Overview
About El Encanto
El Encanto covers 67 acres and holds 193 addresses on 222 parcels, at a median parcel of 0.216 acres. Sixteen streets serve it and the naming runs to Spanish wine country: Rioja, Penedes, Orense, Vina Vial, Calle Fino Clarete, Sangre de Toro and Cepa Uno sit alongside Brillante, Legendario and Diamante, which carry 66 of the addresses between them. It is the sixteenth largest of the fifty San Clemente communities mapped here by area.
Residential Low Density land accounts for 41.6 acres inside the boundary, public right of way for 13.8 and private open space for 10.5. The whole boundary lies inside the Forster Ranch Specific Plan area. The state fire hazard severity map splits it almost evenly, 35.3 acres Moderate against 31.7 High. Capistrano Unified's own school locator returned San Clemente High, Bernice Ayer Middle and Truman Benedict Elementary at all five interior points tested.
View available homes in El EncantoHistory
How El Encanto was built
Read El Encanto's street signs in a row and you are reading a Spanish wine list. Rioja, Penedes, Cepa Uno, Vina Vial, Calle Fino Clarete, Sangre de Toro, Carta de Plata and Carta Taza sit next to Legendario, Diamante and Brillante, which are the words that go on labels. Two of them are the real places: Rioja holds the highest designation in Spanish wine law and is planted mostly to tempranillo, and Penedes has been a protected Catalan wine region since 1932. Whoever laid out these 193 addresses picked one idea and stayed with it all the way down the hill.
Forster Ranch changed owners more than once on its way to being finished. Estrella Properties opened the ranch's first development area, Centex Development Company took on the undeveloped ground and had the plan revised for it in 1992, and by 1998 the owner was Laing, who had it revised again to hold the remaining house count to 1,617 and to push all the housing onto the west side of the ridgeline that runs north and south through the middle of the ranch. These inland hills were the last part of San Clemente to fill in. The freeway that made them reachable only replaced El Camino Real through town in 1960.
By the Numbers
El Encanto by the numbers
Lifestyle
The El Encanto lifestyle
San Clemente keeps ten beaches of its own along the shore, from North Beach past the pier to Riviera, and the city's Marine Safety division staffs them. The pier itself carries restrooms, metered parking, fire rings and the Amtrak and Metrolink platform at its foot.
The city publishes five trail networks that run from the sand up into the canyons and along the ridgelines. Bikes are welcome on all of them, electric bikes are not allowed on the Beach Trail, dogs are welcome on a leash, and horses are permitted on the Forster Ridgeline, Prima Deshecha and Cristianitos trails. City parks are open from 6 am to 10 pm without a reservation unless a group needs a permit.
Schools
Schools serving El Encanto
Capistrano Unified assigns El Encanto to San Clemente High, Bernice Ayer Middle and Truman Benedict Elementary. The district's own school locator returned the same assignment at every point tested inside the boundary, and enrollment comes from the federal count for 2024-25.
9-12 · 2,740 students
6-8 · 919 students
K-5 · 602 students
FAQs
Common questions about El Encanto
How big is El Encanto?
The boundary the city publishes covers 67 acres, with 193 addresses on 222 parcels at a median of 0.216 acres. It is the sixteenth largest of the fifty San Clemente communities mapped here by area.
Which schools serve El Encanto?
Capistrano Unified's school locator returned San Clemente High, Bernice Ayer Middle and Truman Benedict Elementary at all five points tested inside the boundary. Confirm the assignment for a specific address with the district before you rely on it.
When was El Encanto recorded?
Tract 14000 was recorded in 1991 and Tract 14002 in 1993, both by Adams-Streeter Civil Engineers. A recorded map date is when the subdivision was filed, not when a house was finished.
How many homes did the plan allow?
The Forster Ranch Specific Plan gives Planning Area 6 a maximum of 192 dwelling units on 83.6 acres, and records the area as complete. The city counts 193 addresses inside the boundary today.
What is the fire hazard rating?
35.3 acres sit in the state's Moderate fire hazard severity class and 31.7 in High. Raise it with an insurer early.