SAN CLEMENTE, CA

The area was inhabited by the Spaniards and in Father Junípero Serra founded nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano, and afterward the local indigenous people were dubbed “Juaneños” in Spanish. Property rights to the land exchanged hands several times, but few ventured to build on it until 1925, when former Mayor of Seattle, Ole Hanson, an out-of-town major land developer, purchased and designed a 2,000-acre (8.1 km²) community with the financial help of a syndicate headed by Hamilton Cotton. Hanson believed the area’s pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians tired of “the big city.” He named the city after San Clemente Island. 

Today, the same spirit lives on, with people from all over the world coming to San Clemente to escape the big city and enjoy life’s pleasures. San Clemente’s current population is 64,558. The average income of a San Clemente resident is $48,063 a year compared to a US average of $28,555 a year. The median household income of a San Clemente resident is $91,749 a year compared to a US average of $53,482 a year. San Clemente is a decidedly white-collar city, with fully 88.47% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. San Clemente home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but San Clemente real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America. The average home price in San Clemente is $1,225,438, with 38% of homes valued at over $1,094,000.  San Clemente homes have increased in value 15.9% over the past year (2020-2021).  A very impressive 51% of homes have sold over list price over the last 3 years while only 5.1% of sold homes had price drops.  The consistently high demand and low supply of homes for sale make San Clemente a seller’s market. Over the last 3 years, San Clemente homes for sale spent on average only 33 days on the market before being sold.