Pasadena | Location, Geography, History, Population, & Facts

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External Websites

• Official Tourism Site of Pasadena, California, United States
• Official Site of the City of Pasadena, California, United States
• Legends of America - Pasadena, California � A Village Inside a City

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Pasadena - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Pasadena California, United States Ask Anything Homework Help Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 1, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Homework Help Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

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Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026 • Jan. 1, 2026, 3:46 PM ET (AP) ...(Show more) Unbeaten Indiana and underdog Alabama are ready to roll in a rain-soaked Rose Bowl • Jan. 1, 2026, 1:51 PM ET (AP) Nasty weather on tap for New Year fetes at Rose Parade in California and revelers in New York City • Dec. 31, 2025, 4:15 PM ET (AP) Roses in the rain? New Year's Day parade in Pasadena gets wet forecast. Bundle up for NYC ball drop • Dec. 30, 2025, 4:59 PM ET (AP) Rain could be an unwelcome entry at the Rose Parade on New Year's Day. Bundle up for NYC ball drop • Dec. 29, 2025, 6:41 PM ET (AP) Show less

Pasadena, city, Los Angeles county, southern California, U.S. It is located in the San Gabriel Valley, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The area was part of Rancho el Rincon de San Pasqual, a northeastern section of the San Gabriel Mission (1771). The city was founded in 1874 by Thomas B. Elliott as Indiana Colony; the name Pasadena, an Ojibwa word meaning “crown of the valley,” was adopted in 1875. The city’s growth as a winter resort and citrus centre was stimulated by the Santa Fe Railway, and subsequent freeway construction brought it within easy commuting distance to Los Angeles, which lies 12 miles (19 km) southwest.

Pasadena’s economy is partly based on the California Institute of Technology (1891), which includes the Jet Propulsion Laboratory operated in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The city has become a centre of scientific research and light manufacturing, chiefly of precision instruments and electronic, aircraft, and missile components.

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Pasadena City (community) College (1924), Pacific Oaks College (1945), and Art Center College of Design (1930) are located in the city, which is also the home of the Pasadena Playhouse. The Norton Simon Museum of Art (formerly Pasadena Art Institute and Pasadena Museum of Modern Art) is renowned for its collection, as is the Huntington Library in nearby San Marino. The Pacific Asia Museum contains exhibits on the history and arts of Asia and the Pacific; its grounds contain a Chinese courtyard garden and koi ponds. The city is perhaps most famous for its New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses, first held in 1890, which features a televised parade attended by several hundred thousand people and the Rose Bowl classic, a contest between two major college gridiron football teams. Angeles National Forest is north of the city. Inc. 1886. Pop. (2010) 137,122; (2020) 138,699.

Britannica Quiz Guess the City by Its River Quiz The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by World Data Editors.