San Clemente, California

Early colonization

Prior to colonization by Spaniards, the area was inhabited by the Juaneño native people. Long admired by explorers and passing settlers, it remained virtually uninhabited until 1776, when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established by Father Junipero Serra, which led both Indians and Spanish settlers to establish villages nearby. After the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano, the local natives were conscripted to work for the mission.

Becoming a city

Property rights to the land exchanged hands several times, but few ventured to build on it until 1925, when former Mayor of Seattle, Ole Hanson, an out-of-town, major land developer, with the financial help of a syndicate headed by Hamilton Cotton, purchased and designed a 2,000-acre (8.1 km²) community. Hanson believed the area's pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians tired of "the big city." He named the city after San Clemente Island, which in turn was named by the explorer Vizcaino in 1602 after Saint Clement, whose feast day occurs on November 23, the day of Vizcaino's arrival on the island. Hanson envisioned it as a Mediterranean-style coastal resort town, his "San Clemente by the Sea." He had a clause added to the deeds requiring all building plans to be submitted to an architectural review board in an effort to ensure future development would retain red tile roofs and white exteriors. This proved to be short-lived; in the oldest parts of town you find an eclectic mix of building styles.

Hanson succeeded in promoting the new area and selling property. He built public structures such as the Beach Club, the Community Center, the pier and San Clemente Plaza, now known as Max Berg Plaza Park, which were later donated to the city. The area was officially incorporated as a City on February 27, 1928 with a council-manager government.

Referring to the way he would develop the city, Hanson proclaimed, "I have a clean canvas and I am determined to paint a clean picture. Think of it--a canvas five miles (8 km) long and one and one-half miles wide! ... My San Clemente by the Sea."

Soon after San Clemente was incorporated, the need for a "Fire House" was realized. The headlines in San Clemente’s first newspaper, El Heraldo de San Clemente June 1928 read: "Building to house local fire department will be constructed by popular subscription and turned over to the city when completed!" Individual subscriptions were received in the amounts from $6.00 to $1500.00 from the citizenry.

Nixon's "Western White House"

In 1969, President Richard Nixon bought part of the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the original homes built by one of Hanson's partners. Nixon called it "La Casa Pacifica," but it was nicknamed the "Western White House," a term for a President's vacation home. It sits above one of the West Coast's premier surfing spots, Trestles, and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre. Many world leaders visited the home during Nixon's tenure, including Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Sato, and Henry Kissinger, as well as businessman Bebe Rebozo. After his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs. He sold the home in 1980 and moved to New York City, later to Saddle River, New Jersey, and then to Park Ridge, New Jersey. The property also has historical ties to the Democratic side of the aisle; prior to Nixon's tenure at the estate, H.H. Cotton was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Old City Plaza also at one time had a small Nixon museum when the city occupied the premises.

Architectural Style

Known as the “Spanish Village by the Sea”, San Clemente has long been known for its Spanish style architecture. Downtown San Clemente restaurants and shops are adorned with red tile roofs, cream stucco walls, and dark wood doors and windows. The historic "North Beach" area is home to San Clemente's Casino Building and Ole Hanson Beach Club, which were renovated in 2010 and 2016. The homes in the area range in style, but stick to the Spanish theme for the most part. The area's oldest homes are in Southwest San Clemente, directly south of downtown and "North Beach" area, directly north of downtown. The homes in the Southwest Riviera neighborhood include several cape cod new construction, as well as new modern residences. The more traditional, older homes sit in the Lasuen "boot" district. The neighborhood surrounding Lasuens or "Lost Winds" beach consist of a variety of styles with traditional Spanish Style sprinkled throughout, both in single and double story fashion, creating an eclectic vibe. The renovations to historic buildings in "North Beach" San Clemente have created a revival in the area, bringing in new restaurants, residents and shops.

