San Clemente highlight
Strong coastal lifestyle
San Clemente is home to world-class surfing breaks including Trestles, which will host the Olympic surfing competition in 2028, and attracts surfers and outdoor enthusiasts year-round.
San Clemente has become a premier destination for surfing and water sports, drawing athletes and enthusiasts from around the world. The city is home to legendary breaks such as Trestles, Lowers, Middles and Uppers, Cotton's Point, and Calafia Beach Park. The significance of San Clemente to the global surfing community was cemented when the 2028 Summer Olympics selected Trestles as the site for the surfing competition, recognizing the quality of the waves and the deep roots of surfing culture in the region.
The city's surfing heritage runs deep through its institutions and people. San Clemente is home to major international surfing publications including Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine, reflecting decades of editorial attention to the sport. San Clemente High School has earned six out of the seven most recent NSSA national surfing titles, demonstrating that the competitive excellence in the sport starts with young athletes growing up in a community built around the water.
A strong coastal lifestyle means families and individuals have chosen a place where they can pursue what matters to them every day—whether that is time in the water, quiet mornings on the beach, or simply living in a community shaped by that culture. That level of commitment to a place and a way of life is a good reason to think about what would preserve it for the people who would be left behind.