Princeton, FL 124 Apartments for Rent

Princeton was named by Gaston Drake who graduated from Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. He chose to paint many of the town’s buildings the school colors – orange and black. Obsessed, much?

Go nearly as far south as you can go in Florida and you’ll hit Princeton –- a city with the same name as the legendary Ivy League Institution but little else similar to the New Jersey college town. Princeton is in Miami-Dade County and it is a small residential town that started as a depot along the Florida East Coast Railroad in the early 1900s. Princeton itself is tiny – only about 7 miles of land. But the population is over 20,000 people and it’s a much cheaper place to live that in Miami proper. The area is still burgeoning and while not unsafe, it’s certainly no South Beach. People say if you want to send your kids to school in Princeton, don’t – send them to a private school or a public school in a better district instead. Princeton Christian School is a good alternative in the area.

Moving to Princeton, FL

If you decide that Princeton’s the place you’re going to call home, then you’ll have a good choice between rental properties and places to buy. It’s about a 50/50 split between rentals and buyable homes in Princeton, so whether you’re looking to put down roots or live somewhere temporarily, you’ll have options here. The vacancy rate in Princeton is at 12 percent, so no matter when you move, there’ll most likely be a place open. And even if your dream home is occupied, the annual residential turnover is 20 percent, so nearly 1/5 of the homes will open up each year.

Neighborhoods

It’s hard to have distinct neighborhoods in a 7 mile area, but there are some differences in Princeton living, depending on where you end up geographically.

Princeton: Living in Princeton is cheaper than most nice suburbs of Miami, so the community here tends to be younger. It doesn’t make the area not nice – just not posh like a lot of touristy Miami. $$$

Goulds: Goulds is a different town, but it’s so close to Princeton that people consider it the same area. Goulds is a little less nice than Princeton – houses are smaller and less well maintained, and there’s a little more crime in the area. $$

Living in Princeton

If you want to live in Princeton, it's likely, you’re going there to be close to Miami--don't be ashamed; we'd do the same thing. Miami is undoubtedly one of the best tourist cities in America – it boasts beaches, shopping, nightlife, beautiful people and endless opportunities for activities and water sports. Getting to Miami from Princeton is easy – but you’ll definitely want to have a car. That way, you can choose to make the drive to the city any time you want.

While you’re in Princeton, it's likely you'll instead be spending time at home, since there’s not too much else to do there. Sure, there’s a Mexican Restaurant, but people say it’s really nothing to write home about (or eat at, since you can get fantastic Mexican just up the road in Homestead or Miami proper). If you want to do something nearby, check out the Coral Castle in Homestead. It is a stone structure that was created by the Latvian-American Edward Leedskalnin, and it’s a beautiful castle made out of limestone formed from coral.  You could also check out a racecar race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, which hosts Ford Championship Weekend.