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Orange, California

Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately 3 mi north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many other cities in the region demolished such houses in the 1960s, Orange decided to preserve them. The small city of Villa Park is surrounded by the city of Orange. The population of Orange was 139,911 as of 2020.

History
Members of the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño ethnic group long inhabited this area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolá, an expedition out of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, led by Father Junípero Serra, named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area's first permanent European settlement in Alta California, New Spain.

In 1801, the Spanish Empire granted 62500 acre to José Antonio Yorba, which he named Rancho San Antonio. Yorba's great rancho included the lands where the cities of Olive, Orange, El Modena, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach stand today. Smaller ranchos evolved from this large rancho, including the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.

Don Juan Pablo Grijalva, a retired known Spanish soldier and the area's first landowner, was granted permission in 1809 by the Spanish colonial government to establish a rancho in "the place of the Arroyo de Santiago".

After the Mexican–American War, Alta California was ceded to the United States by Mexico with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, and though many Californios lost titles to their lands in the aftermath, Grijalva's descendants retained ownership through marriages to Anglo-Americans.

Since at least 1864, Los Angeles attorneys Alfred Chapman and Andrew Glassell, together and separately, held about 5400 acre along both sides of the Santiago Creek (Glassell also had a 4000 acre parcel where Costa Mesa is today). Water was the key factor for the location of their townsite (bordered by Almond Avenue on the south, Lemon Street on the west, Glassell Street on the east, and Maple Avenue on the north). Glassell needed a spot he could irrigate, bringing water down from the Santa Ana Canyon and the quality of the soil may have influenced his choice. Originally, the community was named Richland, but in 1873 Richland got a new name. In the book, Orange, The City 'Round The Plaza by local historian Phil Brigandi, it states, "In 1873 the town had grown large enough to require a post office, so an application was sent to Washington. It was refused, however, as there was (and is) already a Richland, California in Sacramento County. Undaunted, the Richlanders proposed a new name – Orange."

The small town was incorporated on April 6, 1888, under the general laws of the state of California. Orange was the only city in Orange County to be planned and built around a plaza, earning it the nickname Plaza City. Orange was the first developed town site to be served by the California Southern Railroad when the nation's second transcontinental rail line reached Orange County.

The town experienced its first growth spurt during the last decade of the 19th century (as did many of the surrounding communities), thanks to ever-increasing demands for California-grown citrus fruits, a period some refer to as the "Orange Era". Southern California's real estate "boom" of 1886–1888, fueled by railroad rate wars, also contributed to a marked increase in population. Like most cities in Orange County, agriculture formed the backbone of the local economy, and growth thereafter was slow and steady until the 1950s, when a second real estate boom spurred development. Inspired by the development of a region-wide freeway system which connected Los Angeles' urban center with outlying areas like Orange, large tracts of housing were developed from the 1950s to the early 1970s and continues today, albeit at a much slower pace, at the eastern edge of the city.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Orange approved the closure of North and South Glassell Street to open the Orange Plaza Paseo, where businesses located on each street could open socially-distant outdoor seating and patios. On December 8, 2020, the city council voted unanimously to continue to keep the street closed until state or local restrictions end or by council direction.

Geography
The city has a total area of 25.2 sqmi, 24.8 sqmi of which is land and 0.4 sqmi of which is water. The total area is 1.75% water.

Climate
Southern California is well known for year-round pleasant weather:
 * On average, the warmest month is August.
 * The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F in June 2016.
 * On average, the coolest month is December.
 * The lowest recorded temperature was 25 °F in December 1990.
 * The maximum average precipitation occurs in January.

The period of April through November is warm and dry with average high temperatures of 74 to 84 °F and lows of 52 to 64 °F. The period of November through March is somewhat rainy, as shown in the table to right.

The Orange County area is also subject to the phenomena typical of a microclimate. As such, the temperatures can vary as much as 18 F-change between inland areas and the coast, with a temperature gradient of over 1 °F per mile (0.3 °C/km) from the coast inland. California also has a weather phenomenon called "June Gloom" or "May Gray", which sometimes brings overcast or foggy skies in the morning on the coast, but usually gives way to sunny skies by noon, during late spring and early summer. The Orange County area averages 15 in of precipitation annually, which mainly occurs during the winter and spring (November thru April) with generally light rain showers, but sometimes as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Coastal Torrance receives slightly less rainfall, while the mountains receive slightly more. Snowfall is extremely rare in the city basin, but the mountains in the surrounding areas receive snowfall every winter.

Cityscape
Old Towne, Orange Historic District, a one square-mile around the original plaza, contains many of the original structures built in the period after the city's incorporation. It is a vibrant commercial district, containing Orange County's oldest operating bank and many dining and retail amenities. The Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is the largest National Register District in California. The Old Towne Preservation Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the district.

Orange is unique among the region and the state in that it has the second largest concentration of historic buildings. A list of all of the buildings and sites in Orange appears in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civic Center was designed by Welton Becket in 1963.

Though Orange is now a fully developed city, there are still several unincorporated portions of land within the city that have not yet been annexed, including El Modena and North El Modena, Orange Park Acres, and Olive.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Orange had a population of 136,416. The population density was 5,404.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Orange was 91,522 (67.1%) White (46.8% Non-Hispanic White), 2,227 (1.6%) African American, 993 (0.7%) Native American, 15,350 (11.3%) Asian, 352 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 20,567 (15.1%) from other races, and 5,405 (4.0%) from two or more races. There were 52,014 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (38.1%).

The Census reported that 130,163 people (95.4% of the population) lived in households, 2,587 (1.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,666 (2.7%) were institutionalized.

There were 43,367 households, out of which 16,303 (37.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 23,572 (54.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,260 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,424 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,442 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 373 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 8,480 households (19.6%) were made up of individuals, and 3,115 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00. There were 31,256 families (72.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.42.

In Orange, there were 32,096 people (23.5%) under the age of 18, 16,420 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 39,574 people (29.0%) aged 25 to 44, 33,698 people (24.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,628 people (10.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

There were 45,111 housing units at an average density of 1,787.3 /sqmi, of which 26,319 (60.7%) were owner-occupied, and 17,048 (39.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 77,179 people (56.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 52,984 people (38.8%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Orange had a median household income of $78,838, with 11.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 128,821 people, 40,930 households, and 30,165 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,506.4 PD/sqmi. There were 41,904 housing units at an average density of 1,791.2 /sqmi.

The racial makeup of the city was 70.60% White, 1.59% African American, 0.78% Native American, 9.22% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 13.84% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. 32.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 40,930 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.43.

The population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,994, and the median income for a family was $64,573 (these figures had risen to $75,024 and $85,730 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $42,144 versus $34,159 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,294. 10.0% of the population and 6.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Crime
From data, Orange is safer than 35% of U.S. cities, and Orange's violent crime rate is lower than the national average of 4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents at about 1 per 1,000 residents. Property crime rate is higher, at almost 16 property crimes per 1,000 residents, still lower than the national and state averages by at least 6. There were 94 crimes per square mile in Orange, higher than the state average of 83, and at least 70 crimes higher than the national average of about 28.

Statistically, year after year crime has continually decreased by 10%.

On March 31, 2021, four people were killed and two more were injured in a mass shooting at an office complex along Lincoln Avenue in north Orange.

Largest employers
According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Points of interest
The Orange International Street Fair has occurred annually over Labor Day Weekend in Downtown Orange since 1973. The fair draws an average of 400,000 in attendance every year.

The Orange County Zoo is located in Orange at Irvine Regional Park.

Shopping includes The Village at Orange and The Outlets at Orange, an outdoor shopping and entertainment center that includes a skatepark and bowling center.

The Woman's Club of Orange, organized in 1915, holds an annual flower show. Their clubhouse, built in 1923–1924, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The "Villa Park Orchards Association" packing house, located along the former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway mainline, is the sole remaining fruit packing operation in Orange County.

The Lewis Ainsworth House is a restored house museum.

Architectural styles in Old Towne Orange
Architectural styles in Old Towne Orange include Bungalow, Craftsman Bungalow, Arts and Crafts Movement, Hip roof cottage, Mediterranean Revival architecture, Prairie Style architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and Victorian architecture.

Sports
In 1978 and 1979, the California Sunshine was a professional soccer team that played regular season games in Orange.

The city roots for major league teams: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of baseball and the Anaheim Ducks of ice hockey, right along the city borders across the Santa Ana River in Anaheim.

