San Juan Capistrano, California facts for kids

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San Juan Capistrano, California

City

Top: San Juan Mission Basilica (left), San Juan Capistrano station (right); middle: Mission San Juan Capistrano; bottom: Downtown San Juan Capistrano

Flag

Seal

Motto(s):

"Preserving The Past To Enhance The Future"

Location of San Juan Capistrano within Orange County, California.

San Juan Capistrano, California

Location in the United States

United States

Founded

April 19, 1961

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)

• 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

Area code

949

FIPS code

06-68028

GNIS feature IDs

1661383, 2411793

San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. People sometimes call it San Juan or SJC. In 2020, about 35,253 people lived there.

The city is named after John of Capistrano, a saint. It was started by the Spanish in 1776. This happened when Father Junípero Serra built Mission San Juan Capistrano. A big earthquake in 1812 damaged the mission. This caused the town to become smaller.

Later, in 1833, the mission lands became part of Mexico. The mission village officially became a town. It was briefly called San Juan de Argüello. After the Americans took over California, San Juan stayed a small, country town.

In the early 1900s, the mission was repaired. This made the town a popular place for tourists. It also became a setting for Hollywood movies.

Exploring the History of San Juan Capistrano

The Spanish founded San Juan Capistrano in 1776, when Saint Junípero Serra established Mission San Juan Capistrano.

San Juan Capistrano has a long and interesting history. It goes back thousands of years.

Early People: The Acjachemen Tribe

The Acjachemen people lived in this area for about 10,000 years. The Spanish called them Juaneños. Some of their oldest villages are over 9,600 years old. The main village, Putuidem, was located right where San Juan Capistrano is today. Another important village was Acjacheme.

Spanish Beginnings: The Mission Era

The city of San Juan Capistrano started in 1776. This is when the Spanish missionary Junípero Serra built Mission San Juan Capistrano. It 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 fall down. Thirty-nine Acjachemen people died in the earthquake.

Mexican Rule: Changes for the Mission

Ruins of the Great Stone Church at Mission San Juan Capistrano, 1876

In 1833, the Mexican government decided to take over the Californian missions. This was called the secularization of the missions. During the mission period, 4,317 native people were baptized there. Sadly, 3,158 of them died during that time. Some native people stayed at the mission after it was taken over. Others moved to nearby areas.

An administrator was put in charge of each mission. Their job was to transfer the missions and their lands to Mexican control. Santiago Argüello was in charge of Mission San Juan Capistrano. For a short time, the community was renamed "San Juan de Argüello."

In 1844, Don Juan Forster and James McKinley bought the former Mission San Juan Capistrano. Forster lived there until 1864. Then, President Abraham Lincoln gave the mission back to the Catholic Church.

American Growth: A Tourist Spot

San Juan Capistrano station, 1895

San Juan Capistrano in the 1940s

After the Americans took control of California, San Juan stayed a small, country town. This lasted until the late 1800s.

In 1910, Padre O'Sullivan came to San Juan Capistrano. He was recovering from an illness. He became very interested in Mission San Juan Capistrano. He started working to rebuild it piece by piece. He fixed the roof of the Serra Chapel. He used California sycamore logs, just like the original builders. He also hired an architect to make the chapel walls stronger. The most important part of the chapel's repair was its retablo. This was a beautiful altar screen brought from Spain in 1806.

The mission's restoration helped the town become a popular tourist spot. People loved its old buildings and how close it was to the ocean. Hollywood also used the mission in many movies. One of the first movies filmed in Orange County was The Two Brothers in 1910. San Juan officially became a city on April 19, 1961.

The Famous Swallows of Capistrano

Cliff swallows make their home at Mission San Juan Capistrano during their yearly migration from Argentina.

San Juan Capistrano is famous for its cliff swallows. These protected birds fly all the way from Goya, Argentina. They return to Mission San Juan Capistrano around March 19 each year. This day is called Saint Joseph's Day. The city celebrates their return with the annual Swallows' Day Parade. There is also a fun street fair. The swallows usually leave around October 23.

