Photo Credit: Scott Lagace
The Santee Veterans Memorial Bridge & Monument is a physical place for Santee to honor and recognize veterans, the wars they fought in, and their service contributions with a dedicated bridge and memorial monument. This project will memorialize the significant sacrifices our Veterans gave to protect our country and allow us to pay tribute to the men and women who helped preserve our freedom as we preserve their memory and educate the next generation.
The project was approved by the City of Santee and all permits and applicable licensing which were needed to complete the work were obtained through TDT Construction. Funding for this project completion completely relied on private donations and fundraising efforts through the Santee Chamber of Commerce, whereas it was then dedicated to the City of Santee upon its completion.
Thank you to those who joined us on Veterans Day 2021 as we made history and opened this space to the public. The Santee Chamber of Commerce and City of Santee were excited and proud to present to the citizens of Santee the newest addition to the City the Santee Veterans Memorial located on the corner of Fanita Parkway and Mast Boulevard.
One important aspect of Santee is the number of Veterans, particularly those 35-64 years of age, and those with a service-connected disability. Several of these individuals own businesses and work locally, and are an important part of the local work force.
Santee Data on Veterans
| |
Total Civilian Population* |
# of Veterans |
% Veteran |
# Veterans 35-64 |
% Age 35-64 |
# Disabled Veterans** |
% of Disabled Veterans |
| Santee |
44,712 |
4,592 |
10.3% |
2,669 |
58.1% |
1,882 |
41.0% |
| El Cajon |
76,945 |
5,320 |
6.8% |
2,005 |
38.3% |
2,399 |
45.8% |
| Lakeside CDP |
14,721 |
1,747 |
11.8% |
704 |
40.3% |
630 |
36.1% |
| La Mesa |
48,261 |
3,764 |
7.8% |
2,173 |
38.3% |
881 |
23.4% |
| Lemon Grove |
22,666 |
1896 |
8.4% |
989 |
57.7% |
896 |
47.2% |
| Spring Valley CDP |
22,755 |
1,906 |
8.4% |
1,182 |
62.0% |
962 |
50.4% |
Source: 2022 ACS Table K202101 Notes: *Total Civilian Population 18 and up
Source: 2022 ACS Table K202102 Notes: **Veterans with Service-Connected Disability
As shown in the chart, Santee has the second highest percentage of Veterans (10.3%), the second highest percentage of Veterans aged 35-64 (58.1%), and the highest number of Veterans aged 35-64, with the second highest number of Veterans with a service-connected disability in the East County region. As noted, a number of Santee Businesses are Veteran owned, and many are Disable Veteran owned.
