San Clemente Real Estate

A casual visitor might wonder why San Clemente townspeople take such an intense interest in the history and heritage of a community that is less than 75 years old.

It stems mostly from the fact that San Clemente was built from scratch in 1925 by land developer Ole Hanson, who wanted to create a Spanish Mediterranean village along a lonely patch of virgin coast. Hanson did a masterful job, most residents will tell you. Ever since his death in 1940, the city has wrestled with growth, endeavoring to retain that original charm.

Today the biggest challenge facing City Hall is how to meld newly emerging neighborhoods into the existing community, making sure developers contribute their share, don’t strain existing resources and keep from overwhelming old-town San Clemente.
One thing that will help preserve San Clemente’s laid-back beach ambiance as the population swells to 65,000 is the city’s location, nestled at the southern tip of Orange County. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one side, by Camp Pendleton on another and the Cleveland National Forest on another, San Clemente can never be totally hemmed in — no matter how much the Orange County megalopolis creeps toward this patch of paradise.

What drew many residents here was that sense of escape — the feeling that San Clemente is a village outpost at the end of the line in urban Orange County.