Britt Kennerly

FLORIDA TODAY

If you live in Palm Bay, Titusville or Melbourne, you are likely so bored you will not read this column because you're busy searching for something — heck, anything — to do.

At least that's what the people at Movoto, a real estate blog, seemed to think when they named the "Ten Most Boring Places in Florida."

By list-makers' calculations of 775 places, Brevard County has the most snooze-inducing areas among the Top 10. Palm Bay snored its way to No. 2, behind only Poinciana, a census-designated place southwest of Kissimmee. And Titusville stifled a yawn at No. 9.

Melbourne didn't escape critics. It shuffled in, rubbing its eyes, at No. 42 on the 50-spot list, all with populations of more than 40,000.

List-makers also used U.S. Census and business listings for details including nightlife per capita; live music venues; parks and outdoor activities; and arts and entertainment.

And they figured the percentage of non-fast-food restaurants — the lower, the more boring — and of residents ages 18 to 34. The smaller the percentage of young people, the more the ZZZ-factor kicked in.

"This is all in good fun, and we're not suggesting that there is anything fundamentally wrong about your hometown; it's just a little slower-paced than most," the writers said.

I don't kid myself. The Space Coast is not New York, or San Francisco, Chicago or Seattle. And Brevard is the ninth-oldest county in Florida. We're not exactly Mardi Gras-ing in the streets here.

But many of us, whatever our age, moved here or stayed here precisely because it's not New York, San Francisco, Chicago or Seattle. They're all great cities. Still, between the weather and the cost of living, folks are often bored in other places, too. Either they can't afford fun or they're stuck inside for weeks at a time looking at window-high mounds of dirty snow.

Palm Bay Mayor William Capote shrugs off the list, which states: "If you're looking for active life options, arts, or nightlife other than a 2 a.m. drive-thru, you might do better somewhere outside of Palm Bay. Anywhere, really."

He and his wife, who were living in Jersey City, N.J., when they married, decided to raise their family in Florida.

"I wanted to raise my kids in a safer, more peaceful place," Capote said.

"We still have a very family-oriented community here ... I don't want Palm Bay to be Orlando or Jacksonville or Miami. I want it to have its own feeling, jobs and just enough activity for people to have a good time. I don't need guns blazing or a high per-capita murder rate. I'll take the boring."

And of Titusville, the folks at Movoto said: "Titusville is known as 'Space City, USA' for its proximity to the Kennedy Space Center and its prevalence of aerospace companies, but, as cool as space is, it's not enough to keep Titusville exciting. Especially for anyone under the age of 35."

Mayor Jim Tulley rattles off a litany of Titusville's charms, including skydiving. The nation's largest birding festival. Major bicycle trails on the way. New and established restaurants: world-famous Dixie Crossroads, for one. That cool space stuff — and a national seashore.

"People really sell Titusville short," he said. "In five years, we won't even make the Top 50."

Even if they do, so what? Space Coast life rocks in many ways. Plus there's my proposed new motto: "At least we're not Poinciana."

From our home in north central Brevard, my husband and I can easily travel to Tampa for hockey. Or to Miami for a weekend of partying.

We have Florida-resident passes for the House of the Mouse, so we can head west and be at Walt Disney World in an hour. Or we can go a few miles the other way and enjoy Brevard beaches, where we share sand with folks from exciting and sleepy spots around the globe.

Every day, we're surrounded by community-minded people, including mayors Capote and Tulley, who recognize this kind of list for what it really is.

Short-sighted. Pointless, except for a laugh.

And from our vantage point near those beaches outsiders would love to call home: so, so boring.

Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @bybrittkennerly or at Facebook.com/bybrittkennerly.

Wake up and read this

To see the complete list of the Ten Most Boring Places in Florida compiled by Movoto:

http://www.movoto.com/fl/most-boring-places-in-florida/