Santa Monica sits on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific. Palisades Park is a favorite walking area to view the ocean. Next to this park, the courtyard of the Miramar Hotel contains an enormous Moreton Bay Fig tree which was mentioned by the Californios of the 1700s.
Because of its benign weather, Santa Monica was a famed resort town in the early 20th century. Now, the city has been subsumed into the welter of towns in Los Angeles, but is still considered a pleasant place to live.
Geography
Santa Monica is located at 34°1'19" North, 118°28'53" West (34.022059, -118.481336)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.2 km² (15.9 mi²). 21.4 km² (8.3 mi²) of it is land and 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 48.08% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 84,084 people, 44,497 households, and 16,775 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,930.4/km² (10,178.7/mi²). There are 47,863 housing units at an average density of 2,237.3/km² (5,794.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.29% White, 3.78% African American, 0.47% Native American, 7.25% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 5.97% from other races, and 4.13% from two or more races. 13.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 44,497 households out of which 15.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% are married couples living together, 7.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 62.3% are non-families. 51.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.83 and the average family size is 2.80.
In the city the population is spread out with 14.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $50,714, and the median income for a family is $75,989. Males have a median income of $55,689 versus $42,948 for females. The per capita income for the city is $42,874. 10.4% of the population and 5.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.9% are under the age of 18 and 10.2% are 65 or older.