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| Santa
Monica At a Glance |
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The City of Santa Monica (“City”) was
founded in 1875 on the site of the land
grant of Don Francisco Sepulveda, and
incorporated in 1886. It is comprised of
8.3 square miles with a balance of vibrant
commercial districts and neighboring
residential communities. The City is
situated on the west side of Los Angeles
County, approximately 16 miles from downtown
Los Angeles, where Pacific Coast Highway and
Interstate Highway 10 meet. It is bordered
by the City of Los Angeles on three sides
and the Pacific Ocean on the west. |
| Santa Monica
offers convenient access to major freeways,
bus lines and airports. It is served by two
freeways, the Santa Monica (Interstate 10),
and San Diego (405); and by four major
east-west thoroughfares—Santa Monica (Route
66), Wilshire, Olympic and Pico Boulevards.
It is located approximately six miles from
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). |
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Climate |
| Santa Monica's coastal Mediterranean climate provides an ideal atmosphere for taking advantage of the famous California lifestyle. Centered on three miles of wide, white sandy beaches, the
city enjoys a mild climate averaging about 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Air quality is consistently good in the coastal district that surrounds Santa Monica. |
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Population |
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Santa Monica’s population is 90,750
according to the California Department of
Finance estimates, January 2006. This
reflects a population increase of 7.9% since
the 2000 Census population, which were
84,084 or 10,131 persons per square mile.
The
City is home to a significant number of
older people, yet Santa Monica is a youthful
city with a median age of 39.3 according to
the 2000 U.S. Census.
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Education |
| The City is
home to Santa Monica College (SMC), a
two-year community college, with 25,000 full
and part-time students on several campuses,
offering more than 80 fields of study. SMC
has an impressive academic record as it
leads the state's 108 community colleges in
transferring students to the University of
California and the University of Southern
California. It boasts an Academy of
Entertainment & Technology which provides
training in key technical entertainment
industry fields. SMC also has an extensive
Workforce Development Center which provides
specialized training for important business
sectors. Over 53% of Santa Monica’s
population, age 25 and older, are college
graduates and 60% of the employed population
holds executive, management or professional
positions. |
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Housing & Families |
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Santa Monica is unique in its household and
housing cross-section in that roughly 38% of
the households in Santa Monica are families,
and 62% are non-family households. This is
the reverse of the national average of 68%
families and 32% non-family households. The
housing units in the City of Santa Monica
are primarily occupied by renters (70%) as
opposed to homeowners (30%). Again, this
reflects the reverse of the national average
of 34% renters and 66% homeowners.
Among the population in households, the overall average
household size for the City was 1.83 in
2000, which represents a continuing decline
over the past 20 years, from 1.88 in 1990
and 1.97 in1980. Renter households were
smaller (1.66) in 2000 than owner households
(2.24) and the citywide average.
Santa Monica’s median household income in 1999 was $50,714,
which was 20.2% higher than for Los Angeles
County as a whole. Average family income
was also much higher in the Santa Monica
($75,989) than in Los Angeles County
($46,452), as was per capita income of
$42,874 in Santa Monica versus $20,683 in
Los Angeles County. |
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Real Estate |
The total
assessed value of property in Santa Monica
in the Fiscal Year 2004/2005 is
approximately $18.1 billion. In terms of
land acreage, residential land uses clearly
dominate the City, comprising 61% of its net
land area (exclusive of streets and other
rights-of-way). Publicly owned or oriented
uses such as schools, parks, religious
centers, medical services, civic buildings,
and cultural institutions make up another
17% of City acreage. The remaining quarter
of the City consists of commercial space,
11%, (including hotels), industrial, 3%,
parking, 3%, and vacant land 1%. Mixed-use
developments, which cannot easily be broken
down into individual uses, account for the
remaining 2% of land.
Construction of mixed-use developments has been popular
in Santa Monica from 1995 onwards, with
approximately 370,000 square feet of
mixed-use floor space built between 1995 and
2005, and another 245,000 square feet
already approved. Almost all of these
recent developments are located downtown,
especially on 6th and 7th streets, and along
Main Street.
Well over half (62%) of the recent non-residential
parcel redevelopment in Santa Monica is in
the form of new office uses, with the
remainder spread between other commercial
uses, public related uses, and parking.
