San Clemente is located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southernmost tip of Orange County. Known as the “Spanish Village by the Sea” for its beautiful coastline, world-renowned beaches, deep-rooted surfing heritage and magnificent Mediterranean style, San Clemente is a California city rich with history and full of charm. The city, founded by Ole Hanson, was incorporated in 1928 and currently has a population of 63,522.

Local scenery includes rolling hills throughout the town with spectacular views of the ocean and red tile rooftops--the signature style of San Clemente and its Spanish Colonial Revival architectural influence. The historic San Clemente fishing pier is a picturesque landmark and popular for fishing or dining at the restaurant located here. Intertwined among the hills of San Clemente is a scenic and rural trail system encompassing nearly 20 miles of trails perfect for hiking, running or riding bikes. This includes the heavily used Coastal Trail which runs parallel to San Clemente’s beaches and towering cliffs, offering a great recreational opportunity for the 270,000 people who use this amenity annually. The inland trails in San Clemente feature a different kind of scenery such as wildlife reserves inhabited by deer, coyote, raccoons, colorful bird life, bobcats, and the occasional mountain lion sighting.

Surfing reigns strong in San Clemente. This sport is iconic within San Clemente’s culture. The town’s rich surfing heritage is instrumental to the success of the local economy. Many surf legends got their big start here; the Sandals (formerly “The Twangs”) was founded here and became the first surf-rock group to score a major surf film (Endless Summer); and, countless well-known surfers turned their hobby into a business-- producing some of the world’s best surfboards right in our own backyard. Guess it is fair to say that surfers, in addition to shaping surfboards, also had a hand in shaping San Clemente. Resident surfboard makers include Lost Surfboards, Stewart Surfboards, Cole, Timmy Patterson Surfboards, Surfboards by Velzy, Terry Senate and Dewey Weber Surfboards among others. San Clemente’s surfers work as hard as they play, as seen in the number of surf-related businesses in town—47 active businesses in all use surf in their company names. They include surf camps, surf associations, surfboards/board repairs and surf supply retailers, surf art distributers, and more. San Clemente even boasts surf-themed eateries that recognize the city’s surfing heritage. Each of these businesses contributes to the city’s economic lifeblood, while embodying the town’s most treasured pastimes.