Port St. John, FL Apartment Renter's Guide

"Port St. John For Tomorrow," a motto coined by the far-seeing residents.

Port St. John is a small town on the banks of the Indian River and is about an hour's drive from Orlando, the East Coast home of Universal Studios and Walt Disney World. It is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Census statistics put the population at around 12,267, but Port St. John is a small area, less than four square miles total, so people are packed in there pretty well. It's also very close to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center and is within 10 or 15 miles of the Space Coast Regional Airport, so keep in mind the airplanes flying overhead at all hours if you're planning on moving here.

Wherever you are looking to find an apartment in Port St. John, you will need to shell out for first month's rent, last month's rent and a security deposit. Not all rental properties are pet-friendly but there are so many choices, so you are sure to find the perfect place. Loneliness is not a factor here. With golf courses, tennis courts, boat docks, bowling alleys, movie theaters and so much more, who can ever be bored or lonely?

With the huge variety of homes available, you can choose from condos, duplexes, simplexes, apartments and stand-alone rental homes. Generally, the cost of housing in the Port St. John area is lower than the national average and crime is low. You can be sure that this is truly a fabulous part of Florida. The weather is always nice in Florida, so you don't have to worry about when to move in. However, be sure to bring the right papers with you to appointments at the rental property: copies of your ID, bank statements or tax papers, letters of reference (professional or business), and a credit report to prove that you're squeaky clean.

There are six neighborhoods in the Port St. John area, so you'll have plenty to choose from in this section.

Clearview Terrace: This neighborhood is right off the 1, so getting away from home is easy. Food-wise, there are the Old Florida Grill & Oyster house and Kelsey's Pizza.

Delespine Garden: Nicol Park is right outside this neighborhood. After a day at the park, stop by Dogs R Us Grill to fill up that empty stomach. In this neighborhood, you'll also have a CVS, a Pizza Hut and a laundromat.

North Port St. John: Grab a cup of coffee at Connections Cafe or a bagel from Bagel World Cafe and chat the day away with a friend at Friendship Park.

Opus South: Publix is literally smack-dab in this neighborhood, so you'll never starve and your fridge will never be empty. There's also a Walgreens nearby so it'll be easy to pick up toothpaste when you run out. For your movie needs, there's also a Redbox in the area so you can easily rent and return movies!

Sunrise Village Condo: There are a bunch of fast food options in this neighborhood, but skip on those and try out China Wok or Philly Station.

There is public transportation that services Port St. John thanks to the Space Coast Area Transit... called SCAT. Perhaps not surprisingly, this isn't the only "SCAT" service in Florida as Sarasota, on the Gulf Coast, has public transit that's also called SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit). However, WalkScore still gives Port St. John a low score of 26, meaning you'll need a car to get the majority of your errands done. There is a Publix Super Market within view of the Indian River.

Beach-wise, Port St. John's got Daytona Beach, which is famous for both its sizzling spring break parties and for playing host to a huge motorcycle rally every year, an hour or so north and Cocoa Beach right in their backyard. There's a huge conservation area called River Lakes nearby, as well as St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge.

It's also hot! Air conditioners are a must and the importance of learning about hurricane preparedness and Florida's water restrictions cannot be stressed enough. Make sure you're drinking enough of that cold H2O in the summer, not just for refreshment, but to avoid heatstroke. In Florida, heatstroke is no joke! The winters in Florida, well, once you get acclimated to the heat, the Florida winters can feel pretty chilly here!

Port St. John is a very small town near some very big things: with some of the world's most famous theme parks about an hour away, as well as close proximity to Daytona, the Kennedy Space Center and Cocoa Beach, it might be a great option to choose from in that area.