explore orange county // san clemente

I'm home!  I'm all moved out of San Diego and am now in beautiful San Clemente and boy am I excited to be able to share what my hometown is all about with you.  Starting with this post - a tribute to San Clemente (aka The Clem).  I was fortunate to be born and raised in the Clem and couldn't imagine growing up in any other city.  There is something about the feeling of the city, the type of people who live there, and the overall ambiance that really is special.

San Clemente is a little beach town that is the most southern city in Orange County.  It's known for it's awesome surf spots - Trestles, San Onofre, Trails, Uppers and Lowers - beautiful houses, political history and infamous nuclear power plant.  San Clemente is also home to the North Gate of Camp Pendleton.  The city has a spanish feel and boasts old style spanish architecture throughout the town.

Without trying to give you guys a history lesson, I wanted to let you in on some of the culture that makes San Clemente what it is.

• San Clemente spans fifteen square miles of coastline and scenic foothills. 

• The location of the City remained virtually uninhabited until 1776, when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established by Father Junipero Serra and led both Indian and Spanish settlers to set up villages nearby.

• Former Mayor of Seattle, Ole Hanson purchased and designed a 2,000 acre community in 1925.  He named the City "San Clemente" after San Clemente Island which was named by the explorer Vizcaino in 1602 after Saint Clement.

• In 1969, former President Nixon purchased a Spanish mansion in the southern part of town that Hamilton Cotton had built in 1927. This "Western White House" became the site of numerous historical meetings.

• Despite rapid subsequent growth, the City today maintains its small-town atmosphere. The City is bounded on the east by the Cleveland National Forest and on the west by the great Pacific Ocean. 

• San Clemente boasts "the world's finest climate", with sunshine 342 days per year. The annual average temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 

And as far as our surfing legacy goes, San Clemente catches swells all year long.  It is also the surfing media capital of the world as well as a well known surfing destination. It is home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine, with Surfer Magazine just up the freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

The city has a large concentration of surfboard shapers and manufacturers and many world renowned surfers were raised in San Clemente or took up long-term residence in town.  Plus, San Clemente High School (my alma mater!) has won 6 out of 7 most recent NSSA national surfing titles.

There's nothing that I really dislike about San Clemente, except for maybe the hoards of inlanders that flock to our beaches during the summer.  But hey, I'm a local, so I know all the local spots to hit up to hide from those crazy inlanders. And if you want to visit San Clemente, and want some insider tips, let me know.  I'll make sure to fill you in on all the "hidden secrets" of the Spanish Village by the Sea.