San Clemente, California a city of over 65,000 residents, is situated in Orange County, California. At the southern tip of the county, San Clemente lies halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. The city is renowned for its breathtaking ocean, hill, and mountain vistas in addition to its architecture which, speaks to a Spanish Colonial style. San Clemente's slogan captures its appeal – "Spanish Village by the Sea".
San Clemente remained mostly uninhabited until 1776 when Father Junipero Serra, part of the Mission San Juan Capistrano, enticed Native Americans and Spanish settlers to colonize new villages. The area remained sparsely populated until 1925 when Ole Hanson, the former mayor of Seattle, purchased and created a 2,000 acre community. Banking on San Clemente's beautiful scenery and pleasant weather, Hanson envisaged his community as a haven for Californians fed up with big city life. In a revolutionary move, Hanson insisted that all new buildings must be submitted for architectural review, thus preserving his vision of San Clemente as the city brimming with Spanish architecture.
In 1969, San Clemente received national attention when Richard Nixon purchased a Spanish mansion in the southern part of town. Dubbed the "Western White House", it acted as a popular vacation spot for the President while in office. World leaders such as Soviet Premier Leonard Brezhnev, Prime Minister of Japan Eisako Satu, Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, and Henry Kissinger visited San Clemente during Nixon's presidential term.
Known as a surfers' paradise, San Clemente catches swells regardless of the season. Going from north to south, popular surf spots extend from Poche Beach to the Trestles. In addition to being a popular surfing destination, San Clemente houses many surfing media publication including Surfer's Magazine and The Surfer's Journal. Many famous surfers, such as Mike Parsons and Shane Peschen, call San Clemente home.
San Clemente is the location for many television shows and movies. The MTV show, Life of Ryan, was shot in the city. In 2005, the movie Brick, was shot in San Clemente by director Rian Johnson. Born and raised in the area, Johnson attended San Clemente high School, the setting for the film.
