A city of southeast Texas, an industrial suburb of Houston. The Lyndon B. Johnson Manned Space Center is nearby. Population: 144,000.
Pasadena
Dictionary:
Pas·a·de·na (păs'ə-dē'nə)  |
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Pasadena (păs'ədē'nə). City (1990 pop. 119,363), Harris co., S Tex., on the Houston ship channel; inc. 1928. It is an industrial suburb of Houston located in a highly productive oil area. The city has oil refineries, chemical plants, and meat-processing establishments. Its factories produce oil field, fishing, and packaging equipment; concrete; and plastic products. NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Manned Space Center is just south, on Clear Lake. The city was founded in 1895 on a site near the old San Jacinto battlefield (Apr., 1836) where Santa Anna was captured. The San Jacinto Monument (built 1936-39; 570 ft/174 m high) commemorates the event. Pasadena is the seat of Texas Chiropractic College. An annual livestock show and rodeo is held in the city.
| Weather: Pasadena, TX |
AccuWeather® Current Conditions for
5-Day Forecast
Last updated
November 08, 2009 09:09
(EST)
 OVERCAST |
Temperature: 70°F /
21°C
RealFeel Temperature™: 72°F / 22°C Humidity: 100% Winds: E 8 mph / 13 kmh Pressure: 30.05" Visibility: 7 mi. / 11 km |
| Sunday |
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HI:
79°F /
26°C LO: 63°F / 17°C |
| Monday |
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HI:
76°F /
24°C LO: 62°F / 16°C |
| Tuesday |
|
HI:
78°F /
25°C LO: 61°F / 16°C |
| Wednesday |
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HI:
74°F /
23°C LO: 59°F / 15°C |
| Thursday |
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HI:
74°F /
23°C LO: 59°F / 15°C |
| Wikipedia: Pasadena, Texas |
| City of Pasadena | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): "Strawberry Capitol" | |
| Motto: "Enriched by our Heritage. Inspired by our Future." | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 29°40′34″N 95°10′26″W / 29.67611°N 95.17389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Harris |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-Council |
| - Mayor | Johnny Isbell |
| - City Council | District A: Ornaldo Ybarra District B: Jackie Welch |
| Area | |
| - City | 44.5 sq mi (115.3 km2) |
| - Land | 44.2 sq mi (114.4 km2) |
| - Water | 0.4 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Population (2004) | |
| - City | 152,968 |
| - Density | 3,208.2/sq mi (1,238.7/km2) |
| - Metro | 5,628,101 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 77501-77506 |
| Area code(s) | Area code 713, 281, 832 |
| FIPS code | 48-56000[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1343631[2] |
| Website | http://www.ci.pasadena.tx.us/ |
Pasadena (pronounced /ˌpæsəˈdiːnə/) is a city south of Houston in Harris County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in the county, 15th largest in the state and 159th largest in the United States, next to its namesake city, Pasadena, California, the 160th largest. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston. Burnett named the area after Pasadena, California because he thought the vegetation was similar.
As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 141,674, but as of 2007, it is estimated to be at 152,968.[3] The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department is the largest all volunteer municipal fire department in the United States.[4][5]
Contents |
History
The first inhabitants of the area are believed to have been the Karankawa Indians, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region.
Birthplace of Texas
Pasadena is near the location of the final battle of the Texas Revolution, which occurred on April 21, 1836. The Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna was captured at Vince's Bayou. Because this was the last conflict that led to the Mexican surrender, Pasadena and neighboring Deer Park are known as the "Birthplace of Texas." [6]
The Allen Ranch
Sam Allen started s ranch in 1843 with 350 acres (1.4 km²). This became the Allen Ranch which occupied what is now western Pasadena all the way to Harrisburg, Texas. By 1888, the ranch contained 15,000 acres (60 km²) in Harris County, 10,000 acres (40 km²) in Brazoria County, Texas with grazing lands in Galveston and Fort Bend Counties.
The 19 mile (31 km) fence
The Galveston, Harrisburg & Houston Railroad ran through the Allen ranch. There was a problem of cattle being regularly killed on the tracks and in 1875, Allen built a 19 mile (31 km) fence along the east side of the railway right of way to keep the cattle off the tracks. The fence ran from Harrisburg to League City and had four rails and a top rail wide enough to walk on. A gate was placed in the fence at the Harrisburg-Lynchburg Road with a large sign above instructing that it should be closed at all times. The area east of this railroad fence running from Buffalo Bayou to the tracks on Sims Bayou ran all the way to Galveston Bay. It contained 100,000 acres (400 km²) of grazing land for cattle.
First settlements
"Proposed" towns in or near present day Pasadena were set up but short lived and either abandoned or never even got off the ground.
