Cocoa Beach, FL

Cocoa Beach is a Brevard County beach city on Florida's Space Coast. World War II brought growth when Naval Air Station Banana River opened nearby, and the later space program tied the city to Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, and a steady stream of engineers, tourists, and surfers. Cocoa Beach is home to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, and the beach remains the city's defining feature. It feels casual and ocean-facing, with rockets, surfboards, condos, and old Florida beach-town texture all mixed together.