St. Johns was the birthplace of Philip Orin Parmalee, an associate of the Wright Brothers who achieved several early records in aviation. He was the first person to fly a plane for commercial purposes, as well as the first person to fly a plane that dropped a bomb. Parmalee also set a cross-country speed record and a world flying endurance record.
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St. Johns was the birthplace of Philip Orin Parmalee, an associate of the Wright Brothers who achieved several early records in aviation. He was the first person to fly a plane for commercial purposes, as well as the first person to fly a plane that dropped a bomb. Parmalee also set a cross-country speed record and a world flying endurance record.
St. Johns is known as the "Mint City" for a reason. Since the early 1900s, a significant portion of the farmland surrounding this community of 7,865 residents has been taken up by spearmint and peppermint plants that, throughout the summer, release an earthy tang into the air. The crop has proven so important to St. Johns' economy throughout the years that the city hosts an annual Mint Festival to celebrate its leafy moneymaker. Yet while St. Johns appreciates its agricultural heritage, it's also very much in step with the rhythms of suburban life. A variety of restaurants, shops, and cultural activities, not to mention close proximity to the state capital of Lansing, 20 minutes away, make St. Johns a community with one foot in the fields and another in the future.
St. Johns is a renter-friendly community with plenty of places to live in apartments and homes throughout the city. No specific planning is required for a move to St. Johns beyond the typical things one must take care of before relocating to new digs: stockpiling money for a deposit and first month's rent, making sure that you have a crew to help you move and the like. Now, on to your hunt. If you're looking for a one-bedroom apartment or a two-bedroom apartment in St. Johns, check out complexes like Autumn Ridge, Circle Shore, Northfield Pines and Suntree Apartments, the latter of which also offers two- and three-bedroom townhomes. If you have a house in mind, you can find homes broken up into apartments -- or even entire homes themselves -- for lease throughout the city's residential areas. Many of the homes that serve as miniature apartment complexes date from the late 1800s, and have the solid brick exteriors and majestic turrets that epitomize Victorian style.
St. Johns is a fairly small city, so it doesn't have clearly defined neighborhoods. It does, however, have a downtown area around which much of the city's cultural and civic life revolves. The Clinton County courthouse serves as the terminus of North Clinton Avenue, from which branch out roads containing Briggs Public Library and the Clinton County Arts Council, which hosts a variety of exhibitions, performances and classes. St. Johns' downtown area also contains specialty shops, small restaurants, and bars, and is the scene of civic activities like the city's annual Christmas Light Parade.
Because it's so close to Lansing, St. Johns offers its residents easy access to all the retail, dining, and entertainment options that the bigger city has to offer. However, St. Johns has plenty going for it in its own right. In terms of shopping, residents have a Walmart and a Kroger grocery store at their disposal, as well as locally owned shops like Rehmann's, which sells men's clothing. Restaurant options include almost every fast-food chain under the sun, including McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Taco Bell, as well as mom-and-pop eateries like Ryan's Roadhouse and Wheel Inn. Outdoor recreation is available in the form of community parks, which offer hiking trails, playground equipment, and, in the case of its main park, a performance shell that hosts music performances throughout the year. In addition, every summer, St. Johns stages the previously mentioned Mint Festival, which features a craft show, food vendors, a parade, and a "Miss Mint" pageant. The festival is held the second weekend in August, right around the time when the mint harvest is in full swing.
