Colma, California | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "It's great to be alive in Colma" | |
 Location of Colma in San Mateo County, California | |
  Colma, California Location of Colma  Colma, California Colma, California (San Francisco Bay Area)  Colma, California Colma, California (California)  Colma, California Colma, California (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 37°40′44″N 122°27′20″W / 37.67889°N 122.45556°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Mateo |
| Incorporated as "Lawndale" | August 5, 1924[1] |
| Name changed to "Colma" | November 17, 1941 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor[2] | John Goodwin |
| • City Manager[3] | Brian Dossey |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.89 sq mi (4.90 km2) |
| • Land | 1.89 sq mi (4.90 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 121 ft (37 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,507 |
| • Density | 796.93/sq mi (307.78/km2) |
| United States Census Bureau | |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 94014 |
| Area code | 650 |
| FIPS code | 06-14736 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1658303 |
| Website | www.colma.ca.gov |
Colma (Ohlone for "Springs")[5][6] is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924.[7]
With most of Colma's land dedicated to cemeteries, the population of the dead—not specifically known but speculated to be around 1.5 million[8]—outnumbers that of the living by a ratio of nearly a thousand to one. This has led to Colma being called "the City of the Silent" and has given rise to a humorous motto, formerly featured on the city's website: "It's great to be alive in Colma".[7][9]
- ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ [1]. Colma.ca.gov. Retrieved on January 20, 2019.
- ^ City Manager Home. Colma.ca.gov. Retrieved on July 21, 2013.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ City of Colma - History
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Colma Historical Associationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Pogash, Carol (December 3, 2006). "Colma, Calif., Is a Town of 2.2 Square Miles, Most of It 6 Feet Deep". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Why are there so many dead in Colma? And so few living". kqed.org. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ Smookler, Michael (2007). Colma. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 9780738547275. Retrieved December 22, 2020.