In the city proper: the SoCal A's of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball Association play in Athletic (or Richland) Field.

Government
In the California State Senate, Orange is split between, and. In the California State Assembly, it is split between, and.

In the United States House of Representatives, Orange is split between, and.

Orange, like much of Orange County, is known for its affluence and political conservatism – a 2005 academic study listed Orange among three Orange County cities as being among America's 25 "most conservative", making it one of two counties in the country containing more than one such city (Maricopa County, Arizona also has three cities on the list).

Orange remains a somewhat conservative city in recent years; however, in 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump by 1,463 votes (2.7%). Nevertheless, the city voted 3% more Republican than the average of Orange County, and nearly 14% more Republican than the state of California as a whole. In 2020, Joe Biden carried the city by a larger margin, winning 52.5% of the vote to Donald Trump's 45.2%, though this was still much narrower than his statewide margin.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Orange had 69,828 registered voters. Of those, 25,744 (36.87%) were registered Republicans, 22,162 (31.74%) are registered Democrats, and 18,759 (26.86%) were independents.

Education
All public schools (excluding Santiago Canyon College) in the region are managed by the Orange Unified School District, which serves approximately 28,000 students across the cities of Orange, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and some unincorporated parts of Orange County. High schools include Orange High School, Villa Park High School, El Modena High School, and Canyon High School.

Universities and colleges

 * Chapman University
 * Santiago Canyon College

Other schools

 * International School of Los Angeles
 * Eldorado Emerson Private School — preschool and K-12
 * Lutheran High School of Orange County

Automobile
Orange is situated near Interstate 5, also known as the Santa Ana Freeway. The junction of I-5 with two state highways (SR 57, the "Orange Freeway" and SR 22, the "Garden Grove Freeway"), commonly called the "Orange Crush", is one of the busiest interchanges in Orange County, and is located on the southwestern edge of the city. The Costa Mesa Freeway (SR 55) also passes through Orange, meeting the eastern terminus of SR 22 in the southern part of the city. The eastern areas of Orange are served by the Eastern and Foothill Toll Roads (SR 261 and SR 241) which connect the city with the cities of Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita.

Rail

The town's first rail service, the Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin Street Railway, was a 4.04 mi long horsecar line that ran between Santa Ana and Orange, beginning in 1886. One year later, the Santa Ana and Orange Motor Road Company purchased the line, using a steam "dummy" car and a single gasoline motorcar as its means of conveyance. In 1906, Henry E. Huntington acquired the company under the auspices of the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway and electrified the line.

Passenger service over the new line operated by Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway began on June 8, 1914, originating at the PE's depot on Lemon Street. The route provided freight service to the local citrus growers, in direct competition with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Pacific Electric sold out in 1961 to the Southern Pacific Railroad, who ultimately abandoned the line in 1964.

The Santa Fe, under its affiliate the Southern California Railway, laid its first tracks through Orange in 1886, and established its first depot the following year. The route would become part of the railroad's famous "Surf Line", and by 1925, 16 daily passenger trains (the Santa Fe's San Diegan) made stops in Orange. During peak growing seasons, as many as 48 carloads of citrus fruits, olives, and walnuts were shipped daily from the Orange depot as well.

Orange's former Santa Fe depot, in Mediterranean Revival style, still stands adjacent to the current Orange Transportation Center, which uses the platform area. It was dedicated on May 1, 1938, and was closed with the discontinuation of passenger service in 1971, though commuter service resumed at the adjacent platform in 1993. The building was granted historic landmark status by the city on November 15, 1990. In July 2004, the facility was home to a Cask 'n Cleaver restaurant and was remodeled and reopened in 2011 as a Ruby's Diner.

Rail connections to Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and Northern San Diego County are provided by the Metrolink regional commuter rail network. The Orange Transportation Center's platform is situated adjacent to the former Santa Fe depot in the downtown Historic District, which is also home to an Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) bus station, is the second busiest station of the entire Metrolink train system due to its position serving as a transfer station for the Orange County and the IEOC Metrolink lines. The former Santa Fe mainline links the cities of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego via a junction north of the station.

Airports
John Wayne Airport (SNA), in nearby Santa Ana, provides daily scheduled airline service for the area.

Emergency services
Law enforcement is provided by the Orange Police Department (OPD), which covers a jurisdictional area of roughly 27 sqmi. OPD polices through three divisions; the Field Services Division, which consists of Patrol, Traffic Bureau, Communications Center, Crime Analysis, Bike Unit and H.E.A.R.T (Homeless Education and Resource Team); the Investigative Services Division, which consists of Crimes Against Person, Property and Economic Crimes, Gang Unit and the Special Investigations Unit; and finally the Support Services Division, which consists of Fiscal Affairs, Information Technology, Timekeeping, Personnel and Training, Crime Prevention/Analysis Unit, Volunteer Program, CERT, Facility and Fleet Services. The department also operates a SWAT team.

Fire protection is provided by the Orange City Fire Department which has eight stations across the city, which house seven fire engines, one fire truck, one quintuple combination pumper, and four rescue ambulances. The department is a member of the Metro Cities Fire Authority which provides emergency communications for multiple departments in and around Orange County. The department employs three battalion chiefs, which each manage a team of three shifts of 35 firefighters, each cross trained as an emergency medical technician.

Notable people

 * Don Aase, born in Orange, MLB player
 * Héctor Ambriz, MLB player for the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Indians
 * Garrett Atkins, MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.
 * Shane Bieber, MLB player who plays for the Cleveland Indians
 * Erica Blasberg (1984–2010), LPGA golfer, born in Orange
 * Bert Blyleven, MLB player who played in the California Angels and once owned a cafe in nearby Villa Park.
 * Jeff Buckley (1966–1997), singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * Lauren Chamberlain, softball infielder, born in Orange
 * Bud Daley, MLB player for the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, and New York Yankees
 * Mikey Day, comedian, writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live, born in Orange
 * Deakin, member of Animal Collective, born in Orange.
 * Rob Deer, MLB player for the San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres.
 * Zach Ertz, tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, born in Orange
 * Placida Gardner Chesley, WWI worker, bacteriologist
 * David Fletcher, MLB player for the Los Angeles Angels
 * Dominic Fletcher, MLB Player for the Arizona Diamondbacks
 * Charles Gipson, former MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros
 * Ciara Hanna, born in Orange, martial art actress
 * Casey Janssen, MLB player, born in Orange.
 * Chris Jent, NBA assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers
 * Steve Johnson, professional tennis player, two-time NCAA champion
 * Dean Koontz, novelist, once resided in Orange Hills and set many of his novels, such as The Bad Place, in the area.
 * Rusty Kuntz, baseball World Series champion player (1984) and coach (2015).
 * Justin Lehr, MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, and Milwaukee Brewers, born in Orange.
 * Alexander Lévy (born 1990), professional golfer
 * Hunter Mahan, PGA Tour golfer, born in Orange.
 * Scott McAdams, former mayor of Sitka, Alaska and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Alaska in 2010, born in Orange
 * Mike Pompeo (born 1963), US Secretary of State and past CIA Director
 * Sunny (birth name: Susan Soonkyu Lee), a Korean-American singer and entertainer, based in South Korea, who is a member of K-pop girl group Girls' Generation.
 * Ginger Zee, meteorologist, ABC News and Good Morning America, born in Orange.

Sister cities

 * 🇷🇺 Novo Kosino, Moscow, Russia
 * 🇦🇺 Orange, New South Wales, Australia
 * 🇫🇷 Orange, Vaucluse, France
 * 🇲🇽 Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
 * 🇳🇿 Timaru, New Zealand

Orange used to have two community partnerships with Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Santiago, Chile.

title: Orange, California


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Placentia, California

Placentia is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. Its population was 51,233 during the 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 census. This includes the community of Atwood, which is included in the city of Placentia, and is located in its southeastern quadrant. Primarily referred to as a bedroom community, Placentia is known for its quiet neighborhoods.

In 1971, Placentia was honored with the prestigious "All America City" award, given out annually by the National Civic League to 10 cities in the United States.

History
Indigenous peoples of California referred to by the Spanish as Gabrielenos, known as the Tongva, lived in the area for thousands of years. One estimate wrote that the native population in what was to become northern Orange County was at least 1,000. The large village of Hutuknga was closely situated to the area that is now Placentia.

