Altadena, California

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**Altadena, California**
Altadena's location in Los Angeles County
County	Los Angeles County, California
Area - Total - Land - Water	22.5 km² (8.7 mi²) 22.5 km² (8.7 mi²) 0.0 km² (0.0 mi²) (0.00%)
Population - Total - Density	42,610 1,891/km²
Time zone - Summer - Winter	PST (UTC–8) PDT (UTC–7)
Latitude Longitude	34°11'19" North 118°8'5" West

Altadena is an unincorporated census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California approx. 14 miles from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center. The population was 42,610 at the 2000 census.

Featuring spectacular views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Altadena was developed as a suburb of Los Angeles in 1887. It has long refused annexation by neighboring Pasadena. Its unincorporated status allowed it to become a major settlement area for working- and middle-class African-Americans during a period in which non-whites were forbidden to live in the vast majority of greater Los Angeles.

The name Altadena derives from the Spanish alta, meaning "upper," and -dena from Pasadena; the area is adjacent to, but at a higher elevation than, Pasadena.^[1]

1 Government
2 Official tree and flower
3 Points of interest
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 History
7 Population History
8 Education
9 Further reading
10 References
11 See also
12 External links

[edit] Government

Altadena is part of the County of Los Angeles and is politically run by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors who have executive, legislative and judicial powers. There are five members of the Board of Supervisors, elected by geographic district. Altadena is in District five, presently represented by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. In 1975 a select group of Altadenans formed The Altadena Town Council with the help of then Los Angeles County Supervisor Baxter Ward and the Pasadena Chapter of the League of Women Voters. Among its charter members were star citizens Oscar Werner, Dewy Merril and Frank Bridel who formed with others a deliberative body that functions as an informal body of elected volunteer community representatives.

The Altadena Town Council acts as an ombudsman group to express to County, State and Federal agencies the will and wishes of the Altadena community. Altadena is identified collectively by eight census tracts (U.S. Census Bureau) from each of which two resident census tract representatives are elected. The Altadena Town Council meets monthly at the Altadena Community Center to provide a forum for residents and government officials to convene. The Altadena Town Council also has two standing committees which handle Land Use and Traffic issues. The Altadena Town Council has no legislative powers and makes no legal decisions for the community. It only operates to express consensus to governmental officials.

[edit] Official tree and flower

Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara)

Golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Altadena is the only unincorporated community of Los Angeles County to designate an official tree and flower. The designation was made by the Altadena Town Council and was officially recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Official tree: The Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara). Indigenous to the Himalayas, the deodar was brought as seeds to Altadena in 1883 by Founder John Woodbury who saw the beautiful trees in Italy. Two years grown the trees were transplanted to Santa Rosa Avenue where they now stand majestically as Christmas Tree Lane.

Official flower: The California Golden Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Indigenous to the southland the golden poppy was a landmark to Spanish sailors who recognized the area by a sweeping gold carpet. They referred to the marvelous vision as sabanilla de oro, "altar cloth of gold."

[edit] Points of interest

Christmas Tree Lane is a 0.7 mile stretch of Santa Rosa Ave from Woodbury Rd. to Altadena Dr. It has been a holiday attraction since 1920 and is the oldest large-scale outdoor Christmas lighting venue in the world. Each December, members of the Christmas Tree Lane Association festoon the 110 still standing giant deodars that line the street with thousands of Christmas lights. Christmas Tree Lane was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and is a California Historical Landmark.

Among Altadena's Christmas lighting attractions is the Balian Mansion which collects world-wide tours for its Christmas lighting display. The Balian Mansion has been lighted since 1955 and is arguably the pioneer of home holiday lighting. The Balian Mansion is located at the 5-point junction of Mendocino Street, Mendocino Lane, Allen Avenue, and East Glenview Terrace.

