What Does “Spanish Village by the Sea” Really Mean? My Take on San Clemente
After years of selling homes throughout Orange County, I still
think San Clemente has something most coastal cities don't—a personality you
can recognize almost immediately.
If you've spent any time in San Clemente, you've probably heard it
called the “Spanish Village by the Sea.”
It's a great description.
But I've always thought there's more to it than red tile roofs and
Spanish-style buildings.
To me, “Spanish Village by the Sea” describes the way San Clemente
feels.
We have the pier, Avenida Del Mar, older Spanish architecture,
hillside homes looking toward the ocean, little neighborhood streets, beach
trails, newer communities in the hills and people who genuinely seem to enjoy
living here.
San Clemente has grown considerably over the years, but somehow it
has managed to hold onto an identity of its own.
And that's one of the things I've always liked about it.
You Can Still See Ole Hanson’s Vision Around Town
San Clemente was founded by Ole Hanson in the 1920s, and his
vision was to create a Spanish-style coastal community.
Nearly 100 years later, you don't have to look very hard to see
pieces of that original vision.
Walk around downtown. Drive through some of the older
neighborhoods. Look at Casa Romantica. Spend some time around the pier.
You'll see white stucco, red tile roofs, courtyards, arches and
Spanish-inspired architecture scattered throughout the city.
But here's something I think is important:
San Clemente isn't a museum.
It's a real town that has continued to grow around that original
character.
That's what makes it interesting.
Downtown Still Feels Like the Heart of San Clemente
When I'm showing San Clemente to somebody who doesn't know the
area, Avenida Del Mar is usually one of the places I want them to see.
Not because every buyer needs to live downtown. They don't.
I want them to see it because downtown helps explain San Clemente.
You have restaurants, shops and local businesses running down
toward the ocean, and then at the bottom you're looking toward the pier.
You can have dinner, grab coffee, walk around town and head down
toward the beach without feeling like you're in some huge commercial district.
That's pretty unusual in Southern California.
There are newer and fancier coastal communities, but San Clemente
still feels like a town.
I think that's a big part of its appeal.
The Pier Is More Than Something We Put on Postcards
The San Clemente Pier is obviously one of our landmarks, but if
you live here, it becomes part of everyday life.
People walk it. They surf around it. They meet friends there. They
walk the beach trail underneath it.
And depending on where you live, it might be part of your morning
walk or somewhere you take visitors when they're in town.
I think that's an important distinction.
There's a difference between living somewhere that happens to have
a beach and living somewhere where the beach is woven into the community.
San Clemente feels like the latter to me.
But San Clemente Is Much More Than Downtown and the Beach
This is where buyers sometimes get surprised.
They come to San Clemente expecting one type of neighborhood.
Then I start driving them around.
Southwest San Clemente feels different from North Beach. The Pier
Bowl feels different from Forster Ranch. Talega feels different from Rancho San
Clemente. Sea Summit feels different from the older neighborhoods around
downtown.
And that's exactly why I don't like answering the question,
“What's the best neighborhood in San Clemente?” without knowing more about the
buyer.
There isn't one San Clemente lifestyle.
There are several.
Southwest San Clemente Has a Personality All Its Own
Southwest is one of those areas people tend to remember after I
show it to them.
You're close to some of San Clemente's best-known beaches and surf
areas, and the neighborhood has a coastal residential feel that's difficult to
duplicate.
There are older homes, remodeled homes and some spectacular
properties.
But what I like about Southwest is that it doesn't feel
manufactured.
The streets, homes and lots have developed over time.
If being close to the ocean is high on your list, I think
Southwest deserves a serious look.
Talega Shows the Other Side of San Clemente
Then I can take the same buyer inland to Talega and show them an
entirely different version of San Clemente.
Talega is newer and master-planned, with community pools, parks,
trails, recreational facilities and a golf course.
Homes tend to have a very different feel than what you'll find
near downtown or the beach.
And that's not a bad thing.
I've had buyers who thought they absolutely needed to be close to
the ocean and then fell in love with what Talega offered.
I've had others who liked Talega but ultimately decided they
wanted to be closer to the beach.
That's why I like showing people both.
Sometimes figuring out what you don't want is just as useful as
figuring out what you do want.
Forster Ranch Feels Different Again
Forster Ranch has always had its own appeal.
It feels established.
You have mature landscaping, hills, parks, trails, cul-de-sacs and
a wide variety of homes.