Climate

San Clemente has a Mediterranean climate where temperatures tend to average in the 70s °F. The warmest month of the year is August, with an average temperature of 79 °F (26 °C). The coldest month is December with an average temperature of 64 °F (18 °C). The annual rainfall in 2010 was 10.5 inches (270 mm) and the annual days of sunshine 310.

Transportation

Interstate 5 runs through San Clemente. The Foothill Transportation Corridor has proposed to connect Mission Viejo to the Orange/San Diego county line, running along the east side of San Clemente and through San Onofre State Beach on its way to I-5. The California Coastal Commission^[8] rejected this proposal 8–2. Reasons cited for rejection included: the road's alignment through a state park, endangered species habitat, and a Native American archaeological site, and the runoff from the road damaging the state park and surf break. The Federal Government rejected the proposal to place the toll road in accordance with the TCA proposal. This decision was viewed as a major defeat for the TCA and great victory for The Surfrider Foundation (which is based in San Clemente), and for assorted environmental groups.

Additionally, the city is served by trains by of Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line between Los Angeles and San Diego, and which provide beachside service in San Clemente. Despite its small size, the city has two stations: San Clemente station and San Clemente Pier station.

In 2016 San Clemente began offering residents free trolley service. The San Clemente Trolley service provides three open-air (windowless) trolleys that cruise throughout the coastal areas of town and pick people up at designated stops every 15 minutes. The trolley is available Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The stops are clearly noted with signage.

The funding for the San Clemente Trolley came from a $1.2 million grant from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) which the city applied for. The grant will cover most of the costs for the service for seven years. The grant requires the city to fund a portion of the trolley service at $146,000 over the seven-year grant period. The Friends of the San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Foundation provided a donation of $10,000 towards the funding of the capital costs of the trolley.

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[10] reported San Clemente had a population of 63,522. The population density was 3,262.9 people per square mile (1,259.8/km²). The racial makeup of San Clemente was 54,605 (86.0%) White (76.0% Non-Hispanic White),^[11] 411 (0.6%) African American, 363 (0.6%) Native American, 2,333 (3.7%) Asian, 90 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 3,433 (5.4%) from other races, and 2,287 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,702 persons (16.8%).

The Census reported 63,249 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 245 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 28 (0.04%) were institutionalized.

There were 23,906 households, out of which 8,210 (34.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,873 (58.0%) were marriage living together, 1,898 (7.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 986 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,207 (5.0%) unmarried partnerships, ]. 5,184 households (21.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,972 (8.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 16,757 families (70.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.

The population was spread out with 15,506 people (24.4%) under the age of 18, 5,006 people (7.9%) aged 18 to 24, 16,474 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 18,122 people (28.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,414 people (13.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

There were 25,966 housing units at an average density of 1,333.8 per square mile (515.0/km²), of which 15,309 (64.0%) were owner-occupied, and 8,597 (36.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. 41,164 people (64.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 22,085 people (34.8%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, San Clemente had a median household income of $87,184, with 7.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.^[11]

2000

The Federal census statistics from the 2000 census reported San Clemente had a population of 49,936. Population density was 2,833.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,094.2/km²). There were 20,653 housing units at an average density of 1,171.8 per square mile (452.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.92% White, 0.77% African American, 0.61% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 5.11% from other races, and 2.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.89% of the population.

As of the city's 2010 census, there were 68,763 people and 25,514 housing units in the city. Ninety percent of the adult population is a high school grad or higher, and 5.5% of the population are considered below the poverty line.

As of 2010 the median family income was $87,200. The per capita income for the city was $34,169. As of March 2010 the median home value was $605,500.^[12]

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

Corporate headquarters

The following companies have their corporate headquarters in San Clemente:

• Cameron Health – Medical device manufacturer
• ICU Medical – Medical device manufacturer
• Pick Up Stix – Fast casual Asian food
• Rainbow Sandals – Manufacturer of premium sandals
• Stance Socks – Sock and underwear brand

Largest employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[14] the largest employers in the city are:

Many people also work as civilian employees at the USMC Base Camp Pendelton which is just over the San Diego County line.