Where do aerospace workers live on Merritt Island, FL?

Most aerospace workers on Merritt Island live north of the Canaveral Barge Canal, within a few minutes of State Road 3, in Island Forest Preserve, Egrets Landing, Egret's Reserve, Savannah Landings, Sunset Lakes and The Savannahs.

State Road 3 does one job on this island. It runs north up the spine of Merritt Island, crosses the Canaveral Barge Canal on the Christa McAuliffe Bridge, and ends at the Kennedy Space Center property line as the southern access to the center. Locally it is North Courtenay Parkway. Almost every housing decision an aerospace worker makes here is downstream of that one road.

The second road that matters is State Road 528, the Beachline, which crosses SR 3 at exit 49 and runs east to Port Canaveral and west toward Orlando. Where you land on the island is really a question of which of those two roads you use more often.

The four destinations and how you reach them

Kennedy Space Center sits at the north end of SR 3. NASA is direct about access: anyone entering on official business needs a Kennedy issued badge, and the badging office is located just outside Gate 3. If your badge lives at Gate 3, every mile you live south of the Barge Canal is a mile you drive twice a day.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Port Canaveral launch and recovery facilities sit on the far side of the Banana River, reached by heading east on SR 528. Port Canaveral publishes its own launch schedule and launch hazard areas, which is worth checking if your work or your boat puts you near the channel. And if your role rotates out to an Orlando area office, SR 528 west is the same road, which I cover in more detail in my Brevard to Orlando commute guide.

North Merritt Island is closest to the gates

North of the Barge Canal, North Merritt Island is a narrow strip with SR 3 as the only through road and three cross streets that carry almost all of the residential development: East Crisafulli Road, Hall Road and Smith Road. That geography is why the island's newest construction is concentrated up here rather than south of SR 520.

Island Forest Preserve

Island Forest Preserve off East Crisafulli Road is the largest active new build community on Merritt Island, on Moonrise Drive, Andromeda Avenue and Cygnus Place. Houses run 2023 through 2026, typical price $591,000, and typical size is a genuinely large 3,029 square feet on a quarter acre. At $202 a square foot it is the most square footage per dollar anywhere on the island. Dues run about $955 a year and most of the community is gated.

Egrets Landing

Egrets Landing off Hall Road, on Hebron Drive, Norwich Street and Shannock Avenue, has been building since 2017 and is still delivering homes. Typical price is $664,900 for about 2,690 square feet, dues are $441 twice a year, and just under half the homes have a pool. It also moves quickly, often under a month, so this is one where you want to be pre-approved and ready.

Egret's Reserve

Egret's Reserve on Cornwall Drive is the newest address on the island, everything built in 2025 and 2026. Typical price is $734,450 for roughly 3,130 square feet on a third of an acre, with dues near $856 a year. Metal roofing is standard on most of these, which is a meaningful difference from the shingle roofs on almost everything else here. Just over forty percent of the lots back to water inside the community.

Armen Groves

Armen Groves on Armen Drive is small and easy to miss, reached by turning at the Smith Road light just north of the Barge Canal. All 2024 construction, typical $659,900 for about 2,580 square feet, dues around $144 a month. It is the closest new build pocket to SR 528, which matters if you are running east to the Cape rather than north to the gate.

Savannah Landings

Savannah Landings on Loymer Circle, just off North Courtenay, is 2021 to 2023 construction at $669,000 for about 2,435 square feet. Dues are $325 a quarter. Two thirds of the homes carry a water lot, though the water is interior to the community rather than river frontage, so buy it for the setting and not for a boat.

Sunset Lakes

Sunset Lakes is the value position in North Merritt Island, about a mile and a half north of SR 528 on Sunset Lakes Drive, Sunward Drive and Tipperary Drive. Homes date from 1993 to 2004, typical price $509,250 for roughly 2,220 square feet, and the community is gated with tennis and basketball courts, a playground, a park and a jogging path. Dues run near $1,150 a year. Eighty six percent of these homes have a pool, the highest share of any large community up here.

The Savannahs

The Savannahs off Hall Road, on Savannahs Trail, Sand Ridge Drive and Sunset Ridge Drive, spans 1989 to 2015 at $550,000 for about 2,300 square feet, with dues of $490 a year, a clubhouse, tennis and golf course access. Three quarters of the homes have a pool. At about $232 a square foot with a sixteen day average marketing time, it is the fastest moving established community on the north end.

