The 2,000 ocean-side acres that had been grazing land for the cattle
of the nearby ranchos soon boasted well over 100 structures of white
stucco with red tile roofs. Some of the structures included small and
large homes (like the mansion Casa Romantica, which Hanson built
for himself), an administration building, a hospital, two hotels, bank building,
gas stations, riding stables, community center, (for club meetings, townhall,
and social activities), beach club with Olympic-size swimming pool, a school
house fronted by a beautiful park with swan-filled ponds and gardens, a
fully equipped fire department, tennis courts, 17 miles of bridal paths,
restaurants, a 160-acre site for a municipal golf course and, under
construction, a 1,200 foot fishing and pleasure pier.
In 1927 sales of local property totaled more than $3,000,000.00 in an
approximate period of 15 months, and, by 1928, the village was recognized
as the richest city per capita in the United States. But in 1929, the city's
future was questioned in the same way that the survival of cities throughout
the country was questioned. The stock market crash hit the country and San Clemente
with a wallop, and had worldwide investors and Ole Hanson reeling. Henry
Hamilton Cotton, a San Clemente investor and property owner, and the Bank of America
worked closely in a slow revitalization process that kept the city from turning
to seed.
Hanson and Cotton were close friends, business partners in several real estate
ventures and, when Ole and the city's future looked bleak, Cotton and the bank
had the resources to pull the city through the turmoil. Among those resources
were Cotton's productive oil interests, sound investments, and strong political
clout, especially with United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. San Clemente
slowly but surely continued to prosper.
Military service personnel that were stationed in the area (Camp Pendleton is
next door to San Clemente, and nearby San Diego is a major U.S. Navy port city), during
several overseas conflicts, tourists travelling between Los Angeles and San Diego (or
Tijuana, Mexico), and families vacationing locally promoted San Clemente's
attributes and the city's popularity grew. Then, in 1969, when President
Richard M. Nixon purchased Cotton's estate overlooking the ocean at the city's
southwestern boundary, San Clemente gained worldwide recognition as home
of the Western White House. It put San Clemente "on the map," the local Chamber
of Commerce exclaims. (Of course, anyone who was here remembers that the
area was also swarmed with Secret Service; and after Nixon left office in
disgrace, there was a scandal about the use of public funds to improve
Nixon's private home, "the Western White House.")
Today, San Clemente's big claim to fame is that it has the
"best climate in the world." It also had a police department that had a
reputation among the youth of the 1970s for brutality, a reputation that
was openly discussed among Orange County Sheriff's Deputies. In 1992 or
1993, the City of San Clemente finally closed down its police department,
and joined its sister city, Dana Point, in contracting for police services
from the Orange County Sheriff.