History

Pasadena's beginning dates to 1873 when a group of settlers from Indiana formed the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, and purchased land in the area of the old Rancho San Pasqual. As surveyed in 1874, the Association lands were bounded by the Arroyo Seco to the west, Wilson Avenue to the east, Villa Street to the north, and Mission Street to the south. Orange Grove and Fair Oaks Avenues were the major north-south streets. The earliest settlers came to the new colony to enjoy the climate and develop the land. Many saw the potential for farming enterprises; others came to speculate in land. By 1875, the colony was named Pasadena, more than forty houses were built, and a commercial center was developing along Fair Oaks and Colorado Avenues.

With the coming of the railroad and the real estate -boom of the 1880s, the new community attracted the attention of wealthy easterners and mid-westerners who began vacationing in the area to escape harsh winters. By 1890, Pasadena had grown from a sparsely populated agricultural village into a major resort town with a well-established reputation as a center of wealth and culture. Grand hotels were built to accommodate the seasonal visitors and many wealthy people built mansions along South Orange Grove Avenue (now Boulevard), which became known as "millionaires row."

By the turn of the century many of Pasadena's wealthy vacationers were making the city their permanent residence. About the same time, middle class and working class people began settling in the city, responding to booster literature which promised land at low prices and employment opportunities. By 1904 the area north of the original city boundaries was annexed; early settlers and landowners sold large tracts of land to developers who removed orchards and fields and divided the land into 50 or 60-foot lots. During the period 1900 to 1920, the population of Pasadena quadrupled from 10000 to 45000. A tremendous building boom followed the population increase and residences influenced by the then popular Arts and Crafts movement were constructed throughout the city. - NPS