Santa Maria, California
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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.
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Geography
Santa Maria is located at 34°57'5" North, 120°26'0" West (34.951377, -120.433373)Template:GR.
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.
Santa Maria is generally situated north of the community of Orcutt, south of the Santa Maria River (which is also the county line) and surrounded on the west and east by agricultural fields. The city of Guadalupe is approximately 9 miles to the west of Santa Maria.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR 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 population, 26.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Law and government
Courts
Santa Maria is home to one of the main two court locations of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court; the other is at Santa Barbara. Since 2003 the court in Santa Maria has been handling a felony complaint against Michael Jackson (see Michael Jackson: 2005 trial). Santa Maria was selected because the location of the alleged crimes was the Neverland Ranch in the northern half of the county.
Transportation
Road
U.S. Highway 101 runs through the middle of Santa Maria and is the main expressway connecting all Central Coast cities. California State Highway 1 runs around the western edge of the town and connects it to nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base. The section of 101 in the town is a freeway, and the nearby section of Highway 1 that runs between the town and the base is also a freeway, but the two freeway segments do not directly connect to each other.
Air
Santa Maria Public Airport offers regular commercial flights to Los Angeles International Airport, an airport hotel, and some rental car facilities.
Rail
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is a shortline freight railroad to Guadalupe.
The nearest train station with long-distance Amtrak service is in Guadalupe. The Pacific Surfliner line runs twice daily in each direction.
Bus
There is local bus service provided by both city and county-run lines, but not in the evening.
Long-distance intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.
San Luis Obispo RTA also runs the line 10 that travels between Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo primarily on weekdays, with three trips in each direction on Saturdays.
External link
- City web site (http://www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/), also linking to Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT)
- Central Coast Area Transit (CCAT) (http://www.slorta.org/ccat.htm)
- Pacific Surfliner schedules: bus serving Santa Maria and train serving Guadelupe (http://www.amtrak.com/trains/timetable/w31.pdf)
- SMVRR map (http://www.smvrhm.org/smvrr_map.html)