In 1892 Colonel John H. Burnett of Galveston established an unnamed townsite on the Vince Survey just east of the Allen Ranch. Burnett was involved in both construction and promotion of railroads and knew their impact on the value of property. The land was sold in 10 acres (4.0 ha) lots. He had also established the nearby towns of Deepwater and Genoa, later to be incorporated into Pasadena and Houston.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.5 square miles (115.3 km²), of which, 44.2 square miles (114.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (0.81%) is water. The city is bordered by the Houston Ship Channel (Buffalo Bayou / San Jacinto River) to the north. The southeastern most part of the city fronts Galveston Bay.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods in Pasadena include:
- Vista Villas
- Allendale
- Bayport
- Burke Meadows
- Clear Lake City (Pasadena)
- Deepwater
- El Jardin del Mar
- Golden Acres
- Old Downtown
- Parkview Manor
- Red Bluff Terrace
- Village Grove East
- Village Grove East Townhomes
- Village Grove
Climate
The climate of Pasadena is that of neighboring Houston. Hot and humid summers with mild winters typical of the Southern United States.
| Weather data for Houston | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) |
87 (31) |
96 (36) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
101 (38) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
101 (38) |
96 (36) |
90 (32) |
84 (29) |
106 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
67 (19) |
74 (23) |
79 (26) |
86 (30) |
91 (33) |
94 (34) |
93 (34) |
89 (32) |
82 (28) |
73 (23) |
65 (18) |
80 (27) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
48 (9) |
55 (13) |
61 (16) |
68 (20) |
74 (23) |
75 (24) |
75 (24) |
72 (22) |
62 (17) |
53 (12) |
47 (8) |
61 (16) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 10 (-12) |
14 (-10) |
22 (-6) |
32 (0) |
44 (7) |
56 (13) |
55 (13) |
64 (18) |
50 (10) |
33 (1) |
25 (-4) |
9 (-13) |
9 (-13) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.3 (109.2) |
3.0 (76.2) |
3.2 (81.3) |
3.5 (88.9) |
5.1 (129.5) |
6.8 (172.7) |
4.4 (111.8) |
4.5 (114.3) |
5.6 (142.2) |
5.3 (134.6) |
4.5 (114.3) |
3.8 (96.5) |
54.0 (1,371.6) |
| Source: weather.com[7] Aug 2007 | |||||||||||||
Infrastructure
Transportation
Pasadena is served by three freeway systems. Interstate 45 is the closest interstate to the Pasadena city limits. The main freeway artery is the Pasadena Freeway (State Highway 225). The east side of the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) runs through the eastern portion of the city.
Public Transportation
METRO operates a park & ride service from the Pasadena Town Square Mall. This joint venture between Harris County, the city of Pasadena and METRO extended select trips. METRO operates four trips during the morning and five trips during the afternoon rush hours.[8]
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 141,674 people, 47,031 households, and 35,179 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,208.1 people per square mile (1,238.7/km²). There were 50,367 housing units at an average density of 1,140.5/sq mi (440.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.45% White, 1.63% African American, 0.68% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 21.30% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.24% of the population.
There were 47,031 households out of which 43.1% had children under the living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.48.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the , 11.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
Economy
The city's economy is closely linked to the nearby Houston Ship Channel and the Bayport Industrial District, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in the bordering Clear Lake area.[citation needed]
Personal income
The median income for a household in the city was $38,522, and the median income for a family was $42,541. Males had a median income of $34,330 versus $25,869 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,301. About 13.2% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
The city has several museums, including the Pasadena Historical Museum,[9] the Bay Area Museum and Armand Bayou Nature Center. Pasadena also has a community theater,[10] an annual rodeo [11] and the Pasadena Philharmonic. The city's newspaper is the Pasadena Citizen[12]
Because of its location near the enormous amount of refineries that dot the nearby ship channel, Pasadena has been dubbed by locals with the nickname "Stinkadena." Another reason for the name may be the large sewage treatment plant located along State Highway 225 that links Houston to Pasadena.[citation needed] Another nickname, "Pasa-get-down-dena", was coined in the mid-1980s by 97 Rock's morning DJ, Moby in the Morning.[citation needed] Several country music songs have been recorded with "Pasa-get-down-dena" as the title including Kenefick on their album "Hard Road."
Gilley's and Urban Cowboy
John Travolta, Debra Winger and other actors came to the city to film the 1980 hit movie Urban Cowboy, which depicted life and young love in Pasadena. The film centered on the city's honky-tonk bar Gilley's, which was co-owned by country music star Mickey Gilley. In 1989 Gilley's suffered an arson fire that gutted the interior, but the building's shell was still standing until 2006 when it was demolished by the Pasadena Independent School District, its current owner. Only the old sound recording studio remains. Gilley still resides in Pasadena.
Strawberry Festival
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 caused many people to resettle in Pasadena.[citation needed] Clara Barton of the American Red Cross purchased 1.5 million strawberry plants and sent them to Pasadena to help victims of the flood get back on their feet. By the 1930s those crops had flourished so much that Pasadena was claiming the title of Strawberry Capital of the World. At its height, the city's strawberry growers shipped as many as 28 train carloads of strawberries each day. To honor that history, the city still holds an annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival. Strawberry Road stretches through much of the city near where the old strawberry crops grew.[13] Attendance at the annual Strawberry Festival was 56,000 in 2008.
