San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California, United States.
As of 2005, the city population was 65,338. San Clemente is the
southernmost city in the county, six miles south of San Juan
Capistrano. Its location makes it the only city in Orange County
closer to San Diego than to Los Angeles. It was incorporated in 1928
with a council-manager government
The city of San Clemente was founded in 1925 by real estate developer
Ole Hanson who
named it San Clemente after a town in Spain; as it
were San Clemente Island was named after the city later since it is
directly west of the coast.
Hanson envisioned it as a Spanish-style coastal resort, a "Spanish
Village by the Sea". In an unprecedented move, 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 that future
development would retain some Spanish-style influence (for example,for many years it was requiredthat
all new buildings in the downtown area have red tile roofs). Ideally located between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente is a
unique beach town built on hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
When visiting you can tell that San Clemente residents really love
their fantastic beaches, and small town feel and weather. For now, a
visit to San Clemente provides an old-fashioned experience, offering
tucked away beaches, great shops and some of the finest surfing on
the West Coast at San Clemente State Beach, Trestles and San Onofre
State Beach.