San Clemente

History

The Acjachemen are the Indigenous people of San Clemente. In 1776, Father Junípero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano, and afterward the local indigenous people were dubbed "Juaneños" in Spanish. Both Native Americans and Spanish settlers established villages near the mission, and local indigenous people were conscripted to work for the mission. The northern part of San Clemente was included as part of Rancho Boca de la Playa, granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Emigdio Véjar. Following the American conquest of California, California came under United States sovereignty in 1848. In 1860, Véjar sold the rancho to Juan Ávila, grantee of Rancho Niguel, who later conveyed it to his son-in-law, Pablo Pryor. Pablo Pryor was poisoned and died in 1878. Juan Avila's other son-in-law, Marcus A. Forster (a grandson of Don Juan Forster who married Guadalupe Avila), then acquired the ranch. The rest of San Clemente was included in Rancho Los Desechos, granted to Felipe Carrillo in 1946. Carillo did not claim the land with the Public Land Commission. Don Juan Forster bought Carillo's claim and used land scrip to acquire the government's claim to the land. Foster's son Marcus also bought some of the Rancho Los Desechos land. In 1906, Cornelio Echenique, Marcus Forster's son-in-law, sold the land to the Goldschmidt brothers, who planned to plant vineyards on the land. In 1925, former Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson, an out-of-town major land developer, purchased the land from the Goldschmidts and designed a community with the financial help of a syndicate headed by Henry Hamilton Cotton. Hanson anticipated that Californians weary of "the big city" would find refuge in the region's agreeable climate, stunning beaches, and rich land. He named the city after San Clemente…

Geography

San Clemente is bordered by Camp Pendleton and Trestles surf beach in neighboring San Diego County to the south, the Cleveland National Forest to the east, the city of Dana Point to the northwest, the city of San Juan Capistrano to the north, and the CDP Rancho Mission Viejo to the northeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of . of it is land and of it (3.92%) is water. | date = April 2021 | source = }} The most common native species: Common Yarrow, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  25,890
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  21,265
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  18,133
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  15,147
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  14,629
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  14,064
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  13,296
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  12,943

Most recent

• M 3.55404092525043 — 2026-09-27
  7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA
• M 2.63 — 2026-09-23
  9 km WNW of Anza, CA
• M 2.94 — 2026-09-17
  4 km SSE of Compton, CA
• M 2.65 — 2026-09-12
  4 km E of Lennox, CA
• M 3.31 — 2026-09-12
  26 km ESE of Avalon, CA
• M 2.95 — 2026-09-12
  26 km ESE of Avalon, CA