Living a Cultural Center Lifestyle in Pasadena, California

Pasadena, the City of Roses, is a small city of almost 150,000 that is located east of Los Angeles. It is the cultural center of the area with several colleges (Cal Institute of Technology) and many leading museums such as the Norton Simon and the Huntington Library and Gardens. 

Photo of Pasadena City Hall courtesy of Wikipedia and Oleknutlee.

Where to Retire in Pasadena and Home Prices

Pasadena has many interesting neighborhoods to live in, although, like much of California near the coast, it is very expensive. Bungalow Heaven is a neighborhood of 800 small craftsman homes built from 1900 to 1930. Many of these homes are still occupied. Much of the area became a landmark district in 1989.
The median home value of a Pasadena home was $843,463 in early 2020, according to Zillow.com. Median real estate taxes for homes with mortgages were over $4,000 according to City-Data.com.

What Is Special about Pasadena

The Rose Bowl and the Tournament of Rose Parade on New Years. Several important museums. Great colleges and a beautiful place to live.  Pasadena has a high Walk Score of 67.7 from walkscore.com. The Gamble House, an American Craftsman masterpiece, was built in 1908by architects Charles and Henry Greene, is an exemplification of their ultimate bungalow. It is open to the public as both an architectural conservancy and museum.

What Is Not Special about Pasadena

Pasadena is an expensive place to live. The current California drought is worrisome.

Climate and Physical Environment

Pasadena is north and a little bit east of Los Angeles. The average July temp is in the mid 70s and the average Jan temp is in the mid 50s. Summers are quite dry.

Restaurants & Cultural Scene

Cultural institutions include the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Art Center College of Design, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Norton Simon Museum of Art and the Pacific Asia Museum.  The Pasadena Symphony offers several concerts a year at the Ambassador Auditorium and the Pasadena Pops plays at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. The Civic Center also holds a few traveling Broadway shows each year. The legendary Pasadena Playhouse, presently in reorganization, usually presents seven shows a season.  There are numerous restaurants to choose from.

Crime

Crime in Pasadena is about 2/3 the national average.

Medical Facilities

There are several hospitals in Pasadena including Huntingdon Memorial.  Doctors are available for every specialty.

Transportation

Bob Hope Airport in nearby Burbank ofers service, and LAX is not too far away. Pasadena has a high Walk Score of 67.7 from walkscore.com. Pasadena is the northern terminus of the Los Angeles Metro Gold Line light rail, and there is also public bus service.  Amtrak offers service from Pasadena.

Valuable Links

Pasadena on Wikipedia

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