Topic > Pasadena Development History

For starters, Pasadena, located in the Houston-Galveston region, is one of the myriad jewels that Harris County and the state of Texas have to offer. Pasadena's history begins with its founding in 1893 by John H. Burnett. It took its name from the Californian Pasadena, which derives from the Chippewan word meaning "Crown of the Valley". In 1894, construction of the La Porte, Houston, and Northern Railroad began, allowing the area to transition to agriculture. It is worth mentioning the effort that both Cora Bacon Foster and Charles R. Munger made to make Pasadena an organized community. Not long after, many churches of different denominations began to establish themselves on the land, including: Methodist (1896) and Baptist (1898). But in 1900, an unexpected natural disaster occurred; Hurricane Galveston prompted a member of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, to donate an estimated 1.5 million strawberry plants to farmers. Albeit by accident, Pasadena became the area's strawberry center, so much so that it adopted the nickname "Pasadena Acres." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Additionally, in 1899, the Pasadena Independent School District was formed, becoming the first of its kind in Harris County. Likewise, Pasadena High School opened its doors in 1924. However, decision time came with the arrival of the 1920s; the never-ending struggle for incorporation ruled over Pasadena. On December 22, 1923, Pasadena decided to incorporate into a corporation, only to reverse its decision the following year. Ironically, Pasadena decided to reincorporate in 1928. However, the most dramatic change for Pasadena did not occur until the 1930s, when the culture began to shift from agriculture to industrialization. Many major oil and gas companies began building refineries after the discoveries at Deer Park. Additionally, due to Pasadena's location and its proximity to Buffalo Bayou, a shipbuilding industry soon followed, especially after the completion of the Houston Ship Channel. Today, Pasadena has grown through the annexation of nearby territories and has an infamous Philharmonic, it is also home to San Jacinto College and the Texas Chiropractor College. Additionally, Pasadena has many activities and sites that attract tourists, such as the Bay Area Museum, the San Jacinto Strawberry Festival, and the Pasadena Rodeo. Over the years, as Pasadena has developed, its population has been affected accordingly due to a plethora of changes, technologies and economic activities, which have severely altered the population and development of Pasadena. First, early records of Pasadena's population estimate that around 200 people lived there in the early 20th century. As time passed, the inhabitants of Pasadena multiplied in number; in the 1940s, the population consisted of approximately 3,436 Pasadenians. Furthermore, towards the end of the 1950s, an astonishing growth rate was achieved. The population increased overall by 554.34%, for a total of 22,483 people. Unfortunately, this influential population influx did not progress further as it continued to grow over the following decades, but not to the levels mentioned above. In the 1960s there was an estimated 58,737 inhabitants. Likewise, in the 1970s there was an increase of 31,220 people in the area, and by the 1980s the population had risen to a total of 112,560 people. With the dawn of the new century the population grew to 141,674 inhabitants. In the new decade the population continued to increase at a minimal rate; however, things havetook a turn when in 2015 the population began to decline from the 154,246 residents achieved the previous year. Now that a trend based on a smaller increase has been established, the latest reports estimate Pasadena's population at 153,520 residents. To continue, worldreviewpopulation.com states that Pasadena's population density is "3519.57 people per square mile with a household density of 1243.45 people per square mile." It also states that “16.4% of families and 19.6% of individuals are below the federal poverty line. 29.1% of those under 18 are in poverty and 9.7% of those 65 or older.” The World Population Review estimates that for every 100 females (median age: 32.3 years), there are 99.7 males (median age: 30.2 years); the average age of the Pasadenian population is 31.2 years. Pasadena residents have a median income of $48,607 dollars. There is a predominance of whites, as they make up 84.5% of Pasadena's population, followed by some other race/two or more races (10.0%). Thus, African Americans or Blacks provide an addition of 2.6%, and Asians make up 2.0% of Pasadena's population. Finally, American Indians/Alaska Natives make up 1.2% of the total population. On the other hand, Pasadena possesses a Major-Council system, which refers to a form of government that employs a mayor as the head of authority plus an addition of Council Members who serve for legislative purposes. Additionally, the Pasadenian government relies on the Code of Ordinances to manage and control the many protocols designed to keep the city functioning. Some of Pasadena's previous mayors were: Clyde McMaster, Sam Hoover, and Johnny Isbell. The current government of Pasadena consists of Mayor Jeff A. Wagner along with eight city council members each representing one district, who are: Felipe Villareal-District A, Bruce Leamon-District B, Don Harrison- District C, Sammy Casados-District D, Cody Ray Wheeler-District E, Phil Cayten-District F, Cary Bass-District G, and Thomas Schoenbein-District H. Accordingly, the City Council acts as the legislative branch and has the right to “…enact ordinances; impose taxes: adopt a budget; and establish compensation, among other legislative obligations. While the mayor serves as the executive branch and “…oversees the management of the day-to-day affairs of the city.” The city of Pasadena uses a budget to maintain its operation while being able to provide safety, services and leave room for improvements, which benefits the city as a whole. The adopted Fiscal Year 2018 Budget was carefully crafted to meet the city's needs and includes spending $214 million on city services. However, it plans to use $217.1 million in revenue along with reserved funds to reduce expenses compared to the previous year. More importantly, revenue comes from various sources, such as taxes: property ($48,282,030), sales ($41,632,500), industrial district ($17,104,000), utilities ($8,962,600), and more ($1,235,100). Not to mention revenue from services and fees, which includes, but is not limited to, water and sewer ($41,070,000), taxes and permits ($12,444,670), fines ($5,931,000), and more ($5,317) .806). All of these numerous forms of income work together to amount to a total of $181,979,706 in income. However, there are also many cost bases; first place stands, services (staff and contractual), materials and supplies, maintenance costs and capital outlay; Total spending is expected to be $108,013,455. In addition to this, the budget plan states its keen interest in “researching and developing revenue-enhancing and cost-reducing options, continuing!