San Clemente, California is perhaps best known for one of its most famous residents, the 37th President of the United States Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974). Nixon bought a Spanish mansion in the city in 1969, an event that suddenly pushed the small community of fifteen square miles of coastline and scenic hills into the global spotlight. When Nixon needed to kick back and relax, his favorite retreat was his Southern California ranch. He may have spent more time at Camp David in Maryland than his five predecessors put together, but that was primarily due to his proximity to Washington, D.C. He also held many historic gatherings at his Orange County home, making it known as “The Western Whitehouse”.
With an average of 342 days of sunshine a year, who could blame President Nixon for wanting to get close to San Clemente’s beautiful beaches and coastline with panoramic views of high cliffs?
Interestingly for a city with so much sun, San Clemente, CA was founded by the 33rd Mayor of Seattle, Washington, Ole Hanson (or maybe not so strange, considering that Seattle averages 226 cloudy days per year). After Hanson finished serving as mayor in 1919, he made a failed attempt to become the Republican vice presidential nominee in 1920 and then headed to California. Tired of politics or the rain, or both, Hanson bought the land and designed a 2,000-acre community designed to resemble a Spanish town.
Hanson named the city in honor of the island of San Clemente, which in turn was named by the Vizcaíno explorer in 1602 in honor of San Clemente, who was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea, and which is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church in November. On the 23rd, the day Vizcaíno reached San Clemente Island.
The city was officially named on November 23, 1925 and officially founded on December 6, 1925, the day Hanson pitched a tent at El Camino Real and Del Mar and held a sale to pack pieces from the community of his dreams, a day when the “best weather in the world” turned to rain and mud. Still, everyone knows that in every lifetime a little rain must fall, and by the end of that day he had sold over $ 125,000 worth of property. In 15 months he had sold $ 3,100,000 and more than $ 4,600,000 in less than two years. At the time of its incorporation on February 21, 1928, the city was considered the richest city per capita in the United States. Still, when Hanson first presented his plan to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, they rejected it because the concept of a planned community was too new and alien an idea for them at the time.
Today, San Clemente boasts some of the best beaches in California, a community center, libraries, miles of horse riding trails, a 1200 foot fishing pier, golf courses, tennis courts, parks, schools, businesses and some of the best hotels and hotels in the region. restaurants. It is home to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, and world-famous surf beaches such as San Onofre Beach and State Park (home to Old Man’s and Trestles), T Street, North Beach, San Clemente City Beach, San Clemente State Beach and Calafia State Beach, San Clemente State Park and San Mateo State Park. San Clemente beach, condos, and vacation rentals are some of the most desirable destination properties in the United States, if not the entire world.
