San Juan Capistrano, California | |
|---|---|
 .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Top:San Juan Mission Basilica (left),San Juan Capistrano station (right); middle:Mission San Juan Capistrano; bottom: Downtown San Juan Capistrano | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "Preserving The Past To Enhance The Future" | |
 Location of San Juan Capistrano withinOrange County, California. | |
  San Juan Capistrano, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°29′58″N117°39′42″W / 33.49944°N 117.66167°W /33.49944; -117.66167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Orange |
| Founded | November 1, 1776 |
| Incorporated | April 19, 1961 |
| Named after | John of Capistrano |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor[1] | Troy A. Bourne |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | John Campbell |
| • City Council | Sergio Farias Howard Hart John Taylor |
| • City manager[2] | Benjamin Siegel |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.43 sq mi (37.37 km2) |
| • Land | 14.43 sq mi (37.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 121 ft (37 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 35,196 |
| • Density | 2,439.3/sq mi (941.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 92675 |
| Area code | 949 |
| FIPS code | 06-68028 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1661383,2411793 |
| Website | sanjuancapistrano.org |
San Juan Capistrano (san hwaan cap-ih-STRAH-noh; also known colloquially asSan Juan orSJC) is a city in southernOrange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the2020 Census.
Named for SaintJohn of Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano was founded bythe Spanish in 1776, when FatherJunípero Serra establishedMission San Juan Capistrano. Extensive damage caused by anearthquake in 1812 caused the community to decline. Following theMexican secularization act of 1833, the mission village officially became a town and was briefly renamed asSan Juan de Argüello. After the Americanconquest of California, San Juan remained a small, rural town until the 20th century; the restoration of the mission in the 1910s–20s transformed the town into a tourist destination and a backdrop forHollywood films.
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The region was populated by theAcjachemen, referred to by the Spanish asJuaneños, anIndigenous Californian nation. They lived in the area for approximately 10,000 years, with some of their oldest villages being confirmed as over 9,600 years old.[5][6] The mother village ofPutuidem was located in what is now San Juan Capistrano, as well as the village ofAcjacheme.[7]
The settlement that today is San Juan Capistrano began in 1776 when the SpanishFranciscan missionaryJunípero Serra foundedMission San Juan Capistrano, the seventh of theSpanish missions in California. The mission was built less than 60 yards from the native village ofAcjacheme, which was exploited as a source of labor for the mission.[8] The mission was named after SaintJohn of Capistrano, a 14th-15th century Franciscan saint. The1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake resulted in the deaths of thirty-nineAcjachemen people, thirty-one of whom were women, when the stone church at the Mission collapsed.[9]
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The MexicanCongress of the Union enacted thesecularization of the Californian missions in 1833. In the mission period, 4,317 natives had been baptized at the mission (1,689 adults and 2,628 children). In that same period, 3,158 of those baptized had died. Some of the native people who survived the mission period continued to live at the mission for a short period after the secularization act, while others settled in the surrounding areas.[10]
Each mission was appointed an administrator to oversee the transfer of the missions and their lands from theFranciscan Order to the Mexican authorities.Santiago Argüello, a member of a prominent family ofCalifornios, was appointed administrator of Mission San Juan Capistrano. During his tenure, the community was briefly renamed "San Juan de Argüello", similar to what happened toSan Juan Bautista inNorthern California, which was briefly renamed "San Juan de Castro" after its administratorJosé Castro.
In 1844, DonJuan Forster and James McKinley purchased the former Mission San Juan Capistrano at public auction. Forster made his home there until 1864, when the mission was returned to the Catholic Church by PresidentAbraham Lincoln.
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Following the AmericanConquest of California, San Juan remained a relatively small and rural community until the end of the 19th century. The It was considered an American town and incorporated into Orange County in 1876.[11]
Padre O'Sullivan arrived in San Juan Capistrano in 1910 to recuperate from a recent stroke. He became fascinated by Mission San Juan Capistrano and soon set to work on rebuilding it a section at a time. O'Sullivan repaired the roof of the Serra Chapel usingCalifornia sycamore logs to match those that were used in the original work. He brought in architect Arthur B. Benton of Los Angeles to strengthen the chapel walls through the addition of heavymasonrybuttresses. The centerpiece of the chapel restoration was itsretablo, imported from Barcelona in 1806 and donated by the Bishop of Los Angeles.