In 1837, the Mexican government granted the area that is now Placentia to Juan Pacifico Ontiveros as part of the Rancho San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana land grant.

In 1865, American pioneer Daniel Kraemer arrived and purchased 3,900 acres. Many other American pioneers soon followed, and the community developed.

The local school district was originally named the Cajon School District. In 1878, the school district's name was changed to Placentia School District by Sarah Jane McFadden, Placentia being derived from a Latin word meaning "pleasant place to live". She was the wife of William McFadden, who was the second White settler to arrive in Placentia. The town eventually took its own name after the school district.

The first commercial orange grove was established in 1880, worked by mostly Mexican and Anglo laborers.

20th century
From a handful of scattered ranches, the core of the town was developed around 1910. It functioned as a major railroad stop along the Santa Fe Railroad for processing oranges. Later, during the Great Depression, a brief strike of citrus workers occurred in Placentia.

Oil was found in 1919, which led to the development of numerous oil wells in eastern and northern Placentia. The town of Richfield, which later became Atwood, was built to house oil workers. Mexican laborers formed the majority of the labor force in the oil industry. The neighboring town of La Jolla, Placentia was constructed for a similar reason as a segregated colonia.

Several schools were constructed in Placentia from the 1910s to the 1930s that were segregated between White and Mexican students. Isabel Martínez was the first student of Mexican parentage to graduate from Fullerton High School in 1931, being celebrated in the Placentia Courier as an "exceptional" Mexican. Within six years, the number of Placentia students graduating high school numbered only six. The predominately Mexican areas of Placentia were heavily hit by the Santa Ana River flood of 1938, which destroyed everything in the area but "the La Jolla School Building and three brick structures." The flood left 3,700 refugees and 1,500 homes uninhabitable, and "caused more than 50 deaths, most from the Atwood area."

Mexican-American war veterans from World War II worked to end school segregation in Placentia in 1948. This campaign was led by Alfred Aguirre, who noted that some white ranchers believed Mexicans were good fruit pickers, but that "the White kids are too advanced" for Mexican students to keep up in the classroom.

The Mexican-American community in Placentia developed its own political power base in the 1950s. This resulted in the election of Aguirre to Placentia's city council from 1958 to 1962 and the registration of hundreds of Chicano voters in the city.

In July 2020, Placentia organized and established its own fire department, Placentia Fire and Life Safety Department, leaving the Orange County Fire Authority as the first city to ever disband from the OCFA.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 sqmi, of which 0.22% is covered by water. State Route 57 (the Orange Freeway) runs through the southwest section of Placentia. State Route 91 (the Riverside Freeway) passes directly south of the city. Districts in Placentia include the neighborhood of La Jolla and the formerly unincorporated community of Atwood.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Placentia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, Csa on climate maps.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Placentia had a population of 50,533. The population density was 7,677.0 /mi2. The racial makeup of Placentia was:

 * 31,373 (62.1%) White (44.7% Non-Hispanic White)
 * 914 (1.8%) African American
 * 386 (0.8%) Native American
 * 7,531 (14.9%) Asian
 * 74 (0.1%) Pacific Islander
 * 8,247 (16.3%) from other races
 * 2,008 (4.0%) from two or more races
 * 18,416 persons (36.4%) were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

The census reported that 50,196 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 253 (0.5%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 84 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

Of the 16,365 households, 38.6% had children under 18 living in them, 57.4% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 4.6% were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0.6% were same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 17.6% of households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07. There were 12,366 families (75.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.44.

In the city, the age distribution was 24.6% under 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% were 65 or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The 16,872 housing units had an average density of 2,563.2 /mi2, of which 10,681 (65.3%) were owner-occupied and 5,684 (34.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. About 62.9% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 36.5% lived in rental housing units.

The median household income was $75,693, with 12.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
At the 2000 census, there were 46,488 people, 15,037 households and 11,683 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,051.3 /mi2. The 15,326 housing units had an average density of 2,324.6 /mi2. The racial makeup was 67.76% White, 1.77% African American, 0.83% Native American, 11.16% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, and 13.58% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31.10% of the population.

Of the 15,037 households, 37.9% had children under 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 50.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were not families. About 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07, and the average family size was 3.42.

The age distribution was 27.0% under 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median household income was $62,803 and the median family income was $68,976. These figures had risen to $77,496 and $83,674, respectively, in a 2007 estimate. Males had a median income of $46,956 and females $34,184. The per capita income was $23,843. About 5.7% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those 65 or over.

Economy
Placentia has a $20 million Metrolink project that started in the downtown area in 2013. This project is in conjunction with the Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA), and will assist in the continued revitalization of the area, which is also scheduled for the building of more transit-oriented housing to complement the train station, mixed use, retail, and entertainment. All are designed to enhance Placentia's unique presence in Orange County. Placentia is also working with the OCTA on the OC Bridges project. The project, combined with the city of Fullerton, provides around $580 million in funding to build underpasses and/or overpasses at the major north–south roadways in the two cities. The roadways are Lakeview Avenue, Rose Drive/Tustin Avenue, Orangethorpe Avenue, Kraemer Boulevard, Placentia Avenue, State College Boulevard, and Raymond Avenue. The underpasses and overpasses at Placentia, Kraemer, Rose/Tustin and Lakeview are complete.

Top employers
According to Placentia's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report:, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
The George Key Ranch Historic District is a historic citrus ranch and Victorian ranch house in Placentia. It is now within the 2 acre George Key Ranch Historic Park, with the historic house museum, outdoor displays, and a citrus grove. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Placentia-Santa Fe District is in the southwest or downtown area. The town is home to the A. S. Bradford House, a historic house museum. It is also home to the 100-year-old Berkenstock Mansion.

In 1973, Chicano Park's "founding lead artist" Guillermo Aranda and "founding apprentice artist" Ernesto "Neto" Paul (San Diego natives) collaborated with the art students of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in painting a mural (about 8 x 36 ft) on the walls of the Tlatepaque Restaurant. Aranda was invited by a professor at UCI. The following year, the chairman of Toltecas en Aztlan, and the board director of the Centro Cultural De La Raza, Guillermo Aranda, also invited these same Orange County artists referred to as the "Santa Ana muralists/Santa Ana artists", to come to Chicano Park and paint on one of the first pillars (second painted pillar) of Chicano Park.

Local
Placentia is a charter city with elected city council members, city clerk, and city treasurer, and professional city manager.

 * Elected officials
 * Mayor Ward Smith
 * Mayor pro tem Jeremy B.Yamaguchi
 * Council Member Kevin Kirwin
 * Council Member Rhonda Shader
 * Council Member Chad P. Wanke
 * City Clerk Robert S. McKinnell
 * City Treasurer Kevin A. Larson

 * Appointed officials
 * City Administrator Damien R. Arrula
 * City Attorney Christian L. Bettenhausen

 * Mayors since 1989:

Unless otherwise noted, mayoral terms begin and end in December.

The voters of Placentia also elect the boards of the Placentia Library District and the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

State and federal representation
In the California State Senate, Placentia is split between, and. In the California State Assembly, it is in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Placentia is in.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Placentia has 27,328 registered voters. Of those, 10,285 (37.64%) are registered Republicans, 8,510 (31.14%) are registered Democrats, and 7,400 (27.08%) have no political party preference or are independent.

Placentia Library District
Placentia is home to one of the 13 special district libraries in California. The Placentia Library District is a single-purpose library district governed by an elected board of trustees. Its principal source of income is property tax proration. The library's early history is much like other communities. Beginning in 1914, the Women's Christian Temperance Union established a reading and recreation room for boys in a storefront on Bradford Avenue. After a successful petition and election by the residents, the Placentia Library District was officially formed on September 2, 1919. The new library district included seven square miles of the Placentia area: the north line was beyond Golden Avenue, the east line along Linda Vista through Hazard's subdivision, the south through Golden State Tract but not as far as Miraloma Avenue and the west line along the Fullerton boundary. The library board of trustees hired Placentia's first librarian, Sara Rideout, for $0.25 an hour, and the Women's Christian Temperance Union turned over their reading room and 193 books. The library officially opened to the public on January 15, 1920, from 2:00–5:00 pm and 7:00–9:00 pm. By 1926, a new library building was needed to meet the needs of the growing community. The building, designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by renowned architect Carleton Monroe Winslow, features beautiful Talavera tiles created by Mexican potter Pedro Sanchez. In March 1927, the grand opening was held for the new library building located at 143 S. Bradford Avenue. In 1974, the library again become too small for its growing collection and was moved to its current location in the Civic Center Plaza. That same year, the library boundaries expanded to reflect the same boundaries as the city.

