Orange Beach, AL 6 Apartments for Rent

Do you want to ride the tallest Ferris wheel in the Southeast? Then come on down to Orange Beach, Alabama. This one is 112 feet high and sits on the wharf in Orange Beach. From the top you can take in the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico and all the bayous and wetlands of the Gulf Coast of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Orange Beach is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama and is the most eastern community on the Alabama Gulf Coast. If you head just a little too far east you'll be in Florida's Perdido Key. To the west is the more well-known beach community of Gulf Shores, Alabama. There are about 5,400 permanent residents in Orange Beach as of the 2010 census. With about fourteen and half square miles of dry land, this makes for some pretty spread out living. But, everyone wants to be on the beach because this beach is among the most beautiful in the world. The sand is a beautiful white variety because it is mostly made up of quartz grains that were, believe it or not, washed down out of the Appalachian Mountains. Of course, this happened thousands of years ago, but what luck for you now! Who needs the Caribbean when the coast of Alabama is so gorgeous?

Moving to Orange Beach

If your search for apartments brings you to Orange Beach, you are one of the lucky ones. Even though this is a beach and vacation community you should not have much trouble finding a more permanent situation here in Orange Beach.

As with any coastal community it will probably be little easier to find a rental that you like in the off-season, but don't let that deter you from beginning your search during the fantastic warmer season. You may just need to set aside an extra week or two in the summer to find the perfect spot. Throughout the rest of the year, however, you should be able to slide right into a lovely condo or apartment for rent in no time at all.

Just make sure that you have all your rental documents in order like your ID and proof of income. Of course, also make sure you have all the necessary deposits at hand. You'll probably need first month's rent and a security deposit, but you may need the last month's rent too. If you have a pet, the landlord might require an additional pet deposit or monthly fee. Just ask the landlord for the details and maybe you're little furry friend's cute face will win them over.

Neighborhoods of Orange Beach

Orange Beach extends from the Florida Panhandle over to Gulf Shores with the southern border being the Gulf of Mexico. Rental options including plenty of condos on the beach, or just across the street from the beach, as well as inland options. The town is pretty much split into north and south by the borders of the Gulf State Park.

North Orange Beach: The main road on this side of town is Canal Road or Route 180 that runs along the length of the town from east to west. Much of the single-family housing is located on the peninsula that juts out into Bayou St. John. This is a good place to look for a house rental. The western portion is where you will find apartment complexes and buildings type rentals. You'll have to head a little east into Gulf Shores for the grocery store. There is a couple of miles away on Gulf Shores Parkway.

South Orange Beach: This is the Gulf Coast side of town and Perdido Beach Boulevard, or Route 182, runs the length of it from east to west. This is the prime vacation rental location but there are still plenty of opportunities for long-term rentals. Rental options include 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments and there are plenty of hi rise buildings available. There is a Publix Market nearby for grocery shopping as well as a Walmart.

Living in Orange Beach

There is no shortage of activity going on in Orange Beach. From tennis and basketball to fishing and dolphin cruises to several championship golf courses, you will not hear "I'm bored!" in Orange Beach.

Orange Beach is definitely a community that values sports of all kinds. There are many sporting events and competitions held by the city at its Orange Beach Sportsplex. The Sportsplex is off of Canal just north of Gulf State Park. Believe it or not, there is a football/soccer stadium that seats 1,500 people! This stadium has hosted the SEC Women's Soccer Tournament and the NCAA Division II men's and women's tournaments. This is a serious venue! There are also baseball and softball fields.

The Sportsplex is a trailhead for the well-known Backcountry Trail System. The trail is paved in many areas and you can rent bikes for the day to enjoy the paths through the woods. You can even head all the way over to Gulf Shores on the trail, avoiding traffic! The trail is never crowded and is wheelchair accessible also. They've even marked the plants and trees so you know what you're looking at!

If you need some arts, you can catch a really cool glass blowing demonstration as well as impressive artwork at the Orange Beach Art Center. For a small fee you can try glass blowing for yourself or paint your own pottery. Something to do in the air conditioning on those hot Gulf afternoons. There are art shows here and there is always something going on. This is a great way to entertain out-of-town guests once you are calling Orange Beach your new home.

Fun for the whole family is found at Adventure Island. Spend the afternoon or evening playing putt-putt, laser tag or riding go carts and playing a whole slew of arcade games. You could spend hours here just having fun like a little kid! If you are hooked on arcade games, Fat Daddy's Arcade will give you your fill of old school and current games. All ages will have fun playing here.

Famed golfer Arnold Palmer has been busy in the area. Busy designing golf courses that is. Just down the street in Gulf Shores are the Cypress Bend and Cotton Creek at Craft Farms courses. Arnold Palmer designed designed these gems and they were rated with 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest. These are championship courses and so is the Lost Key course on Perdido Key. Lost Key is an Arnold Palmer signature course.

Perdido Key Boulevard is simply lined with restaurants for every taste and style. Sit down on the docks and eat at Cobalt's, eat Southern style at Hazel's or stick to Italian at Cafe Grazie. In the north, Canal Road has El Potro for Mexican and Lester's for some fried seafood. If you've had your fill of gulf shrimp and seafood, head to the Keg Steakhouse for a nice sirloin and mug of cold beer.

Orange Beach, Alabama, with its year-round nice weather really is a hidden gem that you will be lucky to call home.