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Cocoa, Florida, United States
By Iris Davis
 I was born in Dublin in 1944. I am a female bodybuilder, Personal Trainer and Manager of a storage facility in Cocoa, Florida with 1000 tenants or so. I have lived in Florida for 10 years, before that I traveled
the world living in various countries. Home to the Kennedy Space
Center, Cocoa is 40 miles from Orlando, on the East Coast of Florida, and is home to some of the best beaches around. It is situated reasonably close to Disneyland, Wet and Wild, Universal Studios and many other attractions. The weather is generally hot all year round. We do get some very cold days in January or February. It can get as low as freezing, but it only lasts a couple days. Summer gets as high as 100 degrees. The public transport isn’t the best in the World, so you do need a car to get round. There are some local buses to bring you to the stores etc, but overall public transport is almost non existent.
Living Accommodation:
When attempting to find a place to live it is best to visit the local realtor’s offices, another idea is to look through the local newspapers. Usually there are lots of rentals available. Houses usually come unfurnished and it can be difficult to rent short term. They usually require a 12 month lease paying the first and last months rent. In most cases a security deposit is also required.
Standard of Living:
As in anywhere in the world, there are rich and poor. Overall the standard of living is high, great restaurants and outdoor life is the norm. In Florida everything is geared for the outdoors with cookouts in backyards and picnics on the beach. There are ready made grills available for you to cook on at the beach.
Working:
If you are from overseas you definitely need a visa and social security number to get a job. Employers will ask for it and without it there is no possibility of work. You need to get these from the American Embassy in your own country and you have to have a job offer in hand.
Banking:
You need a social security number to open a bank account and you can’t get a job until you get a number, and you cant get a number without a job, it is a catch 22 situation. Don’t even consider coming to live in Florida if you don’t have the correct visas and job offers. The US dollar is the currency.
Healthcare:
Ideally it’s best to have health insurance. Most employers offer this benefit, but a lot of small employers do not.
Education:
Overall the schools are excellent with a high level of education and colleges are everywhere to suit all levels and degree of educations.
Personal Safety:
There are, like anywhere in the world muggings and robberies, you just have to be careful.
Leisure and Culture:
Mostly we embrace an outdoor life. There are lots of barbeques, family walks around wildlife/nature preserves and beach picnics. There are many good restaurants and lots of attractions within reach. - Disneyland
- Kennedy Space Center
- Waterworld
- Busch Gardens
There are a couple Irish Pubs, but there is not a strong Irish community here. The social and religious activity in Florida is similar to that in Ireland. There is lots of Bingo for the older folks and a few nightclubs for the younger folks.
Other tips and Thoughts:
Cocoa, is very laid back and very casual in its thinking and its dress. No one dresses up here, even weddings are often performed in jeans and flip flops. In Orlando it’s a little more refined with dress codes for the more refined restaurants. In Cocoa there are tiki bars on the beach where you eat in swim suit or shorts.
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