The historic Mount Lowe Railway was once a scenic railway that carried passengers to as many as four resort hotels high in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena and Pasadena. Although the mountains and the remains of the railway are not strictly in Altadena, the most direct trail to the sites, the Sam Merrill Trail, starts in Altadena at the top of Lake Ave and leads to Mount Echo, about 3 miles. Chaney Trail, just west of the intersection at Fair Oaks Avenue and Loma Alta St., is a forestry service road which leads to the old right of way. At pavements end one can choose a moderate .8 mile hike to the Echo Promontory, or proceed straight toward the site of the Mount Lowe Tavern, about 3.5 miles. The Mount Lowe Railway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

The Cobb Estate at the top of Lake Avenue is now a free botanical garden of the United States Forest Service. It is guarded by its historic gates which are easily bypassed to allow visitors and hikers to ascend its long and winding paved driveway to the site of what was once Altadena's premier mansions. This is found along side the Sam Merrill Trail which accesses Las Flores Canyon on the way to Echo Mountain.

[edit] Geography

Altadena is located at 34°11′19″N, 118°8′5″W (34.188605, -118.134795)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 22.5 km² (8.7 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 42,610 people, 14,780 households, and 10,671 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,891.0/km² (4,898.9/mi²). There were 15,250 housing units at an average density of 676.8/km² (1,753.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 47.30% White, 31.42% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 4.24% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 10.19% from other races, and 6.14% from two or more races. 20.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,780 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,549, and the median income for a family was $66,800. Males had a median income of $49,098 versus $38,054 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,604. About 7.4% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Altadena is an unincorporated community within Los Angeles County, California. Bordered by the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest to the north, the Arroyo Seco (City of Pasadena) on the west, the City of Pasadena on the south, and Eaton Canyon on the east.

The indigenous inhabitants of Altadena — and Pasadena — were the Tongva tribe who lived in the Arroyo Seco. Hahamog-na, the Chief, was met by General Gaspar de Portolà of the Mexican Army in 1770 as he was making an exploratory expedition of Alta California. With the establishment of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel (1773) and the Pueblo de Los Angeles (1781), the southern lands of California were claimed in the name of the King of Spain.

Home of Capt. John Woodbury, built 1882.

Altadena is the northernmost portion of Rancho San Pascual as established by the Mexican Government in 1826 after they had claimed independence from Spain. California was annexed in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and became a state in 1850. The Mexican Ranchos were then open to settlement from other parts of the Country. Rancho San Pascual was settled by the Indiana Colony in 1874 and incorporated as Pasadena, a Chippewa name derived from a translation for "Crown of the Valley", in 1886. The highland areas, such as Altadena, remained undeveloped areas of the Los Angeles County.

In 1880, Capt. Frederick Woodbury, cavalry retired, and his brother John Woodbury of Marshalltown, Iowa, purchased 937 acres known as the Woodbury Ranch. John Woodbury established the Pasadena Improvement Company in 1887 with a plot plan of residential development referred to as the Woodbury Subdivision. To attach a name to the community, they contacted Byron O. Clark who had established a nursery in the foothills in 1875 and had since moved away. He called his nursery "Altadena Nursery", a name he coined from the Spanish "alta" meaning "upper" and "dena" from Pasadena 4. Since Clark had moved away, Woodbury asked if he could use the name Altadena for his subdivision. Clark agreed.

Altadena Plot map of 1887 developed by John Woodbury.

The 1930's idea that Altadena came from an Italian concoction of "alta-eden" was contrived by members of the newly organized Altadena Chamber of Commerce (1924) in order to glamorize the burgeoning community. It has no basis in history. The 1887 original development rendering shows an Altadena Hotel, a railway yard that ran south to San Pedro and north to Salt Lake City, and streets named for California counties running east and west, and avenues named for Spanish female saints running north and south. Some of these street names still exist today: Mariposa, Mendocino, Calaveras, Alameda, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Santa Anita. El Molino was named Santa Clara, Fair Oaks was Santa Margarita, Olive Street was Santa Barbara. Lake Avenue was named for a lake that existed in Pasadena, not Lake County. But names like Shasta, Humboldt, Tulare, Santa Inez, Santa Maria and Santa Isabela were never realized.

The first home built on the ranch was that of Col. Jabez Banbury in 1882, a beautiful Italianate Victorian home that was razed in 1919. Banbury was a neighbor and comrade-in-arms of Frederick Woodbury, who built his home on the Ranch two months later. It still stands at the top of Madison Avenue in Altadena behind the Sheriff's Department on El Molino. A plan to build a mansion for John Woodbury at the northwest corner of Santa Rosa was proposed with a long driveway leading up from the Pasadena limit. The drive was planted with two year old Deodar cedar trees grown by Frederick behind the house from seeds brought from Italy by John. This mile long drive of trees has become the world famous Christmas Tree Lane.