Today, the Placentia Library District has over 330,000 visitors annually, with over 42,000 library cards issued. The library holds over 102,000 materials. In September 2018, the Placentia Library began a major $2.3 million renovation/modernization project as part of the library's centennial anniversary. The project was completed on September 14, 2019.

Public schools
Placentia is a part of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD). The three high schools in the city are:
 * El Dorado High School.
 * Valencia High School. The oldest high school in Placentia, it opened in 1933. VHS offers an international baccalaureate program and a technology track known as ValTech.
 * El Camino Real High School was named a "Model Continuation High School" by the California State Department of Education.

In addition, Placentia supports: Kraemer Middle School, Valadez Middle School Academy, and Tuffree Middle School. The city houses numerous public elementary schools: Brookhaven Elementary, George Key Elementary, Golden Elementary, Morse Elementary, Melrose Elementary, Ruby Drive Elementary, Sierra Vista Elementary, Tynes Elementary, Van Buren Elementary, and Wagner Elementary.

Independent schools
The Parkview School provides an independent study kindergarten-grade 12 school for students who are "homeschoolers, student actors, junior athletes, chronically ill, or in various other situations for which an alternative to classroom-based instruction is desirable."

Transportation
The Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line passes through the southern portion of the city. The city has been preparing the area of a proposed new station located at Melrose Avenue and Crowther Avenue in Old Town Placentia. Placentia Station is estimated to cost $35 million; the city will contribute $5.4 million. A tentative completion date was set for June 2022, but construction is now "on hold" pending further negotiations with BNSF.

In 2007, the city became the first city to implement a quiet zone for the cargo-carrying trains that pass through the city daily, using locomotive grade-crossing predictors and intercrossing ground-based radio communications to effect a corridor where crossing gate arms become actuated prior to the train's approach, enabling trains to not be required to announce their approach by sounding the Morse code letter "Q" on their whistles, which is otherwise mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration. The city's Quiet-Zone-Update web pages offer information on the zone's scope and any temporary or long-term alterations to the quiet zone.

The city is served by the Orange County Transportation Authority's bus routes, with:

 * Route 129 running also Kraemer Blvd
 * Route 71 running along Rose Drive
 * Route 26 running along Yorba Linda Blvd
 * Route 123 running along Chapman Avenue
 * Route 30 running along Orangethorpe Avenue

The 2002 Placentia train collision occurred on April 23, 2002, when a BNSF Railway freight train collided head-on with a Metrolink train in Placentia, near the Atwood Junction, at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Van Buren Street. Two people died in the crash and 22 were seriously injured.

Notable people

 * Agent Orange, a punk rock band, formed in Orange County in 1979.
 * Kevin Blankenship, is a professional baseball player from Placentia and an El Dorado High School class of 1981 graduate.
 * Michael Chang, professional tennis player, French Open champion, member of Hall of Fame
 * Peter Daut, a news presenter at KESQ-TV, grew up in Placentia and graduated from El Dorado High School.
 * Chris Draft, NFL professional football player
 * Janet Evans, Olympic swimmer, four-time gold medalist
 * Jackie Francois, musician
 * Josh Freese, musician
 * Michele Granger, softball pitcher, was born in Placentia.
 * Courtney Hicks, figure skater, was born in Placentia.
 * Kottonmouth Kings, hip hop group
 * Kingspade, hip hop group
 * Phil Nevin, baseball player
 * Kherington Payne, So You Think You Can Dance contestant, Pussycat Doll
 * Shawn Ray, bodybuilder
 * Johnny Richter, rapper
 * Equanimeous St. Brown, NFL professional football player
 * Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor and rescuer in the Dutch underground during World War II, and author, emigrated to Placentia in 1977 and died there in 1983.
 * Brett Tomko, a Major League Baseball player, attended El Dorado High School.
 * Bret Boone, a Major League Baseball player, attended El Dorado High School.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Placentia, California


text:
Portola Hills, California

Portola Hills is a district in the city of Lake Forest, California in Orange County, United States. It was formerly an unincorporated community and census-designated place before it was annexed into Lake Forest in 2000. The population was 6,391 at the 2000 census. Portola Hills lies near Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Cleveland National Forest. Foothill Ranch is to the west, Rancho Santa Margarita in the southeast, Mission Viejo in the south, and the unincorporated regions of Silverado and Santiago Canyon to the north and northeast.

History
The tracts were developed in the late 1980s through the early 1990s. The development was named after Gaspar de Portolá, California's first terrestrial Spanish explorer, who passed through the vicinity in 1769. (Nearby Trabuco Canyon is named for a blunderbuss which was lost by expedition members.)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.3 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,391 people, 2,164 households, and 1,729 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 5063.6 PD/sqmi. There were 2,181 housing units at an average density of 1728.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.60% White, 1.63% African American, 0.30% Native American, 6.76% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 2.64% from other races, and 3.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.03% of the population.

There were 2,164 households, out of which 52.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 32.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 41.4% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 2.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

Estimated median household income in 2016: $126,434 (it was $90,874 in 2000) Estimated per capita income in 2016: $50,437 (it was $34,057 in 2000)

Politics
In the state legislature Portola Hills is located in the 37th Senate District, represented by Republican John Moorlach, and in the 68th Assembly District, represented by Republican Steven Choi. Federally, Portola Hills is located in California's 45th congressional district, which is represented by Democrat Katie Porter.

Housing
The community of Portola Hills has 2,181 housing units on 348.8 acre of land with an average housing density of 6.25 /acre.

There are 15 tracts of housing built in single and multi-family configurations that can be classified as Condominium, Townhouse, Mix use, Semi-Detached and Detached:
 * Condominium – 2 tracts (Canyon View and Canyon View West) with a total of 225 units (18.5 units/acre) featuring 1 and 2 bedroom floorplans (644 to 1038 sqft);
 * Townhouse – 3 tracts (Bella Palermo, Canyon Rim, and Montecido) with a total of 657 units (9.6 to 13.3 units/acre) featuring 2 and 3 bedroom floorplans (940 to 1378 sqft);
 * Semi Detached – 2 tracts (Serenado and Sycamore Ridge) with a total of 378 units (5.1 to 8.9 units/acre) featuring 2 and 3 bedroom floorplans (1139 to 1891 sqft); and
 * Detached – 7 tracts (Alderwood, Antiqua, J.M. Peters Portola, Crestmont, Crown Pointe, Live Oak Estates, Portola Hills Estates, and The Oaks) with a total of 921 units (3.1 to 7.4 units/acre) featuring 3 to 6 bedroom floorplans (1273 to 3584 sqft).
 * Mix Use – 1 tract with a total of 54 units featuring 1 bedroom floorplans.

Schools
Children living in the area attend Portola Hills Elementary.

Built in the mid-1990s, Portola Hills Elementary was subject to litigation between the SVUSD school district and the developer concerning land movement at the school site. The litigation was dismissed due to procedural issues regarding the statute of limitations. In 2004, three buildings were vacated for safety reasons due to damage potentially caused by the land movement and the students relocated in portable/temporary classrooms until a permanent solution could be made. As of mid-2008, the developer (USA Portola Center, LLC) entered into a School Facilities Funding and Mitigation Agreement with the school district for development originally known as "Portola Hills South" and now known as "Portola Center." That agreement requires the developer to pay the district $2,900,000 (in addition to any other new development mitigation fees), solely for use in the repair of the school. As of June 2008, the district is moving forward with plans to repair two buildings and potentially demolish/rebuild the third provided approval is obtained from the Department of State Architecture.

title: Portola Hills, California


text:
Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California, United States. One of Orange County's youngest cities, Rancho Santa Margarita is a master-planned community. The population was 47,853 at the 2010 census, up from 47,214 at the 2000 census. Although it is named for Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, which was in San Diego County, the city limits fall within the borders of Rancho Mission Viejo. At 20 characters long (22 including spaces), it is the longest city name in California.

History
The area is the ancestral lands of the Acjachemen people. The village of Alume was located in Rancho Santa Margarita, between Trabuco Creek and Tijeras Creek. In 1810, the Trabuco Adobe was constructed near the village as an outpost of Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The city seal has the brands of Rancho Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita and Las Flores on the border, with artwork containing Santiago Peak in the background. The tower in the foreground symbolizes the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake Tower.

