San Juan Capistrano: San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, USA, located approximately 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 33,826 at the 2000 census. The city was created around Mission San Juan Capistrano, and many of the homes and strip malls resemble the Spanish architecture that composes the building. It is home to the widest variety of homes in Orange County, with 10 million dollar homes in the gated communities of the hills, homes built prior to 1900 in its central district — some being adobes from the 18th century — and working ranches in its foothills. San Juan Capistrano is probably best known for the annual migration of the cliff swallows that reputedly migrate each year from Argentina to the Mission San Juan Capistrano. To live in San Juan Capistrano is to share a rich historical legacy. Walk through the Mission, Historic Los Rios District and the downtown area as part of your daily life and you began to feel a part of the history here. You feel the same adobe, old brick, and dust beneath your feet that the previous generations of Native American Indians, Spanish, and Rancheros, European settlers, outlaws and even pirates walked upon more than 200 years ago. Recent history also breaths of nostalgia. The Swallows Inn with all its character and characters is still making history for its "life in a western town" ambiance.
Today San Juan Capistrano is a historic cultural center full of art, music and magic. Most every restaurant is family owned and operated treasured memorable recipes or an American classic diner feel.
Situated around the historic Capistrano Depot, this train town can bring you back in time instantly. Nestled next to the ocean, the geography of San Juan Capistrano makes for a perfect climate. The smell of the brush covered hillsides that bloom in spring with wildflowers, the changing colors of trees in fall and the many species of birds are some of the things that make San Juan Capistrano living so special.
