Pasadena

Pasadena (păs'ədē`nə).

1 City (1990 pop. 131,591), Los Angeles co., S Calif., at the base of the San Gabriel Mts.; inc. 1866. The city is a research and technological center with manufactures that include plastics, paints, paper, machinery parts, electronic equipment and systems, medical supplies, and computers. Pasadena is the scene of the annual Tournament of Roses and of the postseason college football game held (Jan. 1) in the Rose Bowl (seating 100,000 spectators). The city is also the seat of the California Institute of Technology (with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Pacific Oaks College. It has a symphony orchestra; a community playhouse; the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens; the Norton Simon Museum; the Pacific Asia Museum; and several gardens noted for their rare flora. Mt. Wilson Observatory is nearby.

2 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.

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Pasadena

City (pop., 2000: 133,936), southwestern California, U.S., at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Founded in 1874, it was incorporated as a city in 1886. It grew as a winter resort and citrus centre after the construction of the Santa Fe Railway and the freeway system that link it to Los Angeles to the southwest. It is a centre of scientific research, based on the California Institute of Technology and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is the site of the annual college football Rose Bowl and the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses, a flower festival begun in 1890.

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Pasadena

City (pop., 2000: 141,674), southeastern Texas, U.S., east of Houston. Founded in 1895, it was incorporated in 1929. After World War II the city grew rapidly, stimulated by nearby industrial development, especially in petrochemicals and aerospace. Northeast of the city is the site of the 1836 capture of Mexican Gen. Antonio Santa Anna after the Battle of San Jacinto.

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Pasadena

a city in SW California, east of Los Angeles. Pop.: 144 413 (2003 est.)