The locality had a population of , in , over an area of The term Santa Cruz comes from the Portuguese words meaning " Holy Cross ", [ 1 ] a reference to a year-old Cross located on Chapel lane within the compound of a home for destitute women run by Mother Teresa 's Missionaries of Charity trust.
That name was also given to a church that existed on a site on the western side of the railway station along the current Swami Vivekanand Road , presently occupied by the Sacred Heart Boys High School and Sacred Heart Church. This original church was destroyed by the Marathas during their conquest of the Salsette Island from Portugal.
When the railways began operations in October , the local railway station was named after the Holy Cross, and Santacruz as a locality came into being. Construction of a new passenger terminal and apron began in and was commissioned in A second terminal complex has also been built to supplement existing facilities.
The Milan Subway and Khar Subway connect the two areas, passing under the rail line. Recently Milan flyover has been built which has improved connectivity between Santacruz East and West. The Western express highway passes through Santacruz East. Because of its unique geography and connectivity, Santacruz is one of the prime locations in Mumbai.
The PIN codes of this area are , and Located near Western Express Highway is the site of Sai Baba Temple which is at the centre of the area where many devotees come to pray daily. Baba Mandir is made of marble and seashells. On The Festival of Ramnavmi Utsav more than 10—20, people have visited on this day since One of the interesting facts is that the oldest Sindhi colony Aaram Society was inaugurated by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the year for the refugees who had escaped from Pakistan at still exists.
