Santa Maria, California: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Santa Maria is a city located in Santa Barbara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,423.

Geography and Location

Aerial map

Geography

Santa Maria is located at 34°57'5" North, 120°26'0" West (34.951377, -120.433373)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.2 km² (19.8 mi²). 50.1 km² (19.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.23% water.

As of the census of 2000, there are 77,423 people, 22,146 households, and 16,653 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,546.5/km² (4,005.8/mi²). There are 22,847 housing units at an average density of 456.4/km² (1,182.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 58.07% White, 1.87% African American, 1.76% Native American, 4.74% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 28.02% from other races, and 5.36% from two or more races. 59.67% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 22,146 households out of which 42.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% are married couples living together, 13.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% are non-families. 20.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.40 and the average family size is 3.85.

In the city the population is spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $36,541, and the median income for a family is $39,277. Males have a median income of $28,700 versus $22,364 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,780. 19.7% of the population and 15.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.5% are under the age of 18 and 7.7% are 65 or older.

Santa Maria is one of the main two court locations of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, the other being Santa Barbara. Since 2003 the court of Santa Maria deals with a felony complaint against Michael Jackson (see article). This location was selected because the location of the purported crimes was the Neverland Ranch in the northern half of the county.

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is a shortline freight railroad to Guadalupe.

There are local bus services, but not in the evening. Bus services are not yet on Sundays, but these are planned. There are also bus services to other cities. The nearest train station is in Guadalupe on the Pacific Surfliner, with one train a day in each direction.

There is an airport.