Introduction to Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a Texas city located about 14 miles southeast of Houston in Harris County. The city is serviced by several thoroughfares, including Texas State Highway 225 (known as the Pasadena Freeway), Interstate I-45, and the Sam Houston Tollway. Pasadena is bordered by Deer Park (to the east) and Jacinto City (to the north). The city is home to San Jacinto College, the University of Houston at Clear Lake and the Texas Chiropractic College.
Founded in 1893, Pasadena was named for Pasadena, California, due to its lush vegetation and the similarities in natural beauty between the two cities. The advent of the La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad in 1894 opened the area for development as a farming community. After the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900, Clara Barton of the American Red Cross purchased over a million strawberry plants for Gulf Coast farmers, quickly establishing Pasadena as the strawberry capital of the region. Incorporated in 1928, Pasadena slowly transitioned from a farming economy to an industrial one. By the time of World War II, a major increase in the ship-channel industries solidified the transition in the city's economy. Employment in Pasadena today is still closely linked to the ship-channel industries as well as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in adjacent Clear Lake.
Pasadena Attractions
Pasadena has several museums, including the Pasadena Historical Museum and the Bay Area Museum. The Armand Bayou Nature Center is one of the largest urban wildlife and wilderness preserves in the nation. Pasadena also has a community theater, the Pasadena Little Theatre, which is one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the Houston area. The Pasadena Rodeo and Livestock Show is a yearly showcase event sanctioned by World Class Rodeo (WCR) which provides rodeo fans the opportunity to see world class athletes and livestock. A signature event in Pasadena is the annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival, which features live entertainment, arts and crafts, a carnival midway, and lots of strawberries. Some of nearby Houston's premiere attractions include the following:
- The Children's Museum of Houston
- Houston Museum of Natural Science
- Houston Zoo
- Houston Museum of Fine Arts
- The Museum of Health and Medical Science
- Six Flags Astroworld
- Space Center Houston
Also in Houston are several major-league professional sports teams. These include the following:
- Houston Astros (Major League Baseball)
- Houston Texans (National Football League)
- Houston Rockets (National Basketball Association)
- Houston Dynamo (Major League Soccer)
- Houston Comets (Women's National Basketball Association)
- Houston Aeros (American Hockey League)
