Santa Fe (Spanish: santa—holy, fe—faith) is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,548 at the 2000 census. The town is named for the Santa Fe Railroad (now part of BNSF Railway) which runs through the town alongside State Highway 6.
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Historical development

The community grew after the Santa Fe Railway was built outside the area in 1877. Just over a century later in 1978, the residents there voted to become incorporated, and by the 1980s, Santa Fe annexed the towns of Arcadia and Alta Loma.

Geography
Location of Santa Fe, Texas

Santa Fe is located at 29°22?50?N, 95°6?15?W (29.380651, -95.104163)GR1. The area was initially coastal prairie. Early improvements were converting the lands to grazing and rice production. Some "truck farms" became popular forms of income. Of late, the town serves as a bedroom community for local refinery and plant employees. Housing development in the area is slowly consuming lands formerly used for agriculture.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.2 km² (14.0 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,548 people, 3,492 households, and 2,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 263.5/km² (682.5/mi²). There were 3,723 housing units at an average density of 102.7/km² (266.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.92% White, 0.25% African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.78% of the population.

There were 3,492 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,550, and the median income for a family was $54,253. Males had a median income of $40,445 versus $27,188 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,396. About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by the Santa Fe Independent School District.

The schools in the city include:

* R.J. Wollam Elementary School (Pre-K through 1)
* Santa Fe Elementary North (2 through 3)
* Santa Fe Elementary South (4)
* Santa Fe Intermediate School (5-6)
* Santa Fe Junior High School (7-8)
* Santa Fe High School (9-12)

All of Santa Fe is served by the College of the Mainland.