Santa Fe Springs (''Santa Fe'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

for "Holy Faith") is a city in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It is one of the

Gateway Cities The Gateway Cities Region, or Southeast Los Angeles County (also shortened to Southeast Los Angeles and Southeast LA) is an urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, between the City of Los Angeles proper, Orange ...

of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census.

Etymology

Santa Fe Springs, which is

meaning “holy faith,” was first applied to mineral springs purchased by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

from Dr. James E. Fulton in 1886.

Geography

Santa Fe Springs is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.45%) is water. It is bordered by the unincorporated

West Whittier-Los Nietos West Whittier-Los Nietos () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, near the San Gabriel River (California), San Gabriel River and the Interstate 605, San Gabriel River (I-605) Freeway. ...

to the north,

Pico Rivera Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California. The city is situated approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin, and on the southern edge of the area known as the ...

to the northwest, Downey to the west, Norwalk to the southwest, Cerritos to the south,

La Mirada La Mirada (Spanish for "The Look") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census. The La Mirada Theatre for ...

and the unincorporated

South Whittier South Whittier () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California just south of the city of Whittier. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 56,415, down from 57,156 at the 2010 ...

to the east, and Whittier to the northeast.

History

Junípero Serra Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sier ...

had started some missions in this area, especially the San Gabriel mission. By 1806, the natives, now called Gabrieleños than Sejats, were forced into labor to build the mission. Corporal José Manuel Nieto, then 65 year old, petitioned

Pedro Fages Pedro Fages (1734–1794) was a Spanish soldier, explorer, first Lieutenant Governor of the Californias under Gaspar de Portolá. Fages claimed the governorship after Portolá's death, acting as governor in opposition to the official governo ...

, the Governor, for a little land. In 1789, Fagas received official permission for the grant. Nieto's was one of the largest at , from the Pacific Ocean to the Puente Hills. This became known as the "Rancho La Zanja", to which he moved with his wife Teresa and his son, Juan José. This area soon became a large cattle empire, and later would be the Santa Fe Springs area. Dr. James E. Fulton came to the area as an agent for the San Gertrudes Land Company in 1871. He found, when drilling a well, a

sulfur spring A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

, and developed it by 1874 into a health spa with a 2-story sanitarium-hotel called Fulton's Sulfur Wells in the area around what today would be Heritage Park. It included a windmill to draw water into the pool for bathers. In the beginning he had about 400 patients there annually. Later, in 1886, the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

purchased land from Fulton to run the train line from Los Angeles to San Diego, changing the town since now there was rail transportation. In 1907, the

Union Oil Company Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

of California began drilling near the intersection of Norwalk Blvd. and Telegraph Road, locally known as "Four Corners," with the spudding in of the Meyer No. 1 well. That well, and a subsequent one, failed. In 1921 the Union-Bell well blew in as a 2,500-barrel gusher and set off an oil rush by major oil companies and fly-by-night producers. Within a year the Santa Fe Springs oil field was considered one of the richest pools in petroleum history. Santa Fe Springs became a promoters' paradise. Prospective investors were bused into the field, served a free lunch in circus tents, and told stories about the fortunes made in oil. In 1923 the state legislature limited the amount of stock that could be sold in a well. In the 1920s the field produced as much as 345,000 barrels daily, exceeding production at Signal Hill and

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, maki ...

. Production slowed as the decade went on, and by 1928 the Wilshire Oil Company was drilling in deep sand levels. Production levels dropped each year from then on, but by 1938 the field had yielded a total of more than 440,000,000 barrels of oil. Santa Fe Springs is the birthplace of the

Shelby Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United ...

. In 1962

Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified duri ...

set up shop in

Dean Moon Dean Moon (May 1, 1927 – June 4, 1987) was an American automobile designer. He grew up in Norwalk, California. Moon was around cars and racing from his youth. His father owned "Moon Cafe" and had a go-kart track he called "Moonza", a pun on Mo ...

's speed shop in Santa Fe Springs. Shelby had AC Cars of Surrey, England ship cars without a motor or drive train to the Santa Fe shop. Shelby shoe-horned a 260-cubic-inch V8 into the tiny, lightweight British roadster and the Cobra was born: a British sports car with American hot rod power.

Demographics

2015

According to DataUSA, the racial makeup of Santa Fe Springs was 79% Hispanic (13,534), 10% white (1,752), 6% Asian (1,080), and 2.4% Black (424).