The restoration of the mission resulted in the town's emergence as a tourist destination, owing to its historic architectural style and proximity to the sea. The mission was used often in Hollywood productions, such asD. W. Griffith's 1910western filmThe Two Brothers, the first film ever shot in Orange County. San Juan was incorporated as a city on April 19, 1961.[12]
From 2009 to 2017, thecliff swallows did not make their famousannual springtime return to Mission San Juan Capistrano, instead migrating to theChino Hills, north of San Juan.[13] The swallows changed their route because the Mission is no longer the tallest building in the area due tourban sprawl, and thus stopped attracting the swallows for nesting.[14] Mission San Juan Capistrano embarked on a program to facilitate the return of the swallows, first by using swallow calls to attract the birds and then by building artificial swallow nests for the birds to use.[15] As of 2017, the swallows have returned home to Mission San Juan Capistrano and are still celebrated each year at the town's annual Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair. In 2018, the town celebrated its 80th annual Swallows Day Parade and Fiesta de las Golondrinas (Spanish:Festival of the Swallows).[16]
San Juan Capistrano is located in south Orange County and is bisected by Interstate 5.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km2), all land.[3]
The most common native species: Common Yarrow, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.[17]
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| Climate data for San Juan Capistrano, California | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 93 (34) | 94 (34) | 96 (36) | 101 (38) | 101 (38) | 107 (42) | 110 (43) | 104 (40) | 116 (47) | 108 (42) | 99 (37) | 93 (34) | 116 (47) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 66 (19) | 66 (19) | 68 (20) | 70 (21) | 73 (23) | 76 (24) | 78 (26) | 77 (25) | 74 (23) | 69 (21) | 65 (18) | 71 (22) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 50 (10) | 50 (10) | 52 (11) | 54 (12) | 57 (14) | 60 (16) | 63 (17) | 63 (17) | 62 (17) | 59 (15) | 53 (12) | 49 (9) | 56 (13) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 25 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 32 (0) | 33 (1) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 48 (9) | 47 (8) | 45 (7) | 38 (3) | 35 (2) | 28 (−2) | 25 (−4) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.05 (77) | 3.31 (84) | 1.83 (46) | 0.83 (21) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.24 (6.1) | 0.61 (15) | 0.83 (21) | 2.20 (56) | 13.63 (344.5) |
| Source:[18][19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 376 | — | |
| 1960 | 1,120 | — | |
| 1970 | 3,781 | 237.6% | |
| 1980 | 18,959 | 401.4% | |
| 1990 | 26,183 | 38.1% | |
| 2000 | 33,826 | 29.2% | |
| 2010 | 34,593 | 2.3% | |
| 2020 | 35,196 | 1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] 1860–1870[21][22] 1880-1890[23] 1900[24] 1910[25] 1920[26] 1930[27] 1940[28] 1950[29] 1960[30] 1970[31] 1980[32] 1990[33]2000[34] 2010[35] 2020[36] | |||
San Juan Capistrano was first listed as an unincorporated place in the1960 U.S. census as part of the South Coast census county division;[30] and after incorporation, as a city in the1970 U.S. census.[31]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[37] | Pop 2010[38] | Pop 2020[36] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,084 | 19,312 | 18,591 | 62.33% | 55.83% | 52.82% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 151 | 146 | 139 | 0.45% | 0.42% | 0.39% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 169 | 156 | 106 | 0.50% | 0.45% | 0.30% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 634 | 952 | 1,194 | 1.87% | 2.75% | 3.39% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 35 | 30 | 22 | 0.10% | 0.09% | 0.06% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 27 | 43 | 147 | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.42% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 520 | 566 | 1,293 | 1.54% | 1.64% | 3.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 11,206 | 13,388 | 13,704 | 33.13% | 38.70% | 38.94% |
| Total | 33,826 | 34,953 | 35,196 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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The2020 United States census reported that San Juan Capistrano had a population of 35,196. The population density was 2,439.1 inhabitants per square mile (941.7/km2). The racial makeup was 58.6%White, 0.5%African American, 1.6%Native American, 3.5%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 20.6% fromother races, and 15.1% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.9% of the population.[39]
The census reported that 99.1% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized.[39]
There were 11,849 households, out of which 32.3% included children under the age of 18, 59.1% were married-couple households, 4.8% werecohabiting couple households, 23.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 19.5% of households were one person, and 13.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.94.[39] There were 8,901families (75.1% of all households).[40]
