Talega, San Clemente, California facts for kids

Talega is a community located in the city of San Clemente, which is in Orange County, California. It's a special type of neighborhood called a planned community. This means it was carefully designed and built from the ground up. Construction on Talega started in 1999.

Where is Talega Located?

Talega is found about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the beautiful California coast. It's also about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Interstate 5 in California, a major highway. You can find it between the streets of Avenida Pico and Camino De Los Mares.

This area is close to some interesting places. For example, it's near the Northrop Grumman Capistrano Test Site. This is where important parts for the Apollo 11 Moon landing were developed back in the 1960s. Talega is also about 8 miles (12.9 km) from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and close to the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

What Can You Find in Talega?

Talega has many useful places for its residents.

Shopping and Schools

There is a shopping center where you can find stores like Ralphs and Target. You can also find a Walmart and a place called Barnoa Wine Company. For fun, there's a golf course.

Kids in Talega go to Vista Del Mar, which is a school for kindergarten through 8th grade. This school is part of the Capistrano Unified School District. Talega was once an unincorporated area, but it was officially made part of San Clemente when construction began.

Parks and Green Spaces

Talega has many parks where people can play and relax. Some parks are managed by the city of San Clemente. These include Talega Park, Liberty Park, and Tierra Grande Park.

Other parks are managed by the Talega Homeowners Association (HOA). These include Altea Park, Pacifica Summit Park, Portofino Park, Sansol/Mirador Park, and Lucia Park.

Homes and Neighborhoods in Talega

Talega is home to about 9,000 people. When it's fully built, it will have a total of 3,500 homes. Most of these are "tract houses," which means they are built in groups with similar designs. There are also apartments and condos. All these homes share access to community pools and other facilities. There are no completely custom-built homes here.

The community has a special look, mostly inspired by Spanish and Tuscan architecture. This style can be seen in almost every home and in the public buildings and spaces throughout Talega.

Types of Homes

Talega has more than 30 different neighborhoods. Most of the homes are single-family houses. There are also some condominiums and a few apartment buildings. The entire Talega area covers about 3,510 acres (14.2 km2) in the northeastern part of San Clemente.

The main streets in Talega include Avenida Pico, Camino La Pedriza, Avenida Vista Hermosa, and Avenida Talega.

The Talega Gallery

In the southeastern part of Talega, there's a special area called The Talega Gallery. This section is designed for residents who are 55 years old and older.

How Talega Developed

Because Talega is located in the hills, getting in and out of the community used to be a bit tricky. As of 2009, there were only two main roads leading out of the area.

There was a plan to extend a road called La Pata. This extension would connect Talega to San Juan Capistrano, bridging a gap of about 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The original plan for this road was close to some homes in Talega. Another idea was to move the road further away, between Talega and the nearby Forester Ranch community. This option would have been more expensive because it involved moving power lines. Construction on the road extension started in 2014 and was finished in the fall of 2016.