San Clemente, California
30 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the South Coast census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92672. It lies near Segunda Deshecha CaƱada. The Survey maps it on the San Clemente quadrangle. 64,293 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 233 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1902 to 1982The same ground, surveyed 80 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in San Clemente
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 6 records
Casa Romanticalisted 1991
Oscar Easley Blocklisted 1983
Goldschmidt Houselisted 2004
Hotel San Clementelisted 1989
San Clemente Beach Clublisted 1981- North Beach Historic Districtlisted 2020
Population over time
2 figuresSan Clemente grew from 63,522 to 64,293 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 63,522 | |
| 2020 | 64,293 | +771 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
15 surveys from 30 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1902 USGS Capistrano quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1904 USGS Southern California Sheet No. 2 quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1906 USGS Capistrano quadrangle1:125000
- 1942 USGS San Juan Capistrano quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS San Clemente quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1949 USGS San Clemente quadrangle1:24000
- 1949 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1968 USGS San Clemente quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1974 USGS San Clemente quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1982 USGS Oceanside quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
63 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 63 fires within 5 miles of San Clemente between 1994 and 2020, burning about 2,579 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 15 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 15 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Smoking | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 13 September 2009 | Smoking | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 10 September 2011 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Orange County Fire Authority | not named |
| 6 August 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | GORDON |
| 31 August 2019 | Smoking | under an acre | Orange County Fire Authority | not named |
| 26 August 2007 | Natural | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 25 August 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Orange County Fire Authority | not named |
| 23 August 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 acres | San Bernardino National Forest | WATERMAN |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of San Clemente: 10 past producers, 1 unknown, 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General, Stone, Dimension. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestline Quarry | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Susquehanna - Western Inc. | Stone, Dimension | Unknown | ||
| Camp Pendleton Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Camp Pendleton Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| San Clemente Project | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Clay Prospect | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Gladding-Mcbean Co, South Mine | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Old North Mine | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Rancho Mission Viejo Quarry | Clay | Producer |
Storms near this place
26 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names San Clemente in 26 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 7 flood, 6 funnel cloud, 2 heavy rain, 2 wildfire. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2000 | Wildfire | San Clemente | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| December 2010 | Flood | San Clemente | $36,000,000 | Orange County officials estimate the total damages to public and private property at $36 million, due the 10+ of rain received by many areas. The city of Laguna Beach was certainly the hardest hit, making up approximately $12 million of the county's damages. Twelve miles of beaches in the county also had to be closed due to massive amounts of debris and pollution in storm runoff. |
| August 2000 | Wildfire | San Clemente | $100,000 | no account filed |
| March 2023 | Debris Flow | San Clemente | $30,000 | A significant landslide occurred following heavy rain in San Clemente on the 1500 block of Buena Vista the morning of March 15. All buildings were immediately evacuated, with no injuries reported. At least four apartment buildings had been red-tagged by the afternoon (deemed too dangerous to enter). |
| January 2018 | Flood | San Clemente | $5,000 | CHP reported large chunks of wood floating down Lemon Crest Dr., the intersection of Lake Jennings Park Rd. and Pino Dr. was completely flooded. |
| January 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | San Clemente | $5,000 | A funnel cloud was sighted by several people in south San Clemente near the Orange County and San Diego County border. One house was damaged, though most likely wet microburst damage, tornado not confirmed. |
| January 2005 | Flash Flood | San Clemente | $5,000 | Widespread flooding was reported. |
| March 2020 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | Multiple funnel clouds/waterspouts reported off the coast of San Clemente. |
| November 2019 | Flood | San Clemente | - | Harmony Grove Road flooded between 1600 and 2100 PST on November 19th due to heavy rain. |
| December 2018 | Flash Flood | San Clemente | - | A foot of water was reported in downtown Oceanside with multiple cars stalled. Oceanside reported 2.5 of rainfall in 2 hours. |
| February 2017 | Flood | San Clemente | - | Via Viejas road was flooded with a foot of water from Viejas Creek. |
| September 2015 | Flood | San Clemente | - | CHP reported the #4 lane of the Avenida Pico southbound on-ramp to I-5 south was completely flooded. |
| January 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | San Clemente | - | The mesonet at the San Clemente Pier measured a peak wind gust of 60 MPH around 1400 PST. |
| October 2004 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | Several funnel clouds were spotted offshore from San Clemente. |
| September 2007 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Lightning | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| November 2001 | Flood | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Waterspout | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Heavy Rain | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| October 1999 | Rip Current | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Funnel Cloud | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| December 1998 | Hail | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Heavy Rain | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Flood | San Clemente | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capistrano Beach | 4.0 miles | 32 | |
| Dana Point | 5.3 miles | 32 | |
| San Juan Capistrano | 5.8 miles | 37 | |
| Rancho Mission Viejo | 6.9 miles | 42 | |
| Three Arch Bay | 7.8 miles | 32 | |
| Laguna Niguel | 8.3 miles | 37 | |
| South Laguna | 8.6 miles | 37 | |
| Ladera Ranch | 10.0 miles | 37 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on San Clemente | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q675070 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661376. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.














