San Clemente, California<\/h3>
San Clemente (\/\u02ccs\u00e6n kl\u0259\u02c8m\u025bnti\/)[7] is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 63,522 in at the 2010 census.[8] Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, the southernmost city of Orange County is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish colonial-style architecture. San Clemente's city slogan is \"Spanish Village by the Sea\".[9] The official city flower is the bougainvillea, and the official city tree is the coral.[10] San Clemente is also the southernmost city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.\n<\/p>
Prior to colonization by Spaniards, the area was inhabited by the Juane\u00f1o people. It remained virtually uninhabited until 1776, when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established by Father Junipero Serra, which led both Native Americans and Spanish settlers to establish villages nearby. After the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano, local natives were conscripted to work for the mission.\n<\/p>
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 2,000-acre (8.1\u00a0km2) community with the financial help of a syndicate headed by Hamilton Cotton. Hanson believed the area's pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians tired of \"the big city.\" He named the city after San Clemente Island, which in turn was named by the explorer Sebasti\u00e1n 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.\n<\/p>
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.\n<\/p><\/div>\n