Santa Rita is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 located on the southwest coast of the United States territory of Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 with hills overlooking Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...

. According to the 2000 census

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 it has a population of 7,500, down from 11,857 in 1990.

Prior to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the village of Sumay occupied the Orote Peninsula

Orote Peninsula

The Orote Peninsula is a four kilometre-long peninsula jutting from the west coast of Guam. It forms the southern coast of Apra Harbor, and its westernmost tip, Point Udall, is also Guam's westernmost point...

 within the municipality, but it was destroyed and abandoned. In its place the US Navy built a Naval Station. The peninsula forms the southern boundary of Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor

Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...

.

Education

Guam Public School System

Guam Public School System

Guam Public School System , formerly the Guam Department of Education, is a school district that serves the entire island of Guam, a United States insular area...

 serves Santa Rita.

The village contains Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

 Elementary School and Southern High School

Southern High School (Guam)

Southern High School is a public secondary school located at #1 Jose Perez Leon Guerrero Drive in Santa Rita, Guam, United States.The school, a part of the Guam Public School System, opened in 1997 and serves grades 9 through 12....

; both schools serve Santa Rita. Oceanview Middle School in Agat

Agat, Guam

Agat is a village on the island of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located south of Apra Harbor on the island's western shore. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2000 census....

 serves middle school residents.

In addition, Commander William C. McCool

William C. McCool

William Cameron "Willie" McCool was a United States Navy Commander, NASA astronaut and the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107...

 Elementary/Middle School (Originally Guam South Elementary/Middle School), operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity

Department of Defense Education Activity

The Department of Defense Education Activity is a civilian agency of the United States Department of Defense that manages all schools for military children and teenagers, as well as foreign service children and teenagers, in the United States and also overseas at American military bases worldwide...

, is located in the Apra Heights area of Santa Rita.