South Pas Portrait

One of the things I love the most about my 111-year-old house is the large beveled mirror above the mahogany built-in.  There are a few dings in the frame, but the mirror is crystal clear, and the bank of nearby windows offers the kind of soft-glow lighting that makes every day a good hair day.  In the century since my home was built, a lot of people have looked at themselves in that mirror. 

So how, exactly, has South Pasadena's reflection changed? The earliest inhabitants of our region were known as the– a wealthy, powerful, peaceful group of tribes displaced by the Spanish and absorbed into the San Gabriel Mission system in the late 1700s.  By 1834, Mexico had gained its independence from Spain, turning California into a Mexican province.  The oldest home in South Pasadena (an adobe on Foothill Street at the base of Raymond Hill) served briefly as headquarters for Mexican general Jose Maria Flores in 1847.  In fact, the humble South Pas adobe is where Flores and others drew up plans to surrender to the United States. 

In 1873, word of the West Coast paradise had reached the northeast, seducing many winter-weary Americans with promises of mild weather and abundant water along the lush .  Indiana doctor Thomas B. Elliot wrote about a gathering of “warm blooded and adventurous persons who could not endure the frigid cold of northern winters.”  That group formed the California Colony of Indiana, which eventually led to the founding of Pasadena and South Pasadena.

By the turn of the 20th Century, South Pas was beginning to boom.  Population grew from a mere 1001 in 1900 to 4659 in 1910.  By 1920, the population almost doubled to 7652.  In 1930, the population doubled yet again to 13, 730, as more and more people – mostly white – sought the good life along the Arroyo Seco.

Unfortunately, the good life was not available to everybody.  For more than two decades, in a chapter of our city’s (and country’s) less-honorable history, many of South Pasadena citizens openly campaigned to prevent non-whites from purchasing or renting any property here.

But the 1960s brought change to the face of our city. The new subdivision of had been built with a federal loan, which meant it was open to qualified buyers of any race, color or creed.  By 1969, 21 African-American children and 57 Asian-American children had enrolled in Monterey Hills elementary school.

 And the rest is beautiful, diverse history. 

Thereveals that South Pasadena now has 25,619 residents.  13,922 are white, 7,973 are Asian, 4,767 are Hispanic, 1,422 are listed as Other Race, 771 are African American, 107 are American Indian or Native Alaskan, 9 are Pacific Islanders and a whopping 1,415 are mixed race. (My husband and daughter are in that last category.)  We have fewer males than females – approximately 46% to 54%, respectively.  Our median age is 37.4 with close to 23% of the population under the age of 18.

City-Data.com crunches demographic numbers from a variety of sources and reports that South Pasadena is a highly educated city.  That’s no surprise to those of us who moved here for the award-winning school system.  According to City-Data.com, 93.6% of South Pasadena residents have high school diplomas, 56.1% have bachelor’s or higher degrees and 25% have graduate or professional degrees.  City-Data.com also tells us that despite South Pasadena’s reputation as a married-with-children community of homeowners, almost 33% of residents have never been married, 4.4% live together and close to 56% pay rent.

When it comes to occupations, the most common industries for South Pas males are professional, scientific and technical services.  The most common industries for women are educational services, followed by healthcare and professional services. South Pasadena comes in at #14 in City-Data.com’s Top 100 cities with largest percentage of females in professional occupations.  (22% of those jobs are related to education.)  South Pas also made #14 on the list of Top 100 cities with largest percentage of males working in the publishing, motion picture and sound recording industries.

If you study the statistics, you can get a fairly distinct official portrait of South Pasadena.  But living here reveals the playful expressions not recorded in census numbers and demographic pie charts. And when I say playful, I mean playful.  Almost every month offers a local event worthy of putting on party clothes.  Several art walks and street fairs reveal the creative, artistic, festive faces of our city.  The yearly celebrates the South Pasadena’s self-built Tournament of Roses float – the oldest self-built float in the parade. The upcoming proves that education (and educational fundraising) can be fun.  The annual has gained national recognition as a prime venue for up-and-coming musicians.  (Our very own whiz kid performed with his band last year.)  And we’ve all heard the old joke that more people march in the South Pasadena 4th of July Parade than actually watch it. 

Every Thursday, the serves as the ultimate block party.  Together, we pick produce, play outside and picnic on the lovely patch of grass next to the train station.  Last week, I noticed a preteen girl showing her friend an antique hand mirror she had just bought at one of the Mission Street antique stores.  It was silver – a bit tarnished – with a beveled edge.    

“It’s so old it’s historic!” she said.

“I like the way it makes me look,” her friend said.

I watched as they passed the mirror back and forth making faces:  the reflection of South Pasadena’s next generation, picture perfect and framed by history. 

For Laurie Allee’s original photo montage of the many faces of South Pasadena, click on the video in the photo box above. 

Download the movie