San Clemente Homes for Sale

Known as the ¨Spanish Village by the Sea,¨ San Clemente is located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego. The city, with a population of 63,500, features mountain and ocean views and Spanish Colonial style architecture.

San Clemente Homes for Sale

History

Long before the Spanish colonized what would become San Clemente, the area was inhabited by the Juaneno native people. By 1776, the Spanish established the Mission San Juan Capistrano in the area and forced the Juaneno to work for the mission.

Over the years, the land was owned by a number of individuals. In 1925, Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson, with the assistance of financial backers, purchased 2,000 acres of the former ranch. He and his syndicate designed a community to be developed there. Hanson believed those who tired of life in Los Angeles and San Diego would flock to the area, with its scenic beaches, productive soil, and amenable climate. He named it San Clemente after the island of the same name.

Hanson´s vision for the community was that of a Spanish-style coastal resort town. He added a clause to all deeds requiring building plans to be reviewed by a board to ensure that all development would incorporate a certain amount of Spanish influence.

The city officially incorporated in 1928.

San Clemente in Popular Culture

President Richard Nixon purchased one of the original San Clemente homes in 1968. He called it La Casa Pacifica, but the rest of the country called it the Western White House. During Nixon´s presidency, many world leaders, including Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, visited the home. Nixon wrote his post-presidency memoirs at San Clemente. He sold the home in 1980.

San Clemente is also a popular surfing destination, with year-round swells at famous spots such as Trestles and T-Street. The city is home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer´s Journal, and Longboard Magazine. San Clemente was the setting for MTV´s reality series Life of Ryan, as well as for the 2005 film Brick.

Real Estate

The average listing price for homes in San Clemente as of January 9, 2013 was $1,013,288, down 1.9 percent from the same period last year.

Latest San Clemente Homes for Sale:

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