Hughes Aircraft Company's Microelectronic Systems Division moved to Rancho Santa Margarita in May 1988 from Irvine. In August 1992, the Hughes plant closed its facilities and moved the division to Carlsbad, California due to budget constraints in the aerospace industry.

Rolling Hills Estates had the longest city name in California with 19 letters until January 1, 2000, when the title was ceded to Rancho Santa Margarita (20 letters) upon the latter's incorporation.

The City is a general law city and operates under the council-manager form of government. Rancho Santa Margarita is a contract city. Police services are provided through contract with the Orange County Sheriff. Fire Protection services are provided through the Orange County Fire Authority.

Geography
Rancho Santa Margarita is located at 33.64139°N, -117.59444°W (33.641518, -117.594524). It occupies much of a high plateau known as Plano Trabuco.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.0 sqmi. 13.0 sqmi of it is land and 0.04 sqmi of it (0.27%) is water.

Rancho Santa Margarita is bordered by the city of Mission Viejo on the west, the census-designated places Coto de Caza and Las Flores on the south, the unincorporated Trabuco Canyon on the north, and the Cleveland National Forest on the east.

Vehicular access is provided by California State Route 241 (a toll road), in addition to several surface streets. Santa Margarita Parkway and Antonio Parkway are the city's major thoroughfares, with Avenida De Las Banderas, Avenida Empresa, Avenida De Las Flores, and Alma Aldea being minor thoroughfares. In addition, Alicia Parkway terminates in the city providing access to Mission Viejo.

Major homeowners associations and communities
The majority of the neighborhoods in Rancho Santa Margarita are maintained by larger homeowners associations including SAMLARC, Dove Canyon, Rancho Cielo, Robinson Ranch, Walden and Trabuco Highlands. Dove Canyon, Trabuco Highlands, Robinson Ranch, Walden and Rancho Cielo were all established before Rancho Santa Margarita was an incorporated city. East of Plano Trabuco Road is designated with a Trabuco Canyon (92679) zip code even though the area falls within the City of Rancho Santa Margarita boundary.

Climate
Rancho Santa Margarita, like most of southern California, generally has a Mediterranean climate.

Top employers
According to the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:

2020
The 2020 United States Census reported a population of 48,119. The racial makeup was 75.5% White, 2.2% African American, 10.9% Asian, and 21.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Rancho Santa Margarita had a population of 47,853. The population density was 3,683.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Rancho Santa Margarita was 37,421 (78.2%) White (67.0% Non-Hispanic White), 887 (1.9%) African American, 182 (0.4%) Native American, 4,350 (9.1%) Asian, 102 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,674 (5.6%) from other races, and 2,237 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,902 persons (18.6%).

31.8% of the population possessed a bachelor's degree, with 16.4% possessing a Graduate or Professional Degree. The educational attainment level in Rancho Santa Margarita significantly exceeds the averages throughout the rest of California.

The Census reported that 47,851 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 16,665 households, out of which 7,699 (46.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,144 (60.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,703 (10.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 700 (4.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 747 (4.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 103 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,199 households (19.2%) were made up of individuals, and 761 (4.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87. There were 12,547 families (75.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.33.

The population was spread out, with 13,879 people (29.0%) under the age of 18, 3,793 people (7.9%) aged 18 to 24, 13,706 people (28.6%) aged 25 to 44, 13,764 people (28.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,711 people (5.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

There were 17,260 housing units at an average density of 1,328.4 /sqmi, of which 11,906 (71.4%) were owner-occupied, and 4,759 (28.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%. 35,737 people (74.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 12,114 people (25.3%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Rancho Santa Margarita had a median household income of $104,113, with 3.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, Rancho Santa Margarita is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Rancho Santa Margarita is in.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Rancho Santa Margarita has 28,462 registered voters. Of those, 11,877 (41.73%) are registered Republicans, 7,511 (26.39%) are registered Democrats, and 7,819 (27.47%) have no political party preference/are independents.

Rancho Santa Margarita has voted Republican in every presidential election since the city's incorporation.

Education
The city is served by Saddleback Valley Unified School District and the Capistrano Unified School District.
 * Students in SVUSD boundaries attend Trabuco Hills High School or Mission Viejo High School, both outside of Rancho Santa Margarita in the city of Mission Viejo. Students in CUSD boundaries attend Tesoro High School located in the Las Flores neighborhood.
 * RSM Intermediate School (SVUSD) and Las Flores Middle School (CUSD) serve the city.
 * Public Elementary schools include Cielo Vista, Trabuco Mesa, Robinson Ranch, Arroyo Vista, Melinda Heights, and Tijeras Creek.
 * Private Elementary and Middle Schools include St. John's Episcopal Day School, Serra Catholic, and Mission Hills Christian School.
 * Santa Margarita Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic high school associated with the Catholic Diocese of Orange. SMCHS is located in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Television
The television series The Real Housewives of Orange County, although based in Coto De Caza, is mainly filmed in Rancho Santa Margarita where many of the housewives do business, shopping, commuting, dentistry, and dining.

The Dove Canyon, Rancho Cielo, and Robinson Ranch neighborhoods, while all part of the city, have a zip code of 92679, although the 92688 ZIP code is far more common in the Rancho Santa Margarita area.

A map of Orange County seen in season four of Arrested Development places the fictional Bluth Company-developed community of Sudden Valley northeast of Mission Viejo and Las Flores, in the approximate location of Rancho Santa Margarita.

Notable people

 * Jonathon Blum (born 1989), National Hockey League player, 2018 Winter Olympian
 * Joy Fawcett, Olympic soccer gold medalist
 * Joshua Fuentes, MLB player
 * Warren G, rapper and producer
 * Carson Palmer, American football player; attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School
 * Mark Sanchez (born 1986), National Football League quarterback
 * Teemu Selänne, ice hockey player
 * Klay Thompson, basketball player; attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School
 * Members of the band Movements.
 * Velvet Revolver, rock band

title: Rancho Santa Margarita, California


text:
San Clemente, California

San Clemente (Spanish for "St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente is a popular tourist destination in Southern California, known for its beaches, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and hospitality industry. San Clemente's city slogan is "Spanish Village by the Sea".

Indigenous
The Acjachemen are the Indigenous people of San Clemente. Panhe was located about 3 miles south of San Clemente, and has been historically documented to be over 9,600 years old. It remains an important site for the Acjachemen.

Spanish era

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.

Mexican and Post-Conquest eras
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.

American era
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 2000 acre community with the financial help of a syndicate headed by 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 Island, which in turn was named by the explorer Sebastián Vizcaino in 1602 after Saint Clement. Hanson envisioned it as a Mediterranean-style coastal resort town, his "San Clemente by the Sea." He had a clause added to the deeds requiring all building plans to be submitted to an architectural review board in an effort to ensure future development would retain red tile roofs and white exteriors. This proved to be short-lived; an eclectic mix of building styles is found in the oldest parts of town. Hanson succeeded in promoting the new area and selling property. He built public structures such as the Beach Club, the community center, the pier and San Clemente Plaza, now known as Max Berg Plaza Park. The area was officially incorporated as a city on February 27, 1928, with a council-manager government. Referring to the way he would develop the city, Hanson proclaimed, "I have a clean canvas and I am determined to paint a clean picture. Think of it – a canvas five miles long and one and one-half miles wide!... My San Clemente by the Sea." Soon after San Clemente was incorporated, the need for a fire station was realized. The headlines in San Clemente's first newspaper, El Heraldo de San Clemente June 1928 read: "Building to house local fire department will be constructed by popular subscription and turned over to the city when completed!" Individual subscriptions were received in the amounts from $6.00 to $1,500.00 from the citizenry.

One of the most iconic landmarks in San Clemente is the San Clemente Pier, first constructed in 1928 and rebuilt in 1939 and 1983.

