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Local History

The History of San Clemente: A Spanish Village by the Sea

From a founder's vision in 1925 to a presidential home, a world-famous surf break and a town that still looks the part.

LOCAL HISTORY · SEPTEMBER 2026

Updated September 2026 · Rudy Flores

San Clemente has always known what it wanted to be. Follow the timeline from the first ranchos and Ole Hanson's Spanish Colonial plan to the pier, the surf and the neighborhoods of today.

For deeper history, visit the San Clemente Historical Society and Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

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  1. Before the village
  2. 1602

    An island lends its name

    Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino names San Clemente Island, the name the city would later take.

  3. 1776

    Mission San Juan Capistrano

    Father Junipero Serra founds the mission just up the coast, and the local Indigenous people become known as the Juaneno.

  4. 1846

    Rancho Boca de la Playa

    Governor Pio Pico grants the rancho that includes today's San Clemente to Emigdio Vejar.

  5. Ole Hanson's vision
  6. 1925

    A Spanish Village by the Sea

    Former Seattle mayor Ole Hanson buys land and plans a 2,000-acre Mediterranean-style community, requiring Spanish Colonial architecture with red tile roofs and white walls.

  7. 1926

    La Casa Pacifica

    Financier Hamilton Cotton has the Spanish Colonial Revival estate on the bluff built. It would later become famous as a presidential retreat.

  8. 1927

    Casa Romantica

    Ole Hanson's own home is completed in Spanish Colonial Revival style, with a moon gate entrance and an octagonal study tower.

  9. 1928

    A city, a pier and a beach club

    San Clemente incorporates in February, the pier is built, and the Ole Hanson Beach Club is dedicated on May 27.

  10. Surf and the presidency
  11. 1933

    Surfers find San Onofre

    Surfers discover the waves at San Onofre, beginning the story of Trestles and the surf culture the town is known for.

  12. 1939

    The pier is rebuilt

    The pier is rebuilt and would be rebuilt again in 1983.

  13. 1969

    The Western White House

    President Richard Nixon buys La Casa Pacifica, and San Clemente becomes known as the Western White House. He sold the property in 1980.

  14. Preserving the past
  15. 1989 to 2003

    Casa Romantica is saved

    The city buys Casa Romantica in 1989, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, and it reopens as a cultural center and gardens in 2003.

  16. Today and tomorrow
  17. 2003

    The Marblehead Coastal plan

    A 248-acre coastal development, home to today's outlet center and neighborhoods, is approved.

  18. 2028

    Olympic surfing nearby

    Surfing events for the Los Angeles Olympics are planned at Lower Trestles, just south of town.

The village today

The red tile roofs, courtyards and white stucco you see across San Clemente are Ole Hanson's legacy, and city design guidelines still help keep the look. Rudy can show you how each neighborhood carries a part of the story.

Historical facts come from public sources and local histories and may be simplified. Rudy is not a historian, so for deeper research visit your local historical society.

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