Colma, city (2020 pop. 1,483), San Mateo co., W Calif., a suburb S of San Francisco, on Colma Creek, inc. 1924 as Lawndale, renamed 1941. Shopping centers and automobile dealerships are important to Colma's economy, but nearly three quarters of the city's land is devoted to 17 cemeteries, the first of which was established in 1887. The city, which was incorporated in order to protect the cemeteries from development, is known as the “City of Souls.”
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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