Pasadena Philharmonic Society and Orchestra
Pasadena Philharmonic Society and Orchestra[14] is a combination of two groups. The Society is composed of members of the local community that support the fine arts and classical music. The Orchestra is comprised of local music educators, musicians, college students and selected high school students. The Orchestra presented its first performance in the fall of 1982. The Philharmonic has presented performances ever since.
Education
Colleges and universities
Institutions of higher education include:
- University of Houston–Clear Lake (partially in Pasadena, partially in Houston)
- San Jacinto College (Central Campus and System Headquarters) a community college system which serves all of Pasadena as well as all and portions of several other school districts.
- Texas Chiropractic College - Founded in 1908, Texas Chiropractic College is the fourth oldest chiropractic college in the nation. TCC is accredited as a Level V doctoral degree granting institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. TCC has maintained continuous accreditation since 1971. Its first-of-its-kind Hospital Rotations Program is a pioneer in the integrated health care field.[citation needed] The program provides interns the opportunity to rotate in nearly 30 hospitals and clinics throughout the Houston metropolitan area, including the Texas Medical Center.
Primary and secondary schools
Most of city of Pasadena is served by the Pasadena Independent School District. Some of the eastern part is served by Deer Park Independent School District, some of the southern part is served by Clear Creek Independent School District and La Porte Independent School District.
Public libraries
Pasadena owns the Pasadena Public Library with the Main Library at 1201 Jeff Ginn Memorial Drive and the Fairmont Library, a branch, at 4330 Fairmont Parkway between Panama Street and Watters Road.[15][16]
Parks
Harris County operates several community centers in Pasadena.[17]
- Clear Lake Water Front (Pasadena Section)
San Jacinto Branch YMCA is located in Pasadena.
Armand Bayou Nature Center
Armand Bayou Nature Center is a 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) preserve on the western shore of Galveston Bay in Pasadena. It is the only remnant of this region's original eco-systems: coastal tallgrass prairie, bottomland forest and bayou.[citation needed] A diversity of plant life has taken root here, including bottomland hardwoods. Hundreds of species of wildlife thrive in the narrow wooded streams and scattered lakes, ponds and marshes.[citation needed] Armand Bayou also is a breeding and nursery ground for many finfish and shellfish and a haven for rarely seen species such as bobcats and owls.
The bayou has been designated as one of only four Texas Coastal Preserves.[20]
Government
Local government
Main article: Government of Pasadena, Texas
The Government of Pasadena operates under a Mayor-Council form of government with a mayor and eight council members who are responsible for enacting legislation, adopting budgets and setting policies.[21]
Elections
Main article: Elections in Pasadena, Texas
The last election was a special election held on January 19, 2008.
Mayor
- John Manlove July 2001- October 2007
- Jack Douglass October 2007- January 2008
- Johnny Isbell January 2008–present
County, state, and federal representation
Harris County Hospital District operates the Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena.[22]
The United States Postal Service operates four post offices in Pasadena.[23][24],[25][26]
See also
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership
- ^ Robin L. Phillips. "Firefighters: Tough Job Requires Tougher Volunteers". Regional VuePoint Magazine. http://vuepointmag.com/spring2007/firefighters.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ "About Us". Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department. http://pasadenavfd.com/about.html. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ Washington County, Texas shares the claim to that title, since that is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. Brazoria County, Texas claims to be "Where Texas Began", as its city of Velasco, Texas was where the Treaties of Velasco were signed, and where Stephen F. Austin originally settled."Brazoria County Home". Brazoria County, Texas. http://www.brazoria-county.com/. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ "Weather.com: Weather Channel Historical Weather for Houston, Texas, United States of America". http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USTX0617?from=36hr_bottomnav_business. Retrieved August 3 2007.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Pasadena Historical Museum
- ^ Pasadena Little Theatre
- ^ Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo
- ^ Pasadena Citizen Online
- ^ Pasadena Strawberry Festival
- ^ Pasadena Philharmonic Society and Orchestra
- ^ "Hours & Location." Pasadena Public Library. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Fairmont Library." Pasadena Public Library. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ [2]
- ^ East Harris County Activity Center
- ^ Bay Area Community Center
- ^ Armand Bayou website
- ^ [3]
- ^ "Strawberry Health Center." Harris County Hospital District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Post Office Location - PASADENA." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Post Office Location - JOHN FOSTER." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Post Office Location - BOB HARRIS." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Post Office Location - DEBERT L. ATKINSON." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
External links
- City of Pasadena
- Pasadena Texas Community Information
- Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
- Pasadena Citizen
- Pasadena Strawberry Festival
- Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo
- Pasadena Information
- Pasadena, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
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