Colma, California
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Colma is a small town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula next to Daly City and South San Francisco. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,191.
Much of the land of Colma is dedicated to cemetery usage. With 17 cemeteries for the interment of human beings and one for pets, the dead population outnumber the living by tens of thousands to one. This has led to it being called "the city of the silent", and also led to a more humorous motto among some residents: "It's great to be alive in Colma". Colma became the location of a large number of cemeteries when San Francisco, the town's powerful neighbor to the north, passed an ordinance in 1900 outlawing the construction of any more cemeteries in the city (mainly because of increased property values making the cost of using land for cemeteries prohibitive), and then passed another ordinance in 1912 evicting all existing cemeteries from city limits. (A similar scenario prevails in New York City's borough of Manhattan, where only one active cemetery still exists — the Trinity Church Cemetery and Crematory, at the intersection of 155th Street and Broadway, on the northwestern edge of Harlem).
Colma was briefly called Lawndale, but because another city with the name Lawndale, California already existed, the town changed its name back to Colma in 1941.
Colma also has the unique privilege to contain the final resting place of Norton I, Emperor of the United States, and Protector of Mexico in Woodlawn Cemetery.
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Geography
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Location of Colma, California
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 1,191 people, 329 households, and 245 families residing in the town. The population density is 240.8/km² (624.6/mi²). There are 342 housing units at an average density of 69.1/km² (179.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 48.36% White, 1.43% African American, 0.00% Native American, 23.68% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 19.48% from other races, and 6.80% from two or more races. 43.91% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 329 households out of which 36.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% are married couples living together, 11.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% are non-families. 17.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.47 and the average family size is 3.92.
In the town the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $58,750, and the median income for a family is $60,556. Males have a median income of $32,059 versus $29,934 for females. The per capita income for the town is $20,241. 5.2% of the population and 3.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.