From the fishing pier and sandy beach at Castaways Point Park to the fully handicapped and special needs accessible playground at Inspiration Park, Palm Bay values its 29 greenspaces. Along with the 200-acre Fred Poppe Regional Park, golf courses, Turkey Creek Sanctuary, and beaches, so much park space earned the coastal city a Top 10 spot for Parks & Outdoors, at #7. Combine the natural endowment with one of the country’s lowest crime rates (#5) and the result is a #15 ranking overall for Place, a category that also includes Neighborhoods and Weather. Manufacturing thrives here, led by defense and semiconductors firms. Being four miles to the Florida Institute of Technology and 48 miles to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, the Space Coast city also has a growing technology industry. Looking ahead, Palm Bay seeks to revitalize its Bayfront district adjacent to Indian River Lagoon, a plan that would include an accessible public waterfront, with a recommended budget of $29 million, by 2024.