When Ole Hanson came to San Clemente and decided to develop the city he moved into his epitome of the perfect house which was called Casa Romantica. Hansen owned Casa Romantica up until the Great Depression hit and the Bank of America foreclosed on the property. In 1969, President Richard Nixon bought part of the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the original homes built by one of Hanson's partners. Nixon called it "La Casa Pacifica" and it was nicknamed the "Western White House," a term for a President's vacation home. It sits above one of the West Coast's premier surfing spots, Trestles, and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre. Many world leaders visited the home during Nixon's tenure, including Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Satō, Henry Kissinger, and businessman Bebe Rebozo. After his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs. He sold the home in 1980 and moved to New York City. The property also has historical ties to the Democratic side of the aisle; prior to Nixon's tenure at the estate, H. H. Cotton was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

In 1994, the Clarence Lobo Elementary School, named after Clarence H. Lobo, chief of the Acjachemen people from 1946 to 1985, was opened in San Clemente as part of the Capistrano Unified School District. The opening of the school was notable as the first school in California to be named after an Indigenous leader.

The historic "North Beach" area is home to the Miramar Theatre, the Casino Building, and Ole Hanson Beach Club, the latter two of which were renovated in 2010 and 2016.

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 19.5 sqmi. 18.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.8 sqmi of it (3.89%) is water.

Climate
San Clemente has a Mediterranean climate where temperatures tend to average in the 70s °F (20s °C). The warmest month of the year is August, with an average high temperature of 79 °F. The coldest month is December with an average high temperature of 64 °F. The annual rainfall in 2010 was 10.5 in and the annual days of sunshine 310.

2020
The 2020 United States Census reported a population of 64,293. The racial makeup was 71.4% non-Hispanic white, 0.6% non-Hispanic African American, 3.9% non-Hispanic Asian, 5.0% non-Hispanic Multiracial and 18.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The city is one of six coastal cities in Orange County (San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach) all of which have non-Hispanic white majority populations despite belonging to a county that has been majority-minority since the 2010 census.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported San Clemente had a population of 63,522. The population density was 3,262.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of San Clemente was 54,605 (86.0%) White (76.0% Non-Hispanic White), 411 (0.6%) African American, 363 (0.6%) Native American, 2,333 (3.7%) Asian, 90 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 3,433 (5.4%) from other races, and 2,287 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,702 persons (16.8%).

The Census reported 63,249 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 245 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 28 (0.04%) were institutionalized.

There were 23,906 households, out of which 8,210 (34.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,873 (58.0%) were marriage living together, 1,898 (7.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 986 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,207 (5.0%) unmarried partnerships, 5,184 households (21.7%) were made up of individuals, and 1,972 (8.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 16,757 families (70.1% of all households); the average family size was 3. The population was spread out, with 15,506 people (24.4%) under the age of 18, 5,006 people (7.9%) aged 18 to 24, 16,474 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 18,122 people (28.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,414 people (13.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

There were 25,966 housing units at an average density of 1,333.8 /sqmi, of which 15,309 (64.0%) were owner-occupied, and 8,597 (36.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. 41,164 people (64.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 22,085 people (34.8%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, San Clemente had a median household income of $87,184, with 7.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
The Federal census statistics from the 2000 census reported San Clemente had a population of 49,936. Population density was 2,833.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,094.2/km$2$). There were 20,653 housing units at an average density of 1,171.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.92% White, 0.77% African American, 0.61% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 5.11% from other races, and 2.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.89% of the population.

As of the city's 2010 census, there were 68,763 people and 25,514 housing units in the city. Ninety percent of the adult population is a high school grad or higher, and 5.5% of the population are considered below the poverty line.

, the median household income was $101,843. The per capita income for the city as of 2017 was $54,133. As of March 2010, the median home value was $605,500.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

Economy

The following companies have their corporate headquarters in San Clemente:

 * Cameron Health – Medical device manufacturer
 * ICU Medical – Medical device manufacturer
 * Pick Up Stix – Fast casual Asian food
 * Rainbow Sandals – Manufacturer of premium sandals
 * Stance Socks – Sock and underwear brand

Tourism
San Clemente is a popular tourist destination, owing to its beaches, historic architecture, and attractions. San Clemente Pier is a popular attraction which connects to the San Clemente Beach trail which extends 2.6 miles along the coast between North Beach and Calafia State Beach. The San Clemente Beach trail is a popular place for locals to walk or run.

Casa Romantica is one of the most historic places in San Clemente. Casa Romantica is owned by the city and is used as a cultural center. It is also open to rent for private events like weddings. Casa Romantica is located above the San Clemente Pier station and overlooks the San Clemente coastline. Known as the “Spanish Village by the Sea”, San Clemente has long been known for its Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture. Downtown San Clemente restaurants and shops are adorned with red tile roofs, cream stucco walls, and dark wood doors and windows. The homes in the area range in style, but stick to the Spanish theme for the most part. The area's oldest homes are in Southwest San Clemente, directly south of downtown and "North Beach" area, directly north of downtown. The homes in the Southwest Riviera neighborhood include several new constructions in the Cape Cod style, as well as new modern residences. More traditional, older homes sit in the Lasuen "boot" district; the neighborhood surrounding Lasuens or "Lost Winds" beach is characterized by a variety of styles in both single and double story fashion, with Hansons's traditional Spanish style sprinkled throughout, crafting an eclectic atmosphere. The renovations to historic buildings in North Beach have sparked a revival in the area, attracting new residents and business owners.

Largest employers
Many people work as civilian employees at the USMC Base Camp Pendelton which is just over the San Diego County line.

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Sports
San Clemente is known for its many surfing locations, which include Trestles, Lowers, Middles & Uppers, Cotton's Point, Calafia Beach Park, Riviera, Lasuens (most often called Lost Winds), The Hole, T-Street, The Pier, Linda Lane, 204, North Beach and Poche Beach. It is also home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine.

The city has a large concentration of surfboard shapers and manufacturers. Additionally, numerous world-renowned surfers were raised in San Clemente or took up long-term residence in town, including Kolohe Andino, Shane Beschen, Mike Parsons (originally from Laguna Beach).

San Clemente High School has won 6 out of 7 most recent NSSA national surfing titles.

Education
The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District.

Within the city, there are six elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. There is also one virtual public K-12 school: Capistrano Connections Academy with flexible hours for students. The elementary schools are: Truman Benedict, Concordia Elementary, Vista Del Mar, Las Palmas, Marblehead Elementary, and Lobo Elementary. The middle schools are Bernice Ayer, Shorecliffs, and Vista Del Mar.

Las Palmas Elementary is well known for its dual immersion program.

San Clemente High School has an IB (International Baccalaureate) Program and a large number of AP (advanced placement) courses. Students at San Clemente High School have received academic accolades and hosted groups ranging from national title winning dance teams to award-winning orchestras, bands, voice groups and one of the nation's most skilled athletic programs; these groups have also received opportunities to perform at various venues including Carnegie Hall (madrigals and orchestra), various venues in Hawaii (marching band), and many others. After the extension of Avenida La Pata opened in 2016, some students have attended the neighboring San Juan Hills High School.

The nearest public college is Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

Government and politics
In the California State Legislature, San Clemente is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, San Clemente is in.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, San Clemente has 40,105 registered voters. Of those, 17,791 (44.4%) are registered Republicans, 9,926 (24.8%) are registered Democrats, and 10,309 (25.7%) have declined to state a political party.

San Clemente is a stalwart Republican stronghold in presidential elections with no Democratic nominee winning the city in over four decades. It was one of only five cities in Orange County that backed Donald J. Trump with majorities of its vote in both 2016 and 2020. San Clemente voted in favor of Proposition 8 by 55.5% and for Proposition 4 by 52.2%.

Gene James, elected by to the City Council in 2019, was appointed Mayor in 2021. James introduced a resolution to declare San Clemente a Second Amendment Freedom City in June 2021. In 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, councilmember Steve Knoblock introduced a resolution to declare San Clemente a "sanctuary for life," which would have outlawed abortion within city limits. Following public pushback, the City Council voted 4–1 to table the measure, with only Knoblock voting to bring the resolution to a vote.

The California DMV has a field office in San Clemente. The location administers permit tests, behind-the-wheel tests, and various types of documentation.

Media
San Clemente was the setting of the MTV reality show Life of Ryan.

It was also the setting of the 2005 film Brick. The town was chosen because it was particularly close to the director Rian Johnson who lived there and went to San Clemente High School, which was the school depicted in the film. Many of the locations in the film are still identical to the real ones, with the exception of the Pin's house, which was flattened a week after exterior shooting; the interior was constructed in a local warehouse. The football field has also since been replaced with artificial turf and track. The phone booths used all through the film are mostly props that were placed on location. The movie One of Her Own is based on incidents in and around San Clemente.

