In the beginning of the last century there was a small village in a place of San Clemente. It owes its rebirth as a city to Ole Hansen, an entrepreneur who bought 2,000 acres on the ocean shore for a price of one million dollars in 1926. Hansen dreamed of building a town in a Spanish village style on a shore and he succeeded. White stucco houses under red tile roofs, streets with dainty Spanish names, blossoming shrubs along the roads – all reminds of the faraway Spain.

A prolific climate, beauty and comfort of San Clemente became an attractive force to bring more and more dwellers to San Clemente. When Nixon was president in 1969-1974, his summer residence was there, jokingly called the Western Whitehouse. For that San Clemente was yet more popular.

As every modern city San Clemente has industry and trade, but that is not notable. Paradise-like San Clemente was and is a resort, a beach, a city of leisure and entertainment. Sandy beaches stretched for almost five miles along the shore, twenty parks, restaurants, yacht clubs, swimming pools, theaters, concert halls – all that and a lot more is for tourists. The entertainment in San Clemente includes lots of show and festivals, among them are: flower and Easter eggs exhibitions, days of Mexican culture, a jazz festival, a culinary festival, a street fiesta, an ocean festival and others.