The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% aged 18 to 24, 21.1% aged 25 to 44, 27.4% aged 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males.[39]
There were 12,319 housing units at an average density of 853.7 units per square mile (329.6 units/km2), of which 11,849 (96.2%) were occupied. Of these, 75.8% were owner-occupied, and 24.2% were occupied by renters.[39]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $127,893, and theper capita income was $60,670. About 4.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[41]
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At the2010 Census San Juan Capistrano had a population of 34,593. The population density was 2,419.9 inhabitants per square mile (934.3/km2). The racial makeup of San Juan Capistrano was 26,664 (77.1%) White (55.8% Non-Hispanic White),[42] 193 (0.6%) African American, 286 (0.8%) Native American, 975 (2.8%) Asian, 33 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,234 (15.1%) from other races, and 1,208 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,388 persons (38.7%).[43]
The census reported that 34,506 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, and 87 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 11,394 households, 4,030 (35.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,706 (58.9%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,089 (9.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 526 (4.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 456 (4.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 87 (0.8%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,381 households (20.9%) were one person and 1,407 (12.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03. There were 8,321 families (73.0% of households); the average family size was 3.44.
The age distribution was 8,518 people (24.6%) under the age of 18, 3,066 people (8.9%) aged 18 to 24, 7,804 people (22.6%) aged 25 to 44, 9,792 people (28.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,413 people (15.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
There were 11,940 housing units at an average density of 835.2 per square mile, of the occupied units 8,462 (74.3%) were owner-occupied and 2,932 (25.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 24,052 people (69.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,454 people (30.2%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 Census, San Juan Capistrano had a median household income of $75,356, with 12.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[42]
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San Juan Capistrano is home to over 1,700 businesses. The city's unemployment rate was at 3.7% as of December 2017.[44]
According to the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from June 30, 2022,[45] the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capistrano Unified School District | 3,992 |
| 2 | St. Margaret's Episcopal School | 429 |
| 3 | Costco | 340 |
| 4 | Ensign Services | 185 |
| 5 | JSerra Catholic High School | 145 |
| 6 | Fluidmaster Inc. HQ | 130 |
| 7 | ASRV, LLC | 124 |
| 8 | Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano | 118 |
| 9 | Marbella Country Club | 106 |
| 10 | Capistrano Connections Academy | 100 |
San Juan Capistrano is also known for itscliff swallows. The protected birds return during migration, which originates in the town ofGoya, Argentina, aroundSaint Joseph's Day (March 19) each year. The day is celebrated by the city's annual Swallows' Day Parade and other festive events.[46] The swallows leave around October 23, the former feast day ofSaint John of Capistrano. The 1940 hit song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano", written byLeon René, is a love song inspired by this annual event. Another birdwatching place is theArroyo Bird House Park, containing many colorful birdhouses.
The Serra Chapel at the mission is the oldest in-use building in California. San Juan was also the site of one of the first places to produceCalifornian wine.
Putuidem Village, a 1.5-acre park (0.61 ha), is part of the original lands of the Acjachemen. Completed in 2021, it commemorates the history of the people called the Juaneño by the Spanish colonizers.[47]
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As of April 2025, the City Council members are Troy A. Bourne (Mayor), John Campbell (Mayor Pro Tem), John Taylor, Sergio Farias, and Howard Hart.[49]
The current city manager is Benjamin Siegel.[2]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, San Juan Capistrano is inthe 38th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Catherine Blakespear, and inthe 74th Assembly district, represented byRepublican Laurie Davies.[50]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, San Juan Capistrano is inCalifornia's 49th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Mike Levin.[51]
Additionally, in theOrange County Board of Supervisors, San Juan Capistrano is in the fifth district, represented byKatrina Foley since 2023.