San Clemente is served by The San Clemente Times, which prints once weekly on Thursdays.

Transportation
Interstate 5 runs through San Clemente. The Foothill Transportation Corridor (SR 241) had proposed to connect Mission Viejo to the Orange/San Diego county line, running along the east side of San Clemente and through San Onofre State Beach on its way to I-5. The California Coastal Commission rejected this proposal 8–2. Reasons cited for rejection included: the road's alignment through a state park, endangered species habitat, and a Native American archaeological site, and the runoff from the road damaging the state park and surf break. The Federal Government rejected the proposal to place the toll road in accordance with the TCA proposal. This decision was viewed as a major defeat for the TCA and great victory for The Surfrider Foundation (which is based in San Clemente), and for assorted environmental groups. Although other alternatives have been considered, TCA has no current plans to extend the SR 241 corridor through San Clemente.

Additionally, the city is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire–Orange County Line between Los Angeles and San Diego, and which provide beachside service in San Clemente. The city has two stations: San Clemente station and San Clemente Pier station. In 2016, San Clemente began offering residents free trolley service. The San Clemente Trolley service provides three open-air (windowless) trolleys that cruise throughout the coastal areas of town and pick people up at designated stops every 15 minutes. The trolley is available Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The funding for the San Clemente Trolley came from a $1.2 million grant from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) which the city applied for. The grant will cover most of the costs for the service for seven years. The grant requires the city to fund a portion of the trolley service at $146,000 over the seven-year grant period. The Friends of the San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Foundation provided a donation of $10,000 towards the funding of the capital costs of the trolley.

In popular culture

 * San Clemente is mentioned in the Tom Waits song "Diamonds on My Windshield" from the album The Heart of Saturday Night.
 * San Clemente is mentioned in the 1974 song "Contrabando y traición" by Los Tigres del Norte.
 * Orange County band The Ziggens released a song named "San Clemente."
 * The Netflix animated Comedy-Drama Bojack Horseman features a reference to the town in the first episode of its fourth season following a pasta-related accident: "Disaster al dente off the coast of San Clemente!"

Notable people

 * Kolby Allard, professional baseball player
 * Kolohe Andino, professional surfer
 * Anastasia Ashley, professional surfer
 * Aaron Bank, US Colonel, Special Forces
 * Gibson Bardsley, soccer player
 * Shane Beschen, professional surfer
 * John "hex" Carter, Nerdapalooza creator
 * Lon Chaney Jr., actor
 * Anthony Cumia, radio host
 * Sam Darnold, quarterback USC Trojans, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers
 * Brian de la Puente, NFL football player
 * Connor De Phillippi, race car driver
 * Chloe East, American actress
 * Jennie Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Richard Nixon, great-granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
 * Sue Enquist, Hall of Fame UCLA softball coach
 * Jim Everett, NFL football quarterback
 * Fu Manchu, rock band
 * Jorge Garcia, actor
 * Ole Hanson, former mayor of Seattle and founder of San Clemente
 * Annie Hardy, musician with Giant Drag
 * Billy Johnson, racing driver
 * Rian Johnson, director
 * Carl Karcher, founder of Carl's Jr. and CKE Enterprises
 * Jeff Kargola, professional Freestyle Motocross rider
 * Todd Keneley, professional wrestling commentator
 * Karch Kiraly, Olympic gold medalist in volleyball
 * Gracie Kramer, artistic gymnast, part of the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team
 * Kian Lawley, YouTuber, American actor
 * Bob Lutz, tennis champion
 * John Lyon, known as Southside Johnny, lead singer of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
 * Colin McPhillips, professional longboarder
 * Kyle Murphy, professional football player (offensive tackle, Green Bay Packers)
 * Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States and Pat Nixon, first lady
 * Ryann O'Toole, LPGA golfer
 * Dominic Purcell, actor
 * Aaron Rowand, MLB player
 * Beckah Shae, Christian singer-songwriter
 * Ryan Sheckler, professional skateboarder
 * Adrian Smith, architect and designer of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world
 * Gloria Swanson, three-time Academy Award Best Actress nominee
 * Peter "PT" Townend, surfer
 * Hal Trumble, American ice hockey administrator and referee
 * Jean Vander Pyl, actress, voice of Wilma Flintstone
 * Paul Walker, American actor
 * Gene "Pop" Warner, influential football coach
 * Paul Wiancko, classical cellist
 * Jackson Hinkle, Marxist-Leninist political commentator

Sister cities
San Clemente is twinned with:
 * 🇦🇷 San Clemente del Tuyú, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
 * 🇨🇴 North End, San Andres, Colombia.

title: San Clemente, California


text:
San Joaquin Hills, Newport Beach

San Joaquin Hills is a neighborhood in Newport Beach, Orange County, California As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,959. San Joaquin Hills was annexed into Newport Beach on January 1, 2002. Prior to 2002, it was a census-designated place.

There is an eponymous San Joaquin Hills neighbourhood to the east of the hills in Laguna Niguel.

Geography
San Joaquin Hills is located at 33.61236°N, -117.83669°W, in the San Joaquin Hills of Orange County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, San Joaquin Hills has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2). 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of it (8.27%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,959 people, 1,376 households, and 769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,427.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,479 housing units at an average density of 1,213.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.97% White, 0.61% African American, 0.07% Native American, 9.53% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population.

There were 1,376 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 44.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $132,879, and the median income for a family was $147,286. Males had a median income of $86,744 versus $70,497 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $66,544. None of the families and 0.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Government
In the California State Legislature, San Joaquin Hills is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, San Joaquin Hills is in.

title: San Joaquin Hills, Newport Beach


text:
San Juan Capistrano, California

San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 Census.

Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when Father Junípero Serra established Mission San Juan Capistrano. Extensive damage caused by an earthquake in 1812 caused the community to decline. Following the Mexican secularization act of 1833, the mission village officially became a town and was briefly renamed as San Juan de Argüello. After the American conquest of California, San Juan remained a small, rural town until the 20th century; the restoration of the mission in the 1910s–20s transformed the town into a tourist destination and a backdrop for Hollywood films.

Indigenous
The region was populated by the Acjachemen, referred to by the Spanish as Juaneños, an Indigenous Californian nation. They lived in the area for approximately 10,000 years, with some of their oldest villages being confirmed as over 9,600 years old. The mother village of Putuidem was located in what is now San Juan Capistrano, as well as the village of Acjacheme.

Spanish era
The settlement that today is San Juan Capistrano began in 1776 when the Spanish Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano, the seventh of the Spanish missions in California. The mission was built less than 60 yards from the native village of Acjacheme, which was exploited as a source of labor for the mission. The mission was named after Saint John of Capistrano, a 14th-15th century Franciscan saint. The 1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake resulted in the deaths of thirty-nine Acjachemen people, thirty-one of whom were women, when the stone church at the Mission collapsed.

Mexican era
The Mexican Congress of the Union enacted the secularization of the Californian missions in 1833. In the mission period, 4,317 natives had been baptized at the mission (1,689 adults and 2,628 children). In that same period, 3,158 of those baptized had died. Some of the native people who survived the mission period continued to live at the mission for a short period after the secularization act, while others settled in the surrounding areas.

Each mission was appointed an administrator to oversee the transfer of the missions and their lands from the Franciscan Order to the Mexican authorities. Santiago Argüello, a member of a prominent family of Californios, was appointed administrator of Mission San Juan Capistrano. During his tenure, the community was briefly renamed "San Juan de Argüello", similar to what happened to San Juan Bautista in Northern California, which was briefly renamed "San Juan de Castro" after its administrator José Castro.

In 1844, Don Juan Forster and James McKinley purchased the former Mission San Juan Capistrano at public auction. Forster made his home there until 1864, when the mission was returned to the Catholic Church by President Abraham Lincoln.

American era
Following the American Conquest of California, San Juan remained a relatively small and rural community until the end of the 19th century.

Padre O'Sullivan arrived in San Juan Capistrano in 1910 to recuperate from a recent stroke. He became fascinated by Mission San Juan Capistrano and soon set to work on rebuilding it a section at a time. O'Sullivan repaired the roof of the Serra Chapel using California sycamore logs to match those that were used in the original work. He brought in architect Arthur B. Benton of Los Angeles to strengthen the chapel walls through the addition of heavy masonry buttresses. The centerpiece of the chapel restoration was its retablo, imported from Barcelona in 1806 and donated by the Bishop of Los Angeles.