For a few years, from 2009 to 2017, the swallows did not return to the Mission. They went to the Chino Hills instead. This was because the Mission was no longer the tallest building in the area. The city worked to bring them back. They used swallow calls and built artificial nests. By 2017, the swallows were back! The town still celebrates them every year. In 2018, they had their 80th Swallows Day Parade.

Understanding San Juan Capistrano's Geography

The Santa Ana Mountains separate San Juan Capistrano from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.

San Juan Capistrano is located in the southern part of Orange County. Interstate 5 cuts through the city.

The city covers about 14.3 square miles (37.37 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. Only a very small part is water.

Local Weather and Climate

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 get much rain, especially in the summer.

People and Population: Demographics of San Juan Capistrano

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	35,253	1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

The city's population has grown a lot over the years. In 1880, only 376 people lived there. By 2020, the population was 35,253.

Who Lives in San Juan Capistrano?

The historic Casa Manuel García.

The historic Juan Ávila Adobe.

In 2020, the U.S. Census showed that about 70.6% of the people were White. About 0.7% were African American, and 3.6% were Asian. Also, 37.3% of the people were Hispanic or Latino. People of any race can be Hispanic or Latino.

**San Juan Capistrano city, California – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 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 or Alaska 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%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	35	30	22	0.10%	0.09%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	27	43	147	0.08%	0.12%	0.42%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (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%

The median age in San Juan Capistrano was about 40.2 years in 2010. This means half the people were older and half were younger. The average household had about 3 people living in it.

Economy and Jobs in San Juan Capistrano

Shops in downtown San Juan.

Los Rios Historic District is a National Register Historic District.

San Juan Capistrano is home to over 1,700 businesses. In December 2017, the unemployment rate was low, at 3.7%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them.

Major Employers in the City

The biggest employers in San Juan Capistrano include schools and large stores. Here are the top employers as of June 2022:

#	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

Arts, Culture, and Local Attractions

Community Christmas festival at Mission San Juan Capistrano, Dec 2023

San Juan Capistrano is known for its history and unique traditions.

Historic Sites and Landmarks

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 is on the original lands of the Acjachemen people. This park, finished in 2021, honors the history of the native people.

Education: Schools in San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Hills High School

The Capistrano Unified School District serves San Juan Capistrano.

Public Schools

San Juan Hills High School opened in 2007. It is the city's only public high school. However, many students from San Juan Capistrano also go to high schools in nearby cities. This is because those schools are also part of the same school district.

San Juan has four public elementary schools for grades K–5. These are Del Obispo, Harold Ambuehl, Kinoshita, and San Juan Elementary. 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. There is also Junipero Serra High School, a public continuation high school.

Private Schools

View of the north wing of the mission from the central patio.

San Juan also has six private schools. These include:

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools (pre-K to 12th grade)
Saddleback Valley Christian School (pre-K to 12th grade)
St. Margaret's Episcopal School (pre-K to 12th grade)
JSerra Catholic High School (9th to 12th grade)
Mission Basilica School (K–8th grade) is on the historic Mission grounds. It uses some of the old buildings as classrooms.
Rancho Capistrano Christian School (K–8th grade) is near Saddleback Church.

There is also a private, non-religious school called Fairmont School (K-12th grade). It is close to the Mission.

Media and News in San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano has two local newspapers. They 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.

There is also an online news website called The San Juan Capistrano Patch. It provides news for the city.

Getting Around: Transportation in San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano station is served by Amtrak and Metrolink.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) runs bus routes in the city. These buses connect San Juan to other parts of Orange County.

Train Travel

The San Juan Capistrano station has train services. These include Amtrak and Metrolink. The station is very close to the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission. It is also near Los Rios Street in downtown San Juan Capistrano. Because it's so close to tourist spots, it's a popular stop in the summer.

Major Highways