SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN Pasadena

Pasadena

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 138,699 at the 2020 census, making it the 45th-largest city in California and the ninth-largest in Los Angeles County. Pasadena is a Charter City incorporated on June 19, 1886, with a total area of 23.10 square miles. The city is located in the San Gabriel Valley, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The expansion of the Los Angeles freeway system strategically placed Pasadena at the confluence of the 110, 210, 710, and 134 freeways.

The earliest known inhabitants of Pasadena and its surroundings were members of the Native American Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva Nation. With the arrival of the Spaniards and the establishment of the San Gabriel Mission on September 8, 1771, most of the Native Americans were converted and provided labor for the mission. In 1874, the California Colony of Indiana, an organized group of migrants from Indiana, established what would later become Pasadena. In 1875, residents voted on a name for their local post office and chose “Pasadena,” a name from the language of the Native American Chippewa tribe in Michigan, loosely translated to mean “of the valley.” The popular interpretation of the name meaning “Crown of the Valley” continues to persist.

Originally an agricultural settlement, the city grew when the Union Pacific Railroad lines were completed in the 1880s. A business district soon developed in what is now Old Pasadena, a National Register Historic District. In 1890, the city hosted the first Tournament of Roses parade. At the turn of the 20th century and through the early 1930s, the city had several large resort hotels. During these years, Pasadena was a popular winter destination for wealthy industrialists and entrepreneurs, many of whom resettled in the area and built ornate mansions.

During this era, many artists, architects, and writers were also drawn to Pasadena, and through them the city emerged as one of the leading centers of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Many Arts and Crafts-style houses remain in the city today, including the Gamble House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1908 and designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene.

Pasadena is home to many scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Fuller Theological Seminary, Art Center College of Design, the Planetary Society, Pasadena Playhouse, the Ambassador Auditorium, the Norton Simon Museum, and the USC Pacific Asia Museum. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is in the southern-central area of Pasadena. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for NASA by Caltech, is also in Pasadena. As of 2022, Caltech’s 46 Nobel Laureates have brought 47 Nobel Prizes home to Pasadena.

The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade, is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. It includes flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units, and is followed in the afternoon by the Rose Bowl, one of the major bowl games in college football. The Rose Bowl, a National Historic Landmark, is host of the first and most famous college football postseason bowl game — the Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl Game — every New Year’s Day.

The largest racial and ethnic groups in Pasadena are White at 34.9%, followed by Hispanic at 34% and Asian at 17%. The median household income is $105,192 and the median age is 40.1 years. The most common employment sectors for Pasadena residents are Health Care and Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, and Educational Services.

Old Town Pasadena spans 21 blocks downtown and boasts shops and a wide variety of restaurants, nightclubs, outdoor cafés, pubs, and comedy clubs. The Norton Simon Museum features European paintings, sculpture, and tapestry; sculpture from Southern Asia; and an extensive sculpture garden. Pasadena’s government is led by Mayor Victor M. Gordo.

In January 2025, the Eaton Fire caused devastating damage to parts of Pasadena and the adjacent community of Altadena, presenting one of the city’s most significant challenges in recent history.

City of Pasadena