The restoration of the mission resulted in the town's emergence as a tourist destination, owing to its historic architectural style and proximity to the sea. The mission was used often in Hollywood productions, such as D. W. Griffith's 1910 western film The Two Brothers, the first film ever shot in Orange County. San Juan was incorporated as a city on April 19, 1961.

From 2009 to 2017, the cliff swallows did not make their famous annual springtime return to Mission San Juan Capistrano, instead migrating to the Chino Hills, north of San Juan. The swallows changed their route because the Mission is no longer the tallest building in the area due to urban sprawl, and thus stopped attracting the swallows for nesting. Mission San Juan Capistrano embarked on a program to facilitate the return of the swallows, first by using swallow calls to attract the birds and then by building artificial swallow nests for the birds to use. As of 2017, the swallows have returned home to Mission San Juan Capistrano and are still celebrated each year at the town's annual Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair. In 2018, the town celebrated its 80th annual Swallows Day Parade and Fiesta de las Golondrinas (Festival of the Swallows). The event holds the title of being the longest-running and largest non-motorized parade west of the Mississippi.

Geography
San Juan Capistrano is located in south Orange County and is bisected by Interstate 5.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.3 sqmi. 14.1 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (1.26%) is water.

2020
The 2020 U.S. Census reported a population of 35,253. The racial makeup was 70.6% White (52.8% Non-Hispanic white), 0.7% African American, 3.6% Asian, and 37.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010
At the 2010 Census San Juan Capistrano had a population of 34,593. The population density was 2,419.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of San Juan Capistrano was 26,664 (77.1%) White (55.8% Non-Hispanic White), 193 (0.6%) African American, 286 (0.8%) Native American, 975 (2.8%) Asian, 33 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,234 (15.1%) from other races, and 1,208 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,388 persons (38.7%).

The census reported that 34,506 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, and 87 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.

There were 11,394 households, 4,030 (35.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,706 (58.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,089 (9.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 526 (4.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 456 (4.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 87 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,381 households (20.9%) were one person and 1,407 (12.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03. There were 8,321 families (73.0% of households); the average family size was 3.44.

The age distribution was 8,518 people (24.6%) under the age of 18, 3,066 people (8.9%) aged 18 to 24, 7,804 people (22.6%) aged 25 to 44, 9,792 people (28.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,413 people (15.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.

There were 11,940 housing units at an average density of 835.2 per square mile, of the occupied units 8,462 (74.3%) were owner-occupied and 2,932 (25.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 24,052 people (69.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,454 people (30.2%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 Census, San Juan Capistrano had a median household income of $75,356, with 12.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
As of the 2000 Census, there were 33,826 people in 10,930 households, including 8,196 families, in the city. The population density was 2,381.2 PD/sqmi. There were 11,320 housing units at an average density of 307.6 /km2. The racial makeup of the city was 78.47% White, 0.78% African American, 1.07% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 14.21% from other races, and 3.43% from two or more races. 33.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 10,930 households, 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of households were one person and 10.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.45.

The age distribution was 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median household income was $62,392, and the median family income was $69,481. Males had a median income of $47,574 versus $34,821 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,926. About 10.7% of the population and 6.6% of families were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

San Juan Capistrano is home to over 1,700 businesses. The city's unemployment rate was at 3.7% as of December 2017.

Top employers
According to the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from June 30, 2022, the largest employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
San Juan Capistrano is also known for its cliff swallows. The protected birds return during migration, which originates in the town of Goya, Argentina, around St. Joseph's Day (March 19) each year. The day is celebrated by the city's annual Swallows' Day Parade and other festive events. The swallows leave around October 23, the former feast day of St. John of Capistrano. The 1940 hit song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano", written by Leon René, is a love song inspired by this annual event. Another birdwatching place is the Arroyo Bird House Park, containing many colorful birdhouses.

The Serra Chapel at the mission is the oldest in-use building in California. San Juan was also the site of one of the first places to produce Californian wine.

Putuidem Village, a 1.5 acre, is part of the original lands of the Acjachemen. Completed in 2021, it commemorates the history of the people called the Juaneño by the Spanish colonizers.

Government
As of April 2022, the City Council members are: Derek Reeve (Mayor), Howard Hart (Mayor Pro Tem), John Taylor, Sergio Farias, and Troy Bourne.

The current city manager is Benjamin Siegel.

In the California State Legislature, San Juan Capistrano is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, San Juan Capistrano is in.

Education

San Juan Capistrano is served by the Capistrano Unified School District. In the 2007–08 academic year, San Juan Hills High School opened with about 600 freshman students. It is the city's only public high school, although a sizable portion of San Juan Capistrano's residents attend high schools in neighboring cities since many of those schools are also part of the Capistrano Unified School District.

San Juan has four public elementary schools (grades K–5): Del Obispo Elementary School, Harold Ambuehl Elementary School, Kinoshita Elementary School, and San Juan Elementary School. The local public middle school (grades 6–8) is Marco Forster Middle School. Capistrano Valley High School (grades 9–12) lies just outside of the city's borders, but serves many of the city's students. A public continuation high school, Junipero Serra High School, also serves the area. San Juan also has six private, non-secular schools. Capistrano Valley Christian Schools (grades pre-K – 12), Saddleback Valley Christian School (grades pre-K – 12), St. Margaret's Episcopal School (grades pre-K – 12), and JSerra Catholic High School (grades 9–12). Mission Basilica School (grades K–8) is located on the historic Mission grounds, utilizes some of the historic buildings as classrooms, and is part of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano. The other is Rancho Capistrano Christian School (grades K–8), located off Interstate 5 on Saddleback Church's south campus.

San Juan also has a private, secular school, Fairmont School (grade K - 12), located close to San Juan Capistrano Mission.

Media
San Juan Capistrano is served by two newspapers, the Capistrano Valley News (owned by the Orange County Register) and The Capistrano Dispatch. The Capistrano Valley News runs once weekly on Thursdays and The Dispatch runs on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.

The San Juan Capistrano Patch, an online-only news website, also serves the city.

Transportation
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) operates bus routes within the city, connecting it to other parts of Orange County.

Rail
The San Juan Capistrano station is served by Amtrak and Metrolink. The station is located one block away from the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission next to Los Rios Street in downtown San Juan Capistrano. Its proximity to the city's tourist attractions makes it a popular stop during the summer months.

Highways

Interstate 5 (San Diego Freeway) has three interchanges completely located in the city (at Camino Capistrano, SR 74/Ortega Highway, and Junipero Serra Road), two interchanges partially located within the city (at SR 1/Camino las Ramblas (which is partially within Dana Point) as well as SR 73 (which is partially within Mission Viejo), and an additional northbound entrance ramp from Stonehill Drive and Camino Capistrano.

Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most notable state routes in California. It is often incorrectly referenced that SR 1 terminates in nearby Dana Point because the city borders the Pacific Ocean (unlike San Juan Capistrano). In reality, SR 1 terminates shortly after it junctions with Interstate 5, crossing within San Juan Capistrano city limits (although this is a few hundred feet away from the city limits of Dana Point). There is an official SR 1 terminus sign on a traffic light pole along the southbound lanes on SR 1 shortly after crossing under Interstate 5 which is within San Juan Capistrano city limits.

California State Route 73 (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) has its southern terminus at I-5 in San Juan Capistrano. There are no exits along SR 73 in San Juan Capistrano other than its junction with Interstate 5.

California State Route 74 has its official western terminus at Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano. The city-maintained road that continues west as Ortega Highway originally terminated at Camino Capistrano in front of Mission San Juan Capistrano; however, interchange reconstruction that was completed in 2015 brought Ortega Highway to continue onto Del Obispo Street towards Dana Point, with a right turn required to stay on the older portion of Ortega Highway.

The original route of U.S. 101 ran through downtown San Juan Capistrano on what is now Camino Capistrano. It was decommissioned when Interstate 5 was completed in the 1950s.

Sister cities

 * Capestrano, Italy
 * Ensenada, Mexico

Notable people

 * Billy May, Arranger, Orchestrator, trumpet player
 * Austin Hedges, MLB catcher
 * Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
 * Anthony Cumia, radio host and podcaster
 * Norm Sherry (1931–2021), catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball
 * Modesta Ávila (1867–1891), Californio ranchera and protester

title: San Juan Capistrano, California