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Melbourne named top place in country as best place to live near beach

Cheryl McCloud
Florida Today

Melbourne is No. 1 in the nation when it comes to the best places to live near the beach.

The ranking was released in a report by U.S. News & World Report. Nine Florida cities were listed in the top 20, including Daytona Beach and Port St. Lucie.

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More:Melbourne makes '100 Best Places to Retire' list

Rounding out the top five were San Diego (No. 2), Sarasota (No. 3) Honolulu (No. 4) and Charleston, South Carolina (No. 5).

"The 20 Best Places to Live Near the Beach in the U.S." were culled from the magazine's overall "Best Places to Live list," which includes factors such as affordability, job market, morning commute and access to quality health care.

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"Along with year-round warm weather and ample public beaches, the Melbourne metro area also is home to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center," the report said.

"If you're interested in playing a bigger role than just watching rockets launch into space, plenty of aerospace employers accompany other large companies in the health care and manufacturing fields."

Best places to live near the beach:

  • 1. Melbourne
  • 2. San Diego
  • 3. Sarasota
  • 4. Honolulu
  • 5. Charleston, South Carolina
  • 6. Fort Myers
  • 7. Jacksonville
  • 8. Pensacola
  • 9. Santa Barbara, California
  • 10. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
  • 11. Tampa
  • 12. Port St. Lucie
  • 13. Daytona Beach
  • 14. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • 15. Los Angeles
  • 16.Corpus Christi, Texas
  • 17. Miami
  • 18. Salinas, California
  • 19. Brownsville, Texas
  • 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico

Reporter Michael Braun contributed to this report.

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