Santa Fe | |
|---|---|
 Santa Fe, Texas, Post Office | |
 Location of Santa Fe, Texas | |
  Santa Fe Location of Santa Fe, Texas Show map of Texas Santa Fe Santa Fe (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:29°22′50″N95°6′15″W / 29.38056°N 95.10417°W /29.38056; -95.10417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Galveston |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.09 sq mi (44.25 km2) |
| • Land | 16.90 sq mi (43.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.49 km2) |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,735 |
| • Density | 753.7/sq mi (291.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 77510, 77517 |
| Area code | 409 |
| FIPS code | 48-65726[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1351043[3] |
| Website | ci |
Santa Fe is a city inGalveston County, Texas, United States. It is named for theSanta Fe Railroad (now part ofBNSF Railway), which runs through the town alongsideState Highway 6. The population of Santa Fe at the2020 census was 12,735.
In 1877, theGulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was built through the western part of Galveston county.[4] By the turn of the century, three small, unincorporated towns had formed along the railway:Alta Loma,Arcadia, andAlgoa. TheSanta Fe Independent School District, which was named after the railway, was established shortly afterward to serve the area.
In the mid-1970s, the neighboring city ofHitchcock attempted to annex an area in eastern Alta Loma known as the Morningview neighborhood. Amid intense opposition to becoming part of Hitchcock, residents began a petitioning effort to incorporate the area into a new city. On January 21, 1978, a ballot proposal to incorporate Alta Loma and parts of Arcadia passed by a wide margin and the city of Santa Fe was established. Santa Fe has since grown to include all of Arcadia and parts of Algoa, and ironically is now twice the size of Hitchcock.
On February 14, 1981, theKu Klux Klan hosted a fish fry on a private farm in Santa Fe to protest the growing presence ofVietnamese shrimpers in the Gulf. During the event, a Vietnamese fishing boat was ceremonially burned.[5][6] The controversy and similar conflicts in nearby port towns such asRockport, led to a decision of the United States District Court, S.D. Texas, Houston Division[7]Vietnamese Fishermen's Association v. Knights of the Ku Klux Klan,[8] and also was the basis of the story for the 1985 Ed Harris filmAlamo Bay.
On June 19, 2000, the Supreme Courtruled that the Santa Fe Independent School District's policy of permitting "student-led, student-initiated" prayer at football games and other school events violated the Constitution's prohibitions against theestablishment of state religion.[9]
On the morning of May 18, 2018,a school shooting occurred atSanta Fe High School when 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis opened fire in an art classroom, killing 10 students including Sabika Sheikh, 17 (an exchange student from Pakistan) and faculty and injuring 13 others. Students and faculty evacuated the building when a fire alarm was activated. Pagourtzis surrendered after being injured in an exchange of gunfire with school officers. Originally scheduled to stand trial in January 2020 for 10 counts ofcapital murder, Pagourtzis has been in custody at a state mental hospital since being found unfit to stand trial in November 2019.[10][11]
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Santa Fe is located at29°22′50″N95°6′15″W / 29.38056°N 95.10417°W /29.38056; -95.10417 (29.380651, –95.104163)[12] on a low coastal plain that averages between 19 and 27 ft (5.8 and 8.2 m) above sea level. The primary waterways are Highland Bayou and Halls Bayou, which both flow southeastward and empty intoWest Bay. Being prone toflash flooding, the area is lined with numerous drainage ditches, culverts, diversionary canals, and reservoirs.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.3 square miles (44.9 km2), of which 0.19 sq mi (0.5 km2), or 1.10%, is covered by water.[13]
It is 35 mi (56 km) south ofdowntown Houston and 20 mi (32 km) northwest ofGalveston. In 2019, Skip Hollandworth ofTexas Monthly wrote that Santa Fe "still feels very much like a small town" despite that distance.[14]
Santa Fe has a climate of hot, humid summers and cool, mild winters. Average annual temperature is 68.6°F with 56.5 in of annual rainfall. Santa Fe averages 71.7 days above 90°F. In theKöppen climate classification, Santa Fe has ahumid subtropical climate,Cfa.
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 9,913 | 77.84% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 47 | 0.37% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 42 | 0.33% |
| Asian (NH) | 49 | 0.38% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 9 | 0.07% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 41 | 0.32% |
| Multiracial (NH) | 462 | 3.63% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,172 | 17.06% |
| Total | 12,735 |
As of the2020 United States census, 12,735 people, 4,744 households, and 3,449 families were residing in the city.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6,172 | — | |
| 1990 | 8,429 | 36.6% | |
| 2000 | 9,548 | 13.3% | |
| 2010 | 12,222 | 28.0% | |
| 2020 | 12,735 | 4.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010,[2][19] 12,222 people and 4,564 households were residing in the city. The population density was 682.5 inhabitants per square mile (263.5/km2). The 4,957 housing units had an average density of 289.2 per square mile (111.7/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.6% of the population.
Of the 4,583 households, 36.8% had children under 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were not families. Among all households, 27.0% were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the age distribution was 27.2% under 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,797, and for a family was $69,841. Males had a median income of $57,619 versus $36,445 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $27,863. About 7.3% of families and 9.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.3% of those under 18 and 5.7% of those 65 or over.
Santa Fe City Hall is located at 12002Highway 6. The city council consists of a mayor and five councilmembers. TheSanta Fe Post Office is located at 13002 Highway 6.[20]The Santa Fe Justice Center is located at 3650 FM 646 N.
Santa Fe is part of the service district forCollege of the Mainland, a public community college 8 miles (13 km) away inTexas City. Also,Alvin Community College is 10 miles (16 km) away inAlvin.
The city is served by theSanta Fe Independent School District.
The schools in the city include:
The Mae S. Bruce Library at 13302 6th Street was given to the city by Mae S. Bruce.[21] The Santa Fe Community Library opened inside a formerWorld War II army barracks in 1975. By 2011, the barracks became overwhelmed by the library's increasing size. A group of residents established a building committee; withMoody Foundation and Kempner Fund grants and donations from the community, they purchased a 1,920-square-foot (178 m2) metal portable building on land leased from the Santa Fe ISD. The portable library was across from the barracks and by Highway 6. After the library continued to grow, Mae S. Bruce presented a 6,400-square-foot (590 m2) brick structure to the city in 1987. The library moved to the structure, and it was renamed after Bruce.[22]
Airports in unincorporated areas near Santa Fe include:
Airports with scheduled commercial airline service for the area, located inHouston, areWilliam P. Hobby Airport andGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport.Scholes International Airport in nearby Galveston is available for general aviation and unscheduled commercial service.
CitingSanta Fe Independent School District v. Doe, in 2019, Skip Hollandworth described Santa Fe as "a deeply conservative community".[14]
| Counties |  | |
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| "Principal" cities | ||
| Other cities |
For a complete listing, seelist of cities and towns in Greater Houston | |
| Unincorporated areas | ||
| Bodies of water | ||
Municipalities and communities ofGalveston County, Texas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Village | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