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), collected annually by the FBI, compiles police statistics from local and state law enforcement agencies across the nation. The UCR records Part I and Part II crimes. Part I crimes become known to law enforcement and are considered the most serious crimes including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Part II crimes only include arrest data.[52] The 2023 UCR Data for San Juan Capistrano is listed below:
| Aggravated Assault | Homicide | Rape | Robbery | Burglary | Larceny Theft | Motor Vehicle Theft | Arson | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan Capistrano | 63 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 66 | 260 | 70 | 3 |
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San Juan Capistrano is served by theCapistrano Unified School District. In the 2007–08 academic year,San Juan Hills High School opened with about 600 freshman students. It is the city's only public high school, although a sizable portion of San Juan Capistrano's residents attend high schools in neighboring cities since many of those schools are also part of the Capistrano Unified School District.
San Juan has four public elementary schools (grades K–5): Del Obispo Elementary School, Harold Ambuehl Elementary School, Kinoshita Elementary School, and San Juan Elementary School. The local public middle school (grades 6–8) is Marco Forster Middle School. Capistrano Valley High School (grades 9–12) lies just outside of the city's borders, but serves many of the city's students.A public continuation high school, Junipero Serra High School, also serves the area.
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San Juan also has six private, non-secular schools.Capistrano Valley Christian Schools (grades pre-K – 12), Saddleback Valley Christian School (grades pre-K – 12),St. Margaret's Episcopal School (grades pre-K – 12), andJSerra Catholic High School (grades 9–12). Mission Basilica School (grades K–8) is located on the historic Mission grounds, utilizes some of the historic buildings as classrooms, and is part ofMission Basilica San Juan Capistrano. The other is Rancho Capistrano Christian School (grades K–8), located off Interstate 5 onSaddleback Church's south campus.
San Juan also has a private, secular school, Fairmont School[54] (grade K - 12), located close to San Juan Capistrano Mission.
San Juan Capistrano is served by two newspapers, theCapistrano Valley News (owned by theOrange County Register) andThe Capistrano Dispatch. TheCapistrano Valley News runs once weekly on Thursdays andThe Dispatch runs on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
The San Juan Capistrano Patch, an online-only news website, also serves the city.
TheOrange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) operates bus routes within the city, connecting it to other parts of Orange County. 1 bus route runs through the city crossing 35 different bus stops: Route 91 via Paseo de Valencia/Camino Capistrano/Del Obispo Street.[55][56]
TheSan Juan Capistrano station is served byAmtrak andMetrolink. The station is located one block away from the historicSan Juan Capistrano Mission next toLos Rios Street in downtown San Juan Capistrano. Its proximity to the city's tourist attractions makes it a popular stop during the summer months.
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Interstate 5 (San Diego Freeway) has three interchanges completely located in the city (at Camino Capistrano, SR 74/Ortega Highway, and Junipero Serra Road), two interchanges partially located within the city (at SR 1/Camino las Ramblas (which is partially withinDana Point) as well as SR 73 (which is partially withinMission Viejo), and an additional northbound entrance ramp from Stonehill Drive and Camino Capistrano.
Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most notable state routes in California. It is often incorrectly referenced that SR 1 terminates in nearbyDana Point because the city borders the Pacific Ocean (unlike San Juan Capistrano). In reality, SR 1 terminates shortly after it junctions with Interstate 5, crossing within San Juan Capistrano city limits (although this is a few hundred feet away from the city limits of Dana Point). There is an official SR 1 terminus sign on a traffic light pole along the southbound lanes on SR 1 shortly after crossing under Interstate 5 which is within San Juan Capistrano city limits.
California State Route 73 (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) has its southern terminus at I-5 in San Juan Capistrano. There are no exits along SR 73 in San Juan Capistrano other than its junction with Interstate 5.
California State Route 74 has its official western terminus at Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano. The city-maintained road that continues west as Ortega Highway originally terminated at Camino Capistrano in front ofMission San Juan Capistrano; however, interchange reconstruction that was completed in 2015 brought Ortega Highway to continue onto Del Obispo Street towardsDana Point, with a right turn required to stay on the older portion of Ortega Highway.[57]
The original route of U.S. 101 ran through downtown San Juan Capistrano on what is now Camino Capistrano. It was decommissioned when Interstate 5 was completed in the 1950s.
Water in San Juan Capistrano is provided by the Santa Margarita Water District.[58]The district sources its water primarily from theMetropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water from the Colorado River and the State Water Project, drawing from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Additionally, water is supplied through the Irvine Ranch Water District’s Baker Water Treatment Plant, which treats water from both the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Santiago Reservoir.[59]
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Places adjacent to San Juan Capistrano, California | |
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