San Juan Capistrano, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Juan Capistrano, California
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 .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
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| Motto(s):
"Preserving The Past To Enhance The Future"
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Location of San Juan Capistrano within Orange County, California.
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 San Juan Capistrano, California
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | California | |
| County | Orange | |
| Founded | November 1, 1776 | |
| Incorporated | April 19, 1961 | |
| Named for | John of Capistrano | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 14.43 sq mi (37.37 km2) | |
| • Land | 14.43 sq mi (37.37 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Elevation | 121 ft (37 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 35,196 | |
| • Density | 2,439.09/sq mi (941.82/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) | |
| ZIP Code |
92675
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| Area code | 949 | |
| FIPS code | 06-68028 | |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1661383, 2411793 | |
San Juan Capistrano (san-_-hwaan-_-cap-IH-strah), often called San Juan or SJC, is a lovely city in southern Orange County, California, United States. About 35,196 people lived here in 2020.
The city is named after Saint John of Capistrano. Spanish explorers founded it in 1776. Father Junípero Serra started Mission San Juan Capistrano then. An earthquake in 1812 caused a lot of damage. Later, under Mexican rule, the mission village became a town. It was even briefly called San Juan de Argüello. After California became part of the United States, San Juan stayed a small town. In the 1900s, the mission was restored. This made the town a popular place for tourists and movies.
Contents
- A Look Back in Time: History
- Exploring San Juan Capistrano's Nature
- People and Community
- What Keeps the City Going: Economy
- Fun Things to See and Do: Arts and Culture
- Important Historic Places
- How the City is Run: Government
- Learning in San Juan Capistrano: Education
- News and Information
- Getting Around: Transportation
- Water for the City
- Friends Around the World: Sister Cities
- Famous People from San Juan Capistrano
- Images for kids
- See also
A Look Back in Time: History
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Early People: The Acjachemen Nation
Long ago, for about 10,000 years, the Acjachemen people lived here. The Spanish later called them Juaneños. Some of their oldest villages are over 9,600 years old. The important village of Putuidem was in what is now San Juan Capistrano. Another village, Acjacheme, was also in this area.
Spanish Explorers and Missions
In 1776, Spanish missionary Junípero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano. This was the seventh of the Spanish missions in California. The mission was built very close to the native village of Acjacheme. The mission was named after Saint John of Capistrano. He was a Franciscan saint from the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1812, a big earthquake hit. It caused the stone church at the Mission to collapse. Sadly, many Acjachemen people lost their lives.
Mexican Rule and Changes
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In 1833, Mexico decided to close the Californian missions. This was called the secularization act. During the mission years, many native people were baptized. Many also passed away during this time. After the missions closed, some native people stayed near the mission. Others moved to different areas nearby.
An administrator named Santiago Argüello took charge of Mission San Juan Capistrano. For a short time, the community was called "San Juan de Argüello." In 1844, Don Juan Forster bought the mission lands. He lived there until 1864. Then, President Abraham Lincoln returned the mission to the Catholic Church.
Becoming an American Town
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After California became part of the United States, San Juan stayed a small, country town. It officially became part of Orange County in 1876.
In 1910, Padre O'Sullivan came to San Juan Capistrano. He was recovering from an illness. He loved the mission and began to rebuild it. He fixed the roof of the Serra Chapel. He also made the chapel walls stronger. The beautiful retablo (a decorative screen) in the chapel was brought from Spain in 1806.
The mission's restoration made San Juan Capistrano a popular place to visit. People loved its historic buildings and closeness to the sea. Hollywood movies were often filmed there. For example, The Two Brothers was filmed here in 1910. San Juan officially became a city on April 19, 1961.
The Swallows' Famous Return
From 2009 to 2017, the famous cliff swallows changed their migration route. They usually returned to the mission each spring. Instead, they went to Chino Hills. This happened because the mission was no longer the tallest building. New buildings in the area changed their nesting spots.
The mission started a plan to bring the swallows back. They used swallow calls and built artificial nests. By 2017, the swallows returned to Mission San Juan Capistrano! The town still celebrates their return every year. They have the Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair. In 2018, they celebrated the 80th annual parade. It is also called Fiesta de las Golondrinas, which means "Festival of the Swallows."
Exploring San Juan Capistrano's Nature
| Weather chart for San Juan Capistrano | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3.1
65
50
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3.3
66
50
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1.8
66
52
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0.8
68
54
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0.4
70
57
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0.1
73
60
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0.1
76
63
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0.1
78
63
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0.2
77
62
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0.6
74
59
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0.8
69
53
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2.2
65
49
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches |
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Metric conversion
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San Juan Capistrano is in the southern part of Orange County. Interstate 5 runs right through the city. The city covers about 14.4 square miles (37.37 square kilometers) of land.
Plants and Animals
You can find some interesting native plants here. These include Common Yarrow, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.
Weather in San Juan Capistrano
| Climate data for San Juan Capistrano, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| Average precipitation 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) |
San Juan Capistrano has a mild climate. Summers are warm and winters are cool. It doesn't rain much, especially in the summer months.
People and Community
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 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 1860–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 |
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In 2020, San Juan Capistrano had a population of 35,196 people. The city has grown a lot over the years!
About 21.4% of the people living here were under 18 years old. Also, 21.6% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 44.1 years.
Most people in San Juan Capistrano live in families. In 2023, the average income for a household was about $127,893.
What Keeps the City Going: Economy
San Juan Capistrano is home to about 2,000 businesses. As of December 2025, the city's unemployment rate was low, at 3.2%. This means many people had jobs.
