| San Martin, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Clara |
| Area | |
| - Total | 5.5 sq mi (14.3 km²) |
| - Land | 5.5 sq mi (14.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Elevation | 289 ft (88 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 4,230 |
| - Density | 769.1/sq mi (295.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 95046 |
| Area code(s) | 408 |
| FIPS code | 06-68238 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0277595 |
San Martin is a census-designated place (CDP) and an unincorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The community has been considering incorporating into either a city or town since 2004, but no official action has been taken as of 2006. Like neighboring Morgan Hill and Gilroy, San Martin is a large producer of garlic and table mushrooms. It is also home to the volunteer-run Wings of History aviation museum, located next to South County Airport. It also houses the small, tranquil - San Martin Cafe - a popular breakfast and lunch eatery well-known for its menudo.
Contents |
History
It all starts with pioneer Martin Murphy Sr., who brought his Irish family to California in 1844 on the first wagon train to cross the rugged Sierra mountain range. In 1851, the husband of Johanna Fitzgerald (Murphy's daughter in Quebec) died. Murphy sent his youngest son Bernard back east by ship to accompany Johanna and her six children on the long voyage to California. While in Quebec, Bernard met an attractive Irish lass named Catherine O'Toole and asked for her hand in marriage. Bernard and the lovely Catherine wedded in Canada, and she accompanied him on the arduous journey to the far West. The two settled down on Bernard's Rancho La Polka, a 4,000-acre Mexican land-grant property he'd purchased just north of what's now the city of Gilroy. For their home, Murphy shipped around the Horn of South America a tin house he'd ordered from New England. Packed in crates, the metal dwelling was delivered to the port of Alviso on the southern end of San Francisco Bay. From there it was hauled by horse-drawn wagons to his ranch and carpenters built it into a proper structure. Together, the two Murphys made their home a happy one. In 1852, Catherine gave birth to a son they named Martin after the patriarch of the family. Unfortunately, the couple's time together would be short. On the morning of April 11, 1853, on a business trip to San Francisco, the 35-year-old Murphy and his nephew Thomas Kell Jr., (the son of Murphy's daughter Margaret) boarded the 61-ton side-wheel steamboat Jenny Lind docked in Alviso. As the ship left the port and headed north at a good clip, Murphy and Kell sat down in the dining cabin to enjoy lunch. A little past the noon hour, the steamboat chugged through the area just north of where the Dumbarton Bridge spans the bay. Without warning, the boiler exploded. Flames and scalding clouds of steam blasted through the cabin bulkhead. The steam engulfed passengers. Many people were burned or severely maimed. Among the 34 dead killed by the explosion were Bernard and Kell. Martin Murphy felt a tremendous grief from the loss of his son and grandson. The elderly man frequently traveled north on the 40-mile round-trip to the church in San Jose to attend Mass and visit their graves. Riding on his pony, the trip took all day. So, he decided a small chapel and cemetery should be built conveniently on his South Valley ranch. The Irishman gave the Catholic Church about four acres of land on his property to build a small chapel with a footprint of about 20 feet by 40 feet. Murphy named the church San Mart'n in honor of his patron saint, Saint Martin of Tours in France. He located the structure at the intersection of what's now New and San Martin avenues. San Francisco-based Archbishop Joseph Alemany officially blessed the little church on November 2, 1853 - All Soul's Day. Alemany also participated in the re-burial of Bernard and Kell's remains in the adjoining cemetery. Through the years, about 20 other pioneers would be buried in the chapel's graveyard. Later, they would all be relocated to their final resting places at the St. Mary Cemetery in the nearby community of Gilroy. In 1869, a railroad was built paralleling Monterey Road through the South Valley region. A few miles north of Gilroy, a flag-stop station - originally called Mil's Switch - was established for farmers. But locals referred to the station as "San Martin" after Murphy's chapel nearby. On April 2, 1877, the tiny church burned to the ground. It was never rebuilt, but the station kept the chapel's name. Over time, a village formed around the San Martin train stop. In 1892, a few streets were even formally laid out in hopes a town might eventually develop there. Somehow, San Martin retained its village ambiance. Its population is now more than 4,000 people, almost doubling in size in the last 10 or so years due to Silicon Valley's economic boom. Over the years, there have been three attempts to officially make San Martin a town. The first attempt was in the 1960s, but incorporation meant that property taxes would rise by over $2,000 a house. Residents nixed the idea. The second attempt came during the 1980s. But the community then didn't have a sufficient tax base, and incorporation also infringed on the "sphere of influence" of both Morgan Hill and Gilroy. A few years ago, the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance, led by its president Sylvia Hamilton, gave incorporation a third shot. One thing holding it back was legislation preventing San Martin from receiving vehicle license fee money from the state. But a state bill introduced by Assemblyman John Laird - and recently unanimously passed by both parties - will solve that problem. The bill now waits Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature - possibly as soon as November 2007. Proposals for incorporation are now being considered by the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission.[1]
Geography
San Martin is located at (37.087746, -121.600020)GR1. It is approximately 48 km (30 mi) south of San Jose, California, 11 km (7 mi) north of Gilroy, California, and 24 km (15 mi) inland from the Pacific Coast. Lying in a roughly 6 km-wide (4-mi-wide) southern extension of the Santa Clara Valley, it is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. San Martin lies at an elevation of about 86 m (282 ft) above MSL According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Due to the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean, San Martin enjoys a mild, Mediterranean climate. Temperatures range from an average midsummer maximum of 90.2°F (32.3°C) to an average midwinter low of 33.6°F (0.9°C). Average annual rainfall is 480 mm (18.9 in), and the summer months are typically dry. Snowfall is rare, about once every 20 years, and is light and short-lived when it occurs. Summer months are characterized by coastal fog which arrives from the ocean around 10 p.m. and dissipates the next morning by 10 a.m.. Winter months have many sunny and partly cloudy days, with frequent breaks between rainstorms. The local terrain is inconducive to tornadoes, severe windstorms and thunderstorms. The local climate supports chaparral and grassland biomes, with stands of live oak at higher elevations.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,230 people, 1,210 households, and 994 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 766.4 people per square mile (295.9/km²). There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of 227.2/sq mi (87.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 65.46% White, 0.83% African American, 1.63% Native American, 6.12% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 20.97% from other races, and 4.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.41% of the population. There were 1,210 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.44 and the average family size was 3.66. In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $70,064, and the median income for a family was $70,708. Males had a median income of $56,625 versus $34,792 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,944. About 5.2% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Public transportation
San Martin is served by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses and hosts a Caltrain commuter rail station.
External links
- Factual Information from www.city-data.com
- "How San Martin Came to Be," Gilroy Dispatch, September 16, 2006
- Wings of History Museum
- AirNav airport information for South County Airport (E16)
- San Martin, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
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Santa Clara County, California |
||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: San Jose | ||
| Cities |
Campbell | Cupertino | Gilroy | Los Altos | Milpitas | Monte Sereno | Morgan Hill | Mountain View | Palo Alto | San Jose | Santa Clara | Saratoga | Sunnyvale |
 |
| Incorporated towns | ||
| CDPs |
Alum Rock | Buena Vista | Burbank | East Foothills | Fruitdale | Lexington Hills | Loyola | San Martin | Seven Trees | Stanford | Sunol-Midtown |
|
| Unincorporated communities |
Bell Station | Casa Loma | Chemeketa Park | Holy City | Loma Chiquita | Redwood Estates | Rucker | San Antonio | Sargent | Sveadal |
|
