Apartments for Rent in Dana Point CA

A sun-soaked coastal city in southern Orange County, Dana Point is where the pace slows, the waves roll in, and dramatic cliffs frame some of California's most striking shoreline. Daily life here revolves around the Pacific, with the Lantern District offering walkable blocks of restaurants, art galleries, and small shops along Del Prado Avenue, and Dana Point Harbor drawing boaters, paddleboarders, and diners in equal measure. Laguna Beach lies just to the north, while San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente frame the city to the east and south.

Renters will find a range of apartment communities, from sleek contemporary ones to Spanish Colonial Revival options on the coast. The city's compact seven square miles mean that many units sit within a short drive of the beach, and some are within walking distance of the harbor.

The city takes its name from Richard Henry Dana Jr., whose 1840 memoir described this stretch of coast as 'the only romantic spot on the coast' -- a designation that earned the area California Historical Landmark status. That literary legacy sits alongside a deeply rooted surf culture: competitions run at Salt Creek Beach throughout the year, and the city was trademarked as the Dolphin and Whale Watching Capital of the World®, with the long-running Festival of the Whales as well as being named a Whale Heritage Site.