than 10,000 hours each year to youth and public service programs

Satellite Beach, Florida Real Estate Market

The real estate market in Satellite Beach, Florida has fluctuated considerably over the last few years, at times reflecting the same variances as the national economy.  At other times, the housing ups and downs are triggered by local trends.  As of the first quarter of 2011 and for the third time in the past six months, the median sales price of existing homes in the Satellite Beach area is up when compared to April 2010.  This increase in median sales prices comes after over four years of prices being lower than their previous year’s counterparts.  For just the fourth time in the past year, the sale of existing single-family homes on the Space Coast topped 600.  This is a positive sign, considering that the wrap up of the Space Shuttle program eliminated hundreds of jobs.

Monthly foreclosures in the Satellite Beach area exceeded 746 from January 2009 through October  At the same time, monthly home sales were less than 584, thus creating an accumulating backlog of unsold homes.  During 2010, there were 15,000 more vacant homes than the economy could absorb, as the population was not growing even though the number of homes did.  This left the remaining homes vacant and helping to precipitate bursting the United States housing bubble.

The median sales price of single-family homes sold in Brevard County in April 2011, and Satellite Beach is included in that figure.  April median sales price on a single-family home was $109,200, a considerable increase from the $89,400 listed in March and $104,000 of April 2010.  As far as the sale of condominiums in the Satellite Beach and Brevard County area, the number of units sold was also up when compared to the figures from the same time period in 2010:  almost 200 condos were sold in in April, compared to approximately 150 from a year earlier. The median sales price was $95,800, down from $107,00 in April 2010.

City of Satellite Beach, Florida: General Information

Satellite Beach, Florida is a city in Brevard County, which is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area for U.S. Census purposes.  As of the official numbers of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 9,577, and by estimated figures as of 2005, the population was 9,811.  The city has a total area of 3.4 square miles, 2.4 square miles of which is land and 1.0 square miles of it is water.  Satellite Beach is referred to as a “barrier city” because it lies on an island that is situated in front of the mainland, along Florida‘s Atlantic Coast.

Of the 9,577 people living in Satellite Beach at the time of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 3,952 households, and 2,877 families calling the city home. The population density was 4,030.6 inhabitants per square mile . There were 4,257 housing units at an average density of 1,791.6 per square mile.  Children were living in 26.8% of households, and 60.3% were married couples living together.  Females were the heads of household in 9.2% of the homes, while 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% of households comprised a single person who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city of Satellite Beach, the population was spread out:  21.8% were children under the age of 18, 5.3% were aged from 18 to 24, and 23.0% were 25 to 44 years.  From 45 to 64, this was 28.3% of the population, and 21.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 95 males, though for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The salary figures calculated by the U.S. Census in 2000 ranges from a median income for a household at $55,571, and for a family $63,442.  Males had a significantly higher median income of $42,079 versus $28,259 for females. As a whole, the per capita income for the city was $27,181.

Climate and Storm History of Satellite Beach, Florida

Due to its location proximate to the geographical and climate zones which are immediately north and south of the tropical zones, the climate in Satellite Beach, Florida is classified as subtropical.  Characteristics of this climate are winters that are relatively warm and mild, with a summer season which is moderately hot and humid.  Subtropical weather also provides an ideal environment for plants such as palm, citrus and many broadleaf evergreens to thrive, and Satellite Beach rarely experiences frost or snow.

Satellite Beach has had its share of heavy weather, though the most noteworthy storm of recent history was actually a tropical storm.  Fay struck the area on August 20, 2008, and was the sixth named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season.  Forming from a dynamic tropical wave on August 15 over the Dominican Republic in the Eastern Caribbean, Fay then passed through the Eastern Caribbean before making landfall on the Florida Keys late in the afternoon of August 18.  The storm then turned into the Gulf of Mexico and once again made landfall - this time near Naples, Florida, in the early hours of August 19.

Tropical Storm Fay emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Melbourne, Florida, southwest of Satellite Beach, on August 20.  Because Fay was such a slow moving storm, severe flooding took place throughout several regions in Florida.  In all, Tropical Storm Fay dropped 20.03 inches of rain on the Space Coast area.