2010

At the 2010 census Santa Fe Springs had a population of 16,223. The population density was . The racial makeup of Santa Fe Springs was (11.6%) White, (2.3%) African American, 233 (1.4%) Native American, 677 (4.2%) Asian, (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,137 persons (81.0%). The census reported that 16,030 people (98.8% of the population) lived in households, 85 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 108 (0.7%) were institutionalized. There were 4,747 households, 2,093 (44.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,354 (49.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 965 (20.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 368 (7.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 286 (6.0%)

unmarried opposite-sex partnerships POSSLQ ( , plural POSSLQs) is an abbreviation (or acronym) for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of ...

, and 26 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 894 households (18.8%) were one person and 526 (11.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.38. There were 3,687 families (77.7% of households); the average family size was 3.84. The age distribution was 4,286 people (26.4%) under the age of 18, 1,770 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 4,272 people (26.3%) aged 25 to 44, 3,735 people (23.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,160 people (13.3%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. There were 4,976 housing units at an average density of 558.2 per square mile, of the occupied units 2,894 (61.0%) were owner-occupied and 1,853 (39.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 10,323 people (63.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,707 people (35.2%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Santa Fe Springs had a median household income of $54,081, with 9.1% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 17,438 people in 4,834 households, including 3,780 families, in the city. The population density was 1,992.0 inhabitants per square mile (769.5/km). There were 4,933 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.22% White, 3.89% African American, 1.43% Native American, 3.95% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 34.99% from other races, and 4.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 71.38%. As of 2000, speakers of

as their

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...

accounted for 51.63% of residents, while

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

was spoken by 46.07%,

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

was spoken by 1.05%, Vietnamese was spoken by 0.68%,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

was spoken by 0.37%, French by 0.17% of the population. Of the 4,834 households 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 18.3% of households were one person and 11.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 3.82. The age distribution was 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median household income was $44,540 and the median family income was $49,867. Males had a median income of $33,413 versus $27,279 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,547. About 8.0% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatur ...

, Santa Fe Springs is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, Santa Fe Springs is in .

Emergency services

Law Enforcement

Police services for the city are contracted by the Whittier Police Department, based at the Santa Fe Springs Police Services Center sub-station. The police services center is located on Telegraph Road.

Fire

The Santa Fe Springs Department of Fire - Rescue provides fire protection and rescue services for the city of Santa Fe Springs.

Economy

The economy of Santa Fe Springs is largely made up of light industry, unlike its neighboring cities. This is evident when looking at satellite and aerial photography, where the majority of the city is distinguishable from its neighboring cities, due to the density of very large, industrial and manufacturing facilities. Santa Fe Springs is home to Egge Machine Company, supplier of

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...

engine parts for

custom car A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paint work and aftermarket ...

s and

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

s and also is home to U.S. Aerospace, a publicly traded aerospace and defense contractor for the United States Department of Defense and the United States Air Force, Lockheed Martin Corporation, The

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

Company, L-3 Communications Holdings, the Middle River Aircraft Systems subsidiary of

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

, and other aircraft manufacturers, aerospace companies, and defense contractors. Other companies based in Santa Fe Springs include

Fuji Food Fuji Food Products is a food manufacturer based in Santa Fe Springs, California, United States, that specializes in ready-to-eat sushi products for supermarkets in the United States. The company is owned by Meruelo Group Alex Meruelo (born Ma ...

. The Hathaway Ranch Museum in Santa Fe Springs houses an extensive collection of early ranching and farming equipment, as well as oil field machinery. The museum traces five generations of the Hathaway family and is a reflection of the economic transition of the region.

Retail

Santa Fe Springs was, in the past, home to two regional malls and one open-air shopping center anchored by department stores. These have been converted to open-air shopping centers anchored by supermarkets and discount stores.

Top employers

According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:City of Santa Fe Springs CAFR
/ref>

Transportation

Santa Fe Springs is served by Metrolink from its Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs station.

Metro Local Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . , there are ...

and Norwalk Transit provide local bus service.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Calif ...

and

Interstate 605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route&n ...

have exits in Santa Fe Springs.

Sections

200px, Carmenita area of Santa Fe Springs *Carmenita

Sister cities

Navojoa Navojoa is the fifth-largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and is situated in the southern part of the state. The city is the administrative seat of Navojoa Municipality, located in the Mayo River Valley. History The city name d ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

* Santa Fe,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

Tirschenreuth Tirschenreuth ( Northern Bavarian: ''Dirschnrad'', ''Diascharad'') is the capital city of the district of Tirschenreuth. It is located in the northeast of Bavaria, very close to the Czech-Bavarian border. Geography Tirschenreuth is located in th ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Los Angeles County, California Gateway Cities Incorporated cities and towns in California 1957 establishments in California Populated places established in 1957