Port St. Joe
The Area’s Largest City, and only two traffic lights
Port St. Joe is a quaint town located on St. Joseph Bay that offers many recreational activities with a “home town feel”. Locally owned restaurants are plentiful in beautiful Port St. Joe offering good food from fresh seafood to wood fired pizzas and authentic Mexican cuisine. The bay is renowned for scallop harvesting as well as great in shore fishing or cast netting. For those looking for a round of golf, guests are welcome anytime at the St. Joe Country Club.
Shopping Opportunities
There are plenty of downtown retail shops for your shopping enjoyment. There’s a good selection of sporting goods, clothing, furniture, boutique and other types of stores available. If you’re looking for even more shopping and activities, Panama City and its big city amenities are less than 45 minutes away, including Panama City Beach’s Pier Park and the Panama City Mall.
Excellence in Education
With approximately 3,000 permanent residents, Port St. Joe can easily feel “at home”. Port St. Joe prides itself in its elementary, middle and high schools being “A” rated schools. Port St. Joe is the county seat for Gulf County and has a higher percentage of full time residents than its beach town neighbors. It also has a great selection of shopping, dining, and entertainment.
Remembering the Past
The town of Port St. Joe has some neat history dating back to the early 1800’s. Delegates convened in Port St Joe in 1839 and drafted Florida’s first Constitution.
For the better part of the 1950’s-1990’s the town was centered on jobs at the local paper mill. The major economic development focus has now shifted to recreation and tourism.
Embracing the Future
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf opened in 2010 and has given a boost to the local economy and quality of life.
The town is home to Port St. Joe Marina, a first class facility accommodating vessels up to 80′ in length.
St. Joseph Bay and Port St. Joe offers one of the few deep water ports in the State of Florida, and a new Port of Port St. Joe facility is currently under development.
The recently opened Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City now offers convenient, affordable commercial and private air transportation to the Port St. Joe area.
Popular Local Events
Local festivities include a number of annual events. One of the most popular is the Scallop Festival, held in late summer each year. Christmas on the Coast and the Independence on the Coast (July 4th) are also popular events for tourists and locals alike.
Other weekend activities include fishing tournaments, music in the park events, sporting events, and parades.
Thanks to the mild climate along the Gulf of Mexico’s northern coastline, sports for all ages can be enjoyed year round.
Community
With over 30 places of worship, Church life is a very important part of this family-oriented community making Port St. Joe an ideal home town, great vacation destination, or winter retreat for all.
There’s always plenty to enjoy in this quiet coastal community, and plenty of good people to share it with.
