Question

Why do many cities near the California coast begin with san or santa?

Answer 1

Many cities near the California coast begin with San or Santa because that area was primarily explored by the Spanish and settlements centered around Catholic missions. In Spanish, San and Santa both mean saint. San is the male form and Santa is the female form. So San Francisco would mean Saint Francis in English (a male saint). Santa Anna would mean Saint Anne (a female saint).

Answer 2

Answer:

Many cities in California begin with the prefix San or Santa because this state, before joining the United States, was a Spanish colony. The Spanish colonial empire had within its ideological bases the diffusion and territorial expansion of Catholicism, which is seen in the names of the cities that were founded during their possession of the lands that today make up the state. The prefixes San and Santa refer to the Catholic saints, so cities like San Diego or Santa Monica make direct reference to these saints. Other cities such as Los Angeles or Sacramento also refer to issues related to Catholicism in the Spanish language.