When I'm working with somebody who wants more of a traditional
residential neighborhood and doesn't necessarily need to walk to the beach,
Forster Ranch is usually somewhere I want them to experience.
One thing I've learned over the years is that buyers shouldn't
eliminate a San Clemente neighborhood based solely on what they see online.
Drive it.
That's something I tell people all the time.
You need to see how the streets feel, where the parks are, how the
homes sit and what the surrounding area is like.
A map can't tell you that.
Even the Weather Changes Around San Clemente
This is another thing that gives different parts of town their own
personalities.
You can have marine layer and cooler temperatures near the coast
while areas farther inland are already seeing blue sky.
Elevation, wind, sun exposure and the direction a house faces can
make two properties feel surprisingly different.
I've driven from the beach toward the hills plenty of mornings and
watched the weather change along the way.
That's why I tell buyers to pay attention not just to the house
they're buying, but to how that particular property lives.
Where does the afternoon sun hit? How windy is the deck? How much
natural light comes into the house?
Those little things become part of your everyday life.
San Clemente Has Changed—but It Still Feels Like San Clemente
I've been selling real estate in Orange County since 1989, so I've
watched this area change quite a bit.
Homes have gotten more expensive. New neighborhoods have been
built. Older homes have been remodeled. Restaurants and businesses have come
and gone.
But San Clemente has managed to hold onto something that's
increasingly difficult to find along the Southern California coast.
It still has an identity.
You know when you're in San Clemente.
I don't think you can say that about every city.
Frequently Asked Questions About Living in San Clemente
Why is San Clemente called the “Spanish Village by the Sea”?
The name goes back to founder Ole Hanson's vision for a
Spanish-style coastal community. You can still see that influence in San
Clemente's architecture, particularly around downtown and some of the city's
older neighborhoods.
But today, I think the phrase represents more than architecture.
It describes San Clemente's combination of history, coastal lifestyle and
small-town personality.
What part of San Clemente has the most Spanish-style architecture?
You'll see some of the strongest historic Spanish influence around
downtown and San Clemente's older central neighborhoods. But Spanish and
Mediterranean-inspired architecture can be found throughout the city.
Is San Clemente mostly older homes?
Not at all.
That's one of the misconceptions I sometimes hear.
San Clemente has everything from historic and older beach-area
homes to remodeled properties, established suburban neighborhoods and much
newer communities such as Talega and Sea Summit.
Is San Clemente walkable?
It depends entirely on where you live.
If you're around downtown, the Pier Bowl or certain coastal
neighborhoods, walking to restaurants, shops, the beach or the pier may be
realistic.
Other areas of San Clemente are much more car-oriented.
If walkability is important to one of my buyers, I want to look at
the specific property, not simply whether the listing says it's “close to
downtown.”
Is Talega still considered San Clemente?
Absolutely.
Talega is part of San Clemente, but it offers a very different
lifestyle from the older coastal neighborhoods. That's actually one of the
things I find interesting about the city—you can choose very different ways of
living without leaving San Clemente.
What is the best area of San Clemente to live in?
I don't believe there is one.
And if a real estate agent tells you there's one neighborhood
that's best for everybody, I'd probably question that.
The better question is: What's the best part of San Clemente for
you?
That's what I try to figure out with my buyers.
What “Spanish Village by the Sea” Means to Me
When I think about San Clemente, I don't think it's one particular
building, beach or neighborhood that makes the city special.
It's the combination.
It's driving down Avenida Del Mar and seeing the ocean at the end
of the street.
It's walking around the pier.
It's the Spanish architecture.
It's surfers heading toward the beach in the morning.
It's older homes with character sitting a few miles from newer
master-planned neighborhoods.
It's being able to spend the morning near the ocean and then drive
into the hills and feel like you're somewhere completely different.
After all these years in real estate, I've learned that buyers can
usually find a beautiful house in a lot of places.
Finding a place where they genuinely want to live is harder.
That's what I think San Clemente gets right.
It isn't perfect, and it isn't the right place for everybody.
But it has character.
It has history.
And despite everything that's changed over the years, it still
feels like San Clemente.
If you're considering moving here and aren't sure which part of
town fits you, give me a call. I'm always happy to show you around and explain
the differences between the neighborhoods—the things you usually won't figure
out from looking at listings online.
Tom Bertog
Tom Bertog Real Estate | San Clemente, CA
Serving Orange County since 1989