Top Employers in San Juan Capistrano
Here are some of the biggest employers in the city as of June 30, 2025:
- Capistrano Unified School District (3,992 employees)
- St. Margaret's Episcopal School (429 employees)
- Costco (340 employees)
- Ensign Services (185 employees)
- JSerra Catholic High School (145 employees)
- Fluidmaster Inc. HQ (130 employees)
- ASRV, LLC (124 employees)
- Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano (118 employees)
- Marbella Country Club (106 employees)
- Capistrano Connections Academy (100 employees)
Fun Things to See and Do: Arts and Culture
San Juan Capistrano is famous for its cliff swallows. These birds migrate all the way from Goya, Argentina. They usually return around March 19 each year. This day is celebrated with the annual Swallows' Day Parade. The swallows leave around October 23. The 1940 song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" was inspired by this event. You can also see many colorful birdhouses at Arroyo Bird House Park.
The Serra Chapel at the mission is the oldest building in California that is still used. San Juan was also one of the first places in California to make Californian wine.
Putuidem Village is a 1.5-acre park. It was completed in 2021. This park remembers the history of the Acjachemen (Juaneño) people.
Important Historic Places
San Juan Capistrano has many places listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include:
- Carl Stroschein House
- Casa de Esperanza
- Domingo Adobe and Casa Manuel Garcia
- Esslinger Building
- Frank A Forster House
- Harrison House
- Joel R Congdon House
- Los Rios Street Historic District
- Miguel Parra Adobe- San Juan
- Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Montanes Adobe
- Richard Egan House
- Roger Y Williams House
How the City is Run: Government
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As of December 2025, the City Council members were John Campbell (Mayor) and John Taylor (Mayor Pro Tem). Other members included Troy A. Bourne, Sergio Farias, and Howard Hart.
The city manager was Benjamin Siegel.
San Juan Capistrano is part of different government districts. These include the 38th State Senate District and the 74th State Assembly District in California. For the United States House of Representatives, it is in the 49th district. The city is also in the fifth district of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Katrina Foley has represented this district since 2023.
Learning in San Juan Capistrano: Education
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The Capistrano Unified School District serves San Juan Capistrano. San Juan Hills High School opened in 2007–08. It is the city's only public high school. Many students also attend high schools in nearby cities. These schools are also part of the same school district.
San Juan has four public elementary schools for grades K–5:
- Del Obispo Elementary School
- Harold Ambuehl Elementary School
- Kinoshita Elementary School
- San Juan Elementary School
The local public middle school for grades 6–8 is Marco Forster Middle School. Capistrano Valley High School is just outside the city. It serves many students from San Juan Capistrano. Junipero Serra High School is a public continuation high school in the area.
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The city also has several private schools:
- Capistrano Valley Christian Schools (pre-K – 12)
- Saddleback Valley Christian School (pre-K – 12)
- St. Margaret's Episcopal School (pre-K – 12)
- JSerra Catholic High School (9–12)
- Mission Basilica School (K–8) is on the historic Mission grounds.
- Rancho Capistrano Christian School (K–8) is near Saddleback Church.
- Fairmont School (K–12) is a private, non-religious school.
News and Information
San Juan Capistrano has two local newspapers. These are the Capistrano Valley News and The Capistrano Dispatch. The Capistrano Valley News comes out once a week. The Dispatch is published twice a month.
You can also find news online at The San Juan Capistrano Patch.
Getting Around: Transportation
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) runs bus routes in the city. These buses connect San Juan Capistrano to other parts of Orange County. One bus route has 35 stops within the city.
Bus and Train Travel
The San Juan Capistrano station serves Amtrak and Metrolink trains. The station is close to the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission. It is also near Los Rios Street. Many tourists use this station, especially in the summer.
Major Roads
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Interstate 5 (San Diego Freeway) runs through the city. It has several exits in San Juan Capistrano. These include Camino Capistrano, SR 74/Ortega Highway, and Junipero Serra Road.
Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1) is a famous road. It ends shortly after joining Interstate 5 within San Juan Capistrano.
California State Route 73 (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) starts at I-5 in San Juan Capistrano.
California State Route 74 also starts at Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano. This road continues west as Ortega Highway.
The original route of U.S. 101 used to go through downtown San Juan Capistrano. This was on what is now Camino Capistrano. It was changed when Interstate 5 was built in the 1950s.
Water for the City
The Santa Margarita Water District provides water to San Juan Capistrano. This water mostly comes from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. They bring water from the Colorado River and the State Water Project. Water also comes from the Irvine Ranch Water District's Baker Water Treatment Plant. This plant treats water from the Metropolitan Water District and the Santiago Reservoir.
Friends Around the World: Sister Cities
San Juan Capistrano has two sister cities:
- Capestrano, Italy
- Ensenada, Mexico
Famous People from San Juan Capistrano
Many notable people have connections to San Juan Capistrano:
- Modesta Ávila (1867–1891), a Californio ranchera and protester.
- Anthony Cumia, a radio host and podcaster.
- Austin Hedges, an MLB catcher.
- Kyle Hendricks, an MLB pitcher.
- Mike Levin, a U.S. representative.
- Billy May, an arranger, orchestrator, and trumpet player.
- Norm Sherry (1931–2021), a catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball.
Images for kids
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The historic Casa Manuel García.
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The historic Juan Ávila Adobe.
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The 85-foot tall Mission Basilica is the tallest building in San Juan. Pope John Paul II conferred it the rank of Basilica in 2000.
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The historic Frank A. Forster House, a Mission Revival estate built by the grandson of Don Juan Forster.
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See also
In Spanish: San Juan Capistrano (California) para niños
