Sånta Rita-Sumai, formerly Santa Rita and encompassing the former municipality of Sumay, is a village located on the southwest coast of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

with hills overlooking Apra Harbor. According to the 2020 census it has a population of 6,470, which is up slightly from 6,084 in 2010 but down from 11,857 in 1990. Santa Rita is the newest village in Guam, having been established after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

As the rest of the island, Sånta Rita-Sumai was under Spanish rule. Prior to the War, the village of Sumay was on the

Orote Peninsula The Orote Peninsula is a four kilometer-long peninsula jutting from the west coast of the United States territory of Guam. A major geologic feature of the island, it forms the southern coast of Apra Harbor and the northern coast of Agat Bay. Its t ...

, which forms the southern boundary of Apra Harbor. Once a thriving commercial center, it suffered severe devastation from bombardment by the United States military forces during the

Liberation of Guam The Battle of Guam (21 July–10 August 1944) was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam, a U.S. territory in the Mariana Islands captured by the Japanese from the United States in the First Battle of Guam in 1941 during ...

from the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

. The U.S. military assumed control over the ruins of Sumay and built

Naval Base Guam Naval Base Guam is a strategic U.S. naval base located on Apra Harbor and occupying the Orote Peninsula. In 2009, it was combined with Andersen Air Force Base to form Joint Region Marianas, which is a Navy-controlled joint base. The Ship Repa ...

on the old village site, while the residents of Sumay were relocated to the hills between their former village and Fena. They established a new village, naming the settlement after

Saint Rita of Cascia Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Lotti (1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. After Rita's husband died, she joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, wh ...

. The Fena area, which houses Ordnance Annex and

Fena Lake Fena Lake (Reservoir) is the largest lake in the United States territory of Guam and it is a man made reservoir. It is located in the south of the island on the Ordnance Annex military installation, and is overlooked by the nearby peaks of Mount ...

(the main source of fresh water for the island), borders the eastern boundary of Sånta Rita-Sumai. In August 2021, Gov.

Lou Leon Guerrero Lourdes Aflague "Lou" Leon Guerrero (born November 8, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the 9th governor of Guam since 2019. She was president and CEO of the Bank of Guam from 2007 to 2017, having previously served as a senator of ...

signed a bill officially changing the name of the village.

Demographics

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

counts it under multiple census-designated places: Santa Rita, and Apra Harbor.

Education

The Department of Education serves the public schools in Sånta Rita-Sumai. Sånta Rita-Sumai contains

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

Elementary School, Southern High School, and PACE (Program of Alternative Certification for Educators), which was once Santa Rita Elementary School. H.S. Truman Elementary serves Santa Rita residents, while Southern High School serves Santa Rita, Agat and villages allocated by DoE districting. PACE serves students in need throughout the DoE program.Guam's Public High Schools
" ''Guam Public School System''. Accessed September 8, 2008. Oceanview Middle School in Agat serves middle school residents. In addition, Commander

William C. McCool William Cameron "Willie" McCool (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003) ( Cmdr, USN) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' mission S ...

Elementary/Middle School (Originally Guam South Elementary/Middle School), operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity, is located on Naval Base Guam, nearly the old Sumay village site.

Notable residents

*Speaker Antonio Unpingco (1942–2007) - Member of the

Guam Legislature The Legislature of Guam ( ch, Liheslaturan Guåhan) is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature a ...

Government

Commissioners (Sumay)

* Joaquin C. Diego (1927–1930) * Vicente T. Borja (1930–1931) * Tomas P. Sablan (1931–1935) * Gregorio S. Borja (1935–1937) * Vicente D. Lizama (1937–1939) * Juan P. Sarmiento (1939–1941)

Commissioner (Sånta Rita-Sumai)

* Juan N. Perez (1945–1952) * Joaquin D. Perez (1952–1969) * Pedro L.G. Roberto (1969–1973)

References and external links

* Rogers, Robert F (1995). Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam: University of Hawaii Press.

External links

Santa Rita Guam
at Guam Portal

* {{Coord, 13, 23, 10, N, 144, 40, 08, E, type:city_region:US-GU, display=title Census-designated places in Guam