Santa Maria, Texas
census designated place in Cameron County, Texas, United States
Santa Maria is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 651 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Santa Maria is located near the southwestern corner of Cameron County at 26°4′41″N 97°50′53″W (26.077955, -97.847926). U.S. Route 281 passes through the CDP, leading southeastward 27 miles (43 km) to Brownsville and west 26 miles (42 km) to Hidalgo. The community is approximately one mile north of the Rio Grande, which forms the Mexico–United States border.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.24 square miles (0.63 km2), all land.
Demographics
Santa Maria first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.
2020 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 846 people, 220 households, and 198 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,622.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,398.5/km2). There were 241 housing units at an average density of 1,031.8 per square mile (398.4/km2).
The public source identifies “Santa Maria, Texas” as census designated place in Cameron County, Texas, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Santa, Maria and Texas.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Santa Maria, Texas”, the useful work is to connect “census designated place in Cameron County, Texas, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q978540. Authority coordinates are 26.078, -97.848. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 2000.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Santa Maria, Texas”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Santa Maria, Texas primary sources, Santa Maria, Texas archive and Santa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Santa Maria, Texas”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Santa Maria, Texas” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.