| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
| San Clemente is one of those beach cities that is tailor made for tourist brochures. It has absolutely terrific weather all year round and the ocean views are spectacular. The weather seems to never get cold and when it rains, it's not for long. Don't even think of snow in this beach community and hurricanes and tornados are only words that have meaning East of the Pecos River. Winters rarely dip below 40 to 45' and summers can get up into the eighties. But the wonderful Pacific breezes seem to soften any chance of bad weather or extreme hot or cold, which is highly desirable. | | This is a typical California beach city in that the crimes aren't horrific, but can be quite annoying. Thefts of all kinds occur here because tourists, and of course, some locals, forget to lock up there cars and bikes. These are the most common offenses that happen here. There are opportunists always on the alert, just waiting for someone to leave his or her car unlocked. Once that happens, the culprit will waste no time in scoping out the vehicle for any booty. If something of value is left inside the car, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will vanish within minutes of walking away from it. Same with bicycles. Leave it unattended with a cheap lock or no lock at all and guess what...right again. It will be gone. | | There are some very expensive neighborhoods in San Clemente. Many of the homes are in the millions of dollars and these are of course, the best places to live in this town. Many of these are either on the beach or have an ocean view and they run the length of the beach line from Camino de Estrella in the northwest, to Avenida Santa Margarita on the southwest border of San Clemente.
The homes range from Spanish Californian style to modern architectural. One of the less desirable areas in the city is the apartment area near Camino de Los Mares, which is almost a mile inland from the San Clemente pier area. That district can become somewhat rowdy at any given moment. Boys will be boys and surfers will be surfers, but sometimes it's just a bit much for the tourists. Go there during daytime hours and it will be a lot of fun and no worries. | | This is a middle class city that is filled with mostly caucasians. Just to live here you have to have been a trust fund baby, have an extremely high-paying job or be dirt poor, love to surf and be willing to live in one of the cheap apartments that are available a little farther inland from the water. President Nixon had his western White House in San Clemente because he could certainly afford it and it was such a beautiful place to issue orders to the plumbers detail from. The poor don't really fit in here, except the aforementioned surfers. And they are only tolerated because it's a surfing town and a lot of the wealthy residents understand the need to surf when you're a certain age. The expensive cost of living, however, ultimately determines who gets to live in this magnificent city by the ocean. |
| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
| Downtown San Clemente is a fun experience. Del Mar Street has a great deal of shops and restaurants and there's something for everyone. It's one of those quaint little towns where you can actually walk around downtown and feel as if you're in your teens. Go downtown and have a blast! | | Iva Lee's is a fine dining spot that you won't soon forget as well as Carbonara Trattoria, which will serve you one of the best Italian meals in Orange County. There's also Nick'sSan Clemente and the casual Fisherman's Restaurant and Bar that are pretty good picks for a night out. | | San Clemente's schools generally get a high rating of nine out of ten on school ratings websites. There are 12 public schools and six private ones and both produce graduates who go on to four year universities. | | San Clemente is sometimes called the "end of the world" because it''s the last city at the southern tip of Orange County and there's nothing but miles and miles of Camp Pendleton after that. So, that being said, there are plenty of opportunities for singles to get together in this town. The pier area and downtown have restaurants and nightclubs aplenty. There is something for everyone, from loud music and fast food, to quiet fine dining and haute cuisine. |
| Noise | | town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions |
| This is a quiet town unless you live next to the beach, where you can hear the waves breaking, or behind a downtown nightclub, where the bands may play until 1 or 2 in the morning. | | Two neighboring cities of San Clemente are San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel. Both very nice places to live. One, San Juan Capistrano, is an old and very rustic, even dusty, place to live. It's over two hundred and fifty years old and its residents apparently like to keep it looking that way, which is not a bad thing. It's much cheaper to live in Capistrano than San Clemente, but there is no beach in Capistrano, only a very old Catholic mission. That is the big draw there and everyone should see it at least once. Laguna Niguel is another story. It's newer, by a few hundred years and has the Ritz-Carlton as an attraction. There's no beach there, either, but you can see the ocean from many of its residences and of course, the Ritz. This town is much more expensive than Capistrano but not as high as San Clemente to live in. San Clemente has just about everything you could want in an ideal living situation and it has those wonderful beaches. | | Saddleback Memorial Hospital is the best full service hospital within twenty miles. It serves all of the surrounding communities and is located right in San Clemente. | | San Clemente pier is one place that you don't want to miss. it's certainly a main attraction in this community because you get to see more of what you came for...the ocean. The panoramic views from this sturdy framework is worth your whole trip to San Clemente. Plus, there's so much action going on around you: pier fishing, surfing everywhere you look, beautiful people in very little clothing and the Pacific Ocean right in front of you. |
| General comments | | | | | | |
| Once you enter San Clemente, you'll start thinking about how to live here. The skies are blue and the ocean is inviting. You'll get goose bumps on Coast Highway half way through the city limits and that's when you'll start searching Google for a better paying job on your iPhone. It is a beautiful place, no doubt. Walk out to the end of the pier and look out into the Pacific Ocean. You'll feel a smile beaming across your face as if it's the first time you ever smiled in your life. And San Clemente is a friendly place too. And why not? You will be friendly too, once you have a great job and are making enough money to live in paradise. | | | | | | |
