Vero Beach, Florida - Not Just For Millionaires Any More!

I drove around Vero Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon and was really quite impressed with the place, especially the homes along the ocean. Most of these places were absolutely huge, no doubt because the owners have a lot of kids or take care of many foster children. Vero Beach is home to such famous personalities as mystery writer and former Miami Herald newspaper columnist Carl Hiaasen, Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, a lot of other singers I have never heard of, and a surprising number of former and current baseball players, including Sandy Colfax. There also seem to be a lot of very successful businesspeople who live there, too. Surprise! But don't despair - you don't have to be a millionaire to live there. I have seen 2 bedroom, 2 bath condos for sale there on the internet for $425,000, $575,000, $615,000, and so on, although I notice the HOA fees range from $1,000 to $1,600 or more, and so you better have a good income or large 401K to consider buying. Way out of my league, but since my sister Susan and I already have our Florida condo, we are not in the market, and so yesterday, for the most part, we stuck to the commercial parts of town, including the oceanside patio at Mulligan's, located off Beachland Boulevard, and seen in the photograph on the left.

Beachland Boulevard seems to be at the center of the action along the beachfront, which is located on North Hutchinson Island. I like that neighborhood very much, but the last time I was here I decided to head to the mainland to check out the downtown part of Vero Beach. And discovered there is no downtown. I believe they are working on building one on a site called "Three Corners," but have yet to choose a developer. The town has been around since 1919, and so I would not hold your breath until the ribbon cutting takes place. Instead, I would head back to North Hutchinson Island and head a few blocks north of Beachland to the Vero Beach Boardwalk, the town's most popular beach area, located along Ocean Drive and seen in the photograph on the right. There was a wind blowing off the water (FYI: there is always a wind off the water), and the temperature was 76, considered cool for Florida, and so there were no swimmers in the water, only people sitting on the beach in the folding lawn chairs they had brought. 

On the way out of town, I noticed they were having an art show in Humiston Beach Park, where I snapped the photograph on the left. This event, called Art in the Park, is sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club and takes place on various Sundays. It was not a very big event, and took just a short time to see, but made for a pleasant walk in the park. And no, I did not run into Carl Hiaasen, Gloria Estefan, or for that matter Sandy Colfax, the latter two I would not have recognized even if they fell on me. When it comes to celebrities, I tend to wait until people start pointing and shouting their name. And sadly, no one did. Maybe next time.