If you want land, or a lower number

Kings Park on Eagle Way is the least expensive North Merritt Island entry at $454,700 with no association. Citrus River Groves at $475,000 gives you half acre to two thirds acre lots on 1980s houses, all on septic and with no association. North Grove on Northgrove Drive is $496,500 with dues of $530 a year.

Moving up, Indian Bay Estates on Apache Trail and Navaho Trail runs $610,000 with a community boat launch and dock, nearly half the lots on water, and septic throughout. The Groves on Dundee Drive is $687,000 on half acre and larger lots with no association. Preserve Pointe is $732,500 on full acre lots with a pool on every home, and Otter Trace on Winding Way runs $740,000 with lots stretching to 2.6 acres. At the top, Heron Creek on Ambrosia Lane is 2020 and 2021 construction at $886,000 on lots up to three acres.

What about south of the causeways?

South Merritt Island is the older, more established, more waterfront half of the island, and plenty of aerospace households live there because they wanted a dock more than they wanted a short drive. Be honest with yourself about the tradeoff. From the south end you are crossing SR 520 and then the Barge Canal before you even start north on SR 3. If your schedule ever shifts, that is the difference you will feel.

North Merritt Island commute picks

Community Built Typical price Dues Access road
Kings Park 1979 to 2023 $454,700 None SR 3
Citrus River Groves 1981 to 1987 $475,000 None Hall Road
Sunset Lakes 1993 to 2004 $509,250 $1,150 a year SR 3
The Savannahs 1989 to 2015 $550,000 $490 a year Hall Road
Island Forest Preserve 2023 to 2026 $591,000 $955 a year E Crisafulli Road
Armen Groves 2024 $659,900 $144 a month Smith Road
Egrets Landing 2017 to 2026 $664,900 $441 twice a year Hall Road
Savannah Landings 2021 to 2023 $669,000 $325 a quarter SR 3
Egret's Reserve 2025 to 2026 $734,450 $856 a year Hall Road

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Merritt Island neighborhood is closest to the Kennedy Space Center gate?

The communities off East Crisafulli Road and Hall Road sit farthest north on the island, which puts Island Forest Preserve, Egrets Landing, Egret's Reserve and The Savannahs nearest the north end of State Road 3. SR 3 terminates at the Kennedy Space Center property line, and the badging office sits just outside Gate 3.

Is there new construction on Merritt Island for aerospace buyers?

Yes, and nearly all of it is on the north end. Egret's Reserve is 2025 and 2026 delivery, Island Forest Preserve is actively building through 2026, Egrets Landing is still delivering homes after nine years, and Armen Groves finished in 2024. Expect $591,000 to $734,450 typical and roughly $202 to $248 a square foot.

Do I need to live on Merritt Island to work at the Cape?

No, but the island is the only Brevard community with direct road access to the Kennedy gate without crossing a causeway from the mainland or driving up SR 401 from Port Canaveral. That is the practical argument for the north end, and it is the reason resale up here stays steady.

Related on the Space Coast

Let's map it to your actual commute

Every aerospace household I work with starts the same way: badge location, shift pattern, and whether a second driver is heading the opposite direction. Those three answers narrow eighty one Merritt Island neighborhoods down to about four, and then we go drive them at the hour you would actually be driving. On the relocation side, my partner Nichole and I got your back. Start with my Space Coast aerospace relocation page and my post on choosing your own agent on a relocation package, then call or text (321) 212-7676.

If you are weighing a Space Coast move and want help running the actual numbers on a specific city, neighborhood, or price point in Brevard County, I can put together a side-by-side comparison for you. My partner Nichole and I got your back. Reach out anytime at (321) 212-7676 or www.livingspacecoast.com.

Rachel Langley and Nichole Barna, REALTORS at Blue Marlin Real Estate

Merritt Island move?

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The sales rep works for the builder, not for you. Builders let you have your own agent, but you HAVE to name us on your first visit. Walk in without us and you can lose the right to bring us in on that purchase.

Text us at 321-212-7676 first. We meet you there. You still get the new construction. You also get two REALTORS who negotiate pricing, contract terms, inspections, and repairs every week.

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