Everything about South Pasadena California totally explained
South Pasadena is a
city in
Los Angeles County,
California,
United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 24,292.
History
In 1875 the landowners of the area encompassing present-day
Pasadena and South Pasadena voted to rename their association, Pasadena. In February of 1888, members of the southern portion of Pasadena attempted to gain more control over their own property and a vote for incorporation was made. On 2 March 1888, the city of South Pasadena was incorporated with a population slightly over 500 residents. It was chartered with roughly the same area as the current South Pasadena, about 8.91 square kilometres (3.44 square miles).
South Pasadena's history is commonly associated with that of the
Cawston Ostrich Farm,
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, and the
Rialto Theater, as that they played major roles in the past of the city.
Modern South Pasadena
South Pasadena's streets are lined with numerous species of native California trees. Because there are very few
stucco-clad
Spanish Colonial houses and virtually no palm trees in some parts of the city, South Pasadena is a popular stand-in for Midwestern and Northeastern towns in
motion picture and
television productions. Few cities in the nation are better recognized for their determination to preserve their neighborhoods and small-town atmosphere. (South Pasadena residents' frequent use of the term "
Mayberry" to describe their city has drawn scorn from opinion/editorial staff at most of Los Angeles' newspapers, both old-line and "alternative."
Los Angeles Times columnist
Steve Lopez has noted that South Pasadena sits less than 10 miles from
Downtown Los Angeles and that substantial numbers of residents work either in
Bunker Hill or as professors and staff at the
University of Southern California.) Moral and financial support for a fight against a major highway project through the city has come from all across the country; however, the bulk of it comes from the residents themselves, who pay legal bills incurred by the city in the freeway fight from their general fund (no special taxes are used), making the fight an ongoing local election issue. South Pasadena has been cited five times on the
National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of "Most Endangered Places."
"Mom and Pop" merchants populate the business district, and the Mission West area is a part of the original
Route 66. Of note are the historic Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain and the Rialto Theater in downtown South Pasadena; the theater is a unique blend of Spanish Baroque and Egyptian stylings and was built in 1925. It is one of the last remaining single screen cinemas in the country. The Rialto was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1978, having narrowly missed the wrecking ball that year. Unfortunately, it went out of business on August 19, 2007 because of low profits. It has been featured in many films and commercials, most notably Robert Altman's
The Player and more recently in
Scream 2.
South Pasadena is now home to mass transit with the Metro Gold Line stopping at Mission Station.
On the first Saturday of December every year, South Pasadena hosts an annual 5K/10K run around South Pasadena known as the Tiger Run. The 5K has no elevation changes and the 10K has elevation changes on the second half.
South Pasadena can often be seen in motion picture productions with its beautiful tree-lined streets and "anywhere in America" feel. Such movies as
The Terminator,
Gone with the Wind,
Halloween,
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure,
American Pie,
Legally Blonde,
13 Going on 30,
Triumph of the Will,
Back to the Future,
Mr. Deeds,
Bruce Almighty, and
License to Wed are just a few of the notable films shot on location in South Pasadena. Notable television series that have been filmed there include
Boston Public,
Nip/Tuck,
Desperate Housewives and
Big Love.
South Pasadena is the oldest self-builder of floats in the
Tournament of Roses Parade.
Transportation
Fair Oaks Avenue, Huntington Drive, and Mission Street are the main thoroughfares through South Pasadena.
The
Pasadena Freeway has two exits in South Pasadena--
Orange Grove Avenue and
Fair Oaks Avenue.
LACMTA operates five bus lines (79, 176, 260, 361, 485) through South Pasadena. The
Metro Gold Line has a station that stops in South Pasadena.
South Pasadena operates their own public transportation system. Since 2003, South Pasadena has been operating the City of South Pasadena Community Transit to connect with the Mission Gold Line Station. The system was originally called "South Pasadena Gold Link."
As of 2007, many old and outdated traffic signals are in the process of being replaced throughout South Pasadena.
Interstate 710 Extension Controversy
South Pasadena is well-known throughout the
greater Los Angeles area for its opposition to the extension of the
Long Beach Freeway (
I-710) from Alhambra's Valley Blvd. to the
Foothill Freeway (
I-210) in
Pasadena at California Blvd.
Litigation over the 710 extension has run for about three decades. After several defeats in court, as well as the stripping of construction funding by both federal and state authorities,
Caltrans is now exploring a compromise route of boring a tunnel beneath the city. Having purchased hundreds of properties along the proposed right-of-way in the 1960s, Caltrans proposed selling these in order to partially finance the tunnel; the Southern California real estate boom of the early 2000s caused those properties in South Pasadena alone to appreciate to a combined value of over $300 million.
Proponents believe that because the extension was never built, and because there are no four-lane arterials that run straight from
Pasadena to
East Los Angeles and no north-south freeways between the
Golden State Freeway (
I-5) 10 miles west and the
San Gabriel River Freeway (
I-605) 10 miles east, the entire western end of the
San Gabriel Valley suffers from severe
traffic congestion. Due the traffic problems there because, every single city government in the San Gabriel Valley except that of South Pasadena has signed a long-standing petition to the
United States Department of Transportation requesting for the 710's extension to be completed[citationneeded]. Many opponents to the 710 extension plan argue that the extension would do nothing to aid the congestion of the Los Angeles basin and would instead add nearly 109,000 trips through the area a day.
Schools
The
South Pasadena Unified School District includes five schools: three elementary schools (Monterey Hills, Marengo and Arroyo Vista),
South Pasadena Middle School, and
South Pasadena High School.
South Pasadena and the neighboring city of
San Marino have had a long-standing rivalry. In the early 1900s, these two cities shared the same high school, which was adjacent to the South Pasadena Public Library. Every year, the schools meet during football season to struggle for a victor's plaque that has been passed back and forth for many years. As of 2007, the South Pasadena team has won 27 times and 7 of the last 9 meetings. San Marino has won 23 times, and there have been three ties.
Geography
South Pasadena is located at (34.112958, -118.155778).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9
km² (3.4
mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 24,292 people, 10,477 households, and 6,003 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,726.5/km² (7,064.4/mi²). There were 10,850 housing units at an average density of 1,217.8/km² (3,155.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.32%
White, 3.04%
African American, 0.34%
Native American, 26.58%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 5.17% from
other races, and 4.47% from two or more races (perhaps explaining why these percentages sum to about 116%).
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 16.07% of the population.
There were 10,477 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were
married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,728, and the median income for a family was $72,039. Males had a median income of $55,336 versus $40,304 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $32,620. About 3.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over
Politics
In the
state legislature South Pasadena is located in the 22nd
Senate District, represented by Democrat
Gilbert Cedillo, and in the 44th
Assembly District, represented by Democrat
Anthony J. Portantino. Federally, South Pasadena is located in
California's 29th congressional district, which has a
Cook PVI of D +12 and is represented by Democrat
Adam Schiff.
Famous Residents
Children's Book Writer Lisa YeeFurther Information
Get more info on 'South Pasadena California'.
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