How does where you come from change who you are? Science has sought to answer this question for years, analyzing the working and playing habits of those who live in the city versus those who live in the country versus those who live anywhere else. They’ve never really been able to find a connection to where someone lives and the level of success that someone enjoys, but they have to agree that some places just seem to make great people. Everyone from Tom Fadden to Alison Mosshart to Jake Owen has claimed residency in Vero Beach, or at least have stayed for a while. How did greatness come upon this small town?
Some were born here. Country singer Jake Owen is proud to call Vero Beach his hometown, having skated its roads, played on its beaches, and attended its school (Vero Beach High, Class of ’99, to be exact). The “Good Company” singer always refers to his hometown with a wistful smile and a memory of some fun thing that he would do with his friends here-his performance at the Beach Town Music Festival in 2017 was full of these. Even today, you’ll find him giving back in a variety of ways, such as the Jake Owen Foundation. It seeks to fund youth organizations and charity programs in Owen’s hometown of Vero Beach, while also granting financial aid to families affected by childhood cancer. Guess not even star power can take the hometown values out of a Vero Beach guy.
Some are the witnesses to its history, as writer and resident Carl Hiaasen is. Hiaasen has populated his columns in the Miami Herald and his own novels with a warm wit and analytical eye to the Broward-Palm Beach area and its residents. Always topical, his writing covers ideas that are relevant to Florida’s society and offers deference to the area’s natural beauty. There’s no better example of this than in his Newbery Award-nominated book, Hoot, in which a group of children feel such a strong connection to Florida and it’s landscape that they take incredible measures to protect it. On the book’s setting, Hiaasen told an interviewer that “None of the characters in HOOT are based on real people, but the setting is very much borrowed from own childhood.” Indeed, eagle-eyed readers might note that the sunny shores, quiet waterfronts, and natural areas of the hometown that the characters aim to protect sounds a lot like Vero Beach…
Some are drawn here, such as Gloria Estefan was. When she first visited Vero Beach, she saw its potential within its white sands and blue waters. To Mosaic Traveler, she explained, “Nature and animals are very close to my heart. I wanted to share this experience with people from all over the world, which is why we decided to buy the hotel and create its unique environment.”
Following that instinct, she purchased an older hotel and rebuilt it as the Costa d’Este Beach Resort. Lying on Vero Beach’s shores, Estefan has established it as it as the premier vacation spot for the luxury travelers and the world’s elite. Residents of Vero Beach can even claim Estefan as a neighbor too. Her house is located on the secluded side of town, far away from the world’s rush, but very close to the waterfront. After all, if Vero Beach is good enough for her hotel, it very well should be perfect for her.
Vero Beach has a way of shaping the people who get close to it, no matter how they manage to get here. Some worked here, some played here, many were made here, a few even came here accidentally, but Vero Beach has left its mark on everyone who has come through its city limits, whether guest or resident, superstar or everyday person. Whether it’s the flora and fauna, some native only to this area, all maintained for by the residents of the town, or the small town way of life, cared for and curated by local governments, or even the ability to just kick back and relax on a beach with no one for miles around, residents all agree that Vero Beach brings out everyone’s personal greatness.
With an amazing history of its own, Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club has been proudly serving members for over twenty-five years. Members here are even luckier still to call this amazing place home. The West-Indies style Beach Club serves as a gathering place for families and friends to reunite. Private club events and holidays are held in the dining room, and families enjoy fun in the sun along the Atlantic Ocean. Not to mention the resort style pool and amenities such as tennis, pickleball, and a fitness center available to members.
Even better, Orchid Island is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian River.
This private community is committed to providing an unparalleled level of service. Golf is an experience, as the Arnold Palmer designed, 18-hole course is renowned as an Audubon Certified Cooperative Sanctuary or its commitment to natural preservation. Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club was also the proud host of 2018’s 57th Annual U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
Love the Vero Beach location and thinking of making it your home? Luxury residential properties range from the $800s to over $10 million and include custom estate residences, courtyard homes, cottage, or oceanfront condominiums. For a full list of available real estate listings at Orchid Island, visit OrchidIslandRealty.com.
If you’re just getting started, request the inaugural issue of Orchid Island Lifestyles Magazine here to learn more about the Vero Beach area and the Town of Orchid Island.
If you’re in the area, stop by the oceanfront Orchid Island Sales Center and see the community’s beauty for yourself. Call 772. 388.3888 to schedule an appointment.