Estimates indicate that office space grew by
8.2 million square feet between 1980 and
2004, for a total of 13.1 million square
feet at the beginning of 2005. This
contrasts with citywide totals of a combined
5.8 million square feet of retail and
service commercial space and 3.4 million
square feet of industrial space.
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Industry, Employment and Labor Force |
Santa Monica is an
economically successful city with
approximately 6,100 businesses and an
estimated 74,778 jobs generating a combined
payroll of around $5.1 billion in calendar
year 2005.
The City has a large resident workforce of skilled
"knowledge workers". As of the 2000 Census
over 60% of the 47,059 employed Santa Monica
residents worked in managerial,
professional, and related occupations. |
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Tourism |
Tourism is a key
component of the economy and lifestyle of
this beachfront community. In 2004
approximately 9,380 jobs were supported by
the tourist industry and each year over 4.74
million people visit the City from outside
Los Angeles County for pleasure, vacation,
or business. These visitors spend $840.6
million annually, and bring $28.8 million in
hotel tax revenues to the City. In 2005 the
City’s hotel occupancy rate in its 3,500
rooms was a healthy 78.3%.
The City is an international destination, as well as
the destination for millions of
day-trippers, particularly on weekends, as
they throng to the beaches and visit special
destinations such as the Pier, Third Street
Promenade, Main Street, Montana Avenue, and
Santa Monica Place.
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Entertainment, High-tech
and Software Industries |
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has witnessed a tremendous influx in recent
years of entertainment, high-tech and
software companies. The diversity of the
economy and desirable quality of life in
Santa Monica, with its pristine ocean views
and close proximity to major freeways,
continue to make Santa Monica a desired
business location |
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Government and
Administration |
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The City of Santa Monica was incorporated
November 30, 1886 and subsequently adopted a
City Charter in 1945. In 1947, a
Council-Manager form of government was
established following a vote of the City’s
residents and approval by the California
legislature.
The City Council consists of seven members elected by
the community at large. Council terms are
for four years. Elections are held every two
years at which time either three or four
Council members are elected. The Council
selects from its members the Mayor, and
appoints a City Manager to administer the
affairs of the City, as well as a City
Attorney and a City Clerk. The City Council
also serves as the governing bodies for the
City of Santa Monica Redevelopment Agency
and the Housing and Parking Authorities. |
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Municipal Services
Santa Monica operates most of its own
municipal services directly, including
police, fire, street maintenance, refuse
collection and recycling, and provides water
and sewer utilities.
Public Safety
The Santa Monica Police Department
employs over 400 full-time and part-time
personnel to provide police services to the
City. This includes sworn police officers,
civilian employees and police aids. The
Police Department provides a full range of
services and special details, including K-9
unit, mounted patrol, harbor unit, animal
regulation unit and bicycle patrol to
support the department’s emphasis on
community policing.
The Santa Monica Fire
Department maintains stations, located
strategically throughout the City, to
provide swift assistance to residents. All
stations are staffed around the clock and
every station personnel include firefighters
who are certified Emergency Medical
Technicians. The department provides a wide
variety of services to the public including
fire and medical rescue, fire safety
prevention and education, disaster
preparedness, hazardous materials
mitigation, and fire safety inspections.
Transit Services
The City operates a bus line, the Big
Blue Bus, which has a fleet of approximately
210 buses and carries 21 million passengers
a year. The Big Blue Bus operates 13
routes, most of which provide service
outside the City limits as well such as to
Downtown Los Angeles and LAX.
Santa Monica Airport
A variety of services and attractions
are offered at the airport. There are
several flight schools, a pilot supply shop,
restaurants, public viewing decks and a
picnic area. It is home to the historic
Barker Hanger, which hosts events year
around. The airport’s 5,000 foot runway can
accommodate a wide variety of general
aviation aircraft and is open every day.
The most recent
attraction is the new Airport Park slated to
open spring 2007. It is an 8.3 acre park
with playing fields, an off-leash
dog area, restrooms, picnic areas, a
playground for children, parking and lots of
open green space.
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To view Santa Monica Economic and Demographic
Profile click here |
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For Further Information, Contact:
Economic Development Division
3223 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 458-8906 /// E-Mail EconDevel@ci.santa-monica.ca.us |
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This page was last modified on
06/02/2008
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