Nowhere in the United States can match the stretch of beachfront from San Clemente to San Diego. 33 million people annually visit San Diego and it’s safe to say that most of those people explore the exquisite coastline that extends 70 miles north to San Clemente, the southernmost beach town in Orange County.
Southern California is famous for its surfing and beach culture. The Gidget books and movies of the 1950’s and 60’s, having ignited the world’s imagination by romanticizing the surfer lifestyle, centered the lifestyle in Malibu. Malibu is, of course, known for its miles of excellent surf, not to mention its close proximity to Los Angeles, making it a perfect location for the filming of the famous movies. Meanwhile, 70 miles south another piece of the SoCal surf scene was more quietly brewing from San Clemente to San Diego. Today the region is one of the most favored for family surf vacations.
A mixture of rugged coastline and flat, gentle sandy beaches, the stretch of coastline from San Clemente to San Diego boasts some of the best surf in the world. Most notably, Trestles is one of 10 stops on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) world tour, where the best of the world’s best compete for the championship title. Trestles is considered part of San Clemente but it sits on the border that connects Orange and San Diego counties, making it easily accessible from San Diego.
Most of the region is generally referred to as “North County.” Besides its awesome surf, North County is also home of the Camp Pendleton Marine base where much of the coastline is unavailable to the public. North County is also the home to a bustling technology and biotech business community and two world-class universities, the University of California at San Diego and University of San Diego.