Andrew McNally residence, 1888.

The newly sprouted community of Altadena immediately began to attract millionaires from the East. In 1887 Andrew McNally, the printing magnate from Chicago and his good friend Col. G. G. Green had built mansions on what was to become Millionaire's Row, Mariposa Street near Santa Rosa. Newspaper moguls Armiger Scripp and William Kellogg built side by side just east of Fair Oaks Avenue.

The Southern California land boom busted in 1888, not before the L.A. Terminal Railway was laid through town. But the high ideal of Altadena becoming a real estate dividend all but dwindled for the Woodburys. Still the community grew with wealthy speculators from the East, some seeking fairer weather, some better health, some real estate opportunities, some retirement. The community would grow, but at a slower pace than the Woodburys expected.

The Woodbury development accounts for that which happened west of Lake Avenue and south of Altadena Drive, what they called the Piedmont. Parts of the east side, generally past Pepper Drive, was a west portion of Rancho Santa Anita, essentially Arcadia today. Judge Eaton and Dr. Griffin purchased the land that ran to Eaton Canyon to add to the Ranch communities that settled the east side. Craig Ranch, Grogan Ranch, Fair Oaks Ranch and the Sphinx Ranch were all major contributors to the settlement of East Altadena.

Moving into the twentieth century, the vanguard of Altadena pioneers began to change, and with it came more community development, more philanthropy, more services, and more venues. Lafayette S. Porter (from 1887-1932) bought and developed large parcels near the Rubio Wash. The Altadena Country Club (from 1911-1944), now the Altadena Town & Country Club since 1946, had an 18-hole golf course that extended to Allen Avenue. There was an airport adjacent to the country club (1919-1921) that was established by Cecil B. DeMille.

The Altadena Country Club Parks development, where the Balian mansion (of Christmas lighting fame) stands, was opened in 1912, and Altadena Woods, where the "president" streets are, was developed in the late 1920's. Famous western novelist Zane Grey bought the 1907 Woodward house near Marengo and Mariposa in 1920. Mrs. Grey helped establish the Altadena Library District in 1926, and was its first Board President.

Prof. Lowe's world famous Mount Lowe Railway, opened in 1893, became part of the Pacific Electric Red Car system until 1936, and the Red Car ran into Altadena until 1941. Gen. Charles S. Farnsworth developed an uninteresting piece of Forestry Department property at Lake and Concha in 1928 to become Altadena (now Farnsworth) Park. In 1934, the Recreation Building on Mount Curve, later to be named the William B. Davies Building, was added to the park through funding by the WPA. In 1938, Davies also secured WPA funding for the Altadena Library Building on Lake Avenue. The library moved to its present location on the corner of Mariposa and Santa Rosa, replacing the Col. Greene mansion in 1968.

The grandson of Andrew McNally, Wallace Neff, became a famous Southern California architect. He started his career in Altadena with the design and construction of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church ( parish est.1918) which was dedicated in October of 1926. A companion parish, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, was established on the west side in 1957. The Church at the northeast corner of Calaveras and El Molino was originally a Methodist-served community church until 1934 when during the depression a Baptist society took over forming the Altadena First Baptist Church (which later merged with Bethel Baptist Church of Pasadena and was renamed Altadena Baptist Church). The Altadena Community Church on Altadena Drive just east of Lake was dedicated in 1948. St. Marks Episcopal Church was begun as a mission in 1909, but grew to finally building a parish church on Altadena Drive just east of Lake in 1948.

Altadena school, known as the Calaveras school has been at its present location, given some expansion, since 1906. St. Elizabeth Parish School opened in 1919. Eliot Middle School was completed in 1931 and named for Charles W. Eliot, President of Harvard College. Eliot had visited Altadena in the past looking at establishing observatories on Mt. Wilson and Mt. Harvard.

Over the years Altadena has been subject to attempted annexation by Pasadena. Annexation was stopped in 1956 by community campaigns though it has been resurrected several times since by Pasadena without success.

[edit] Population History

1960 — 40,568
1970 — 42,415
1980 — 40,510
1990 — 42,658
2000 — 42,610

Source: U.S. Census Bureau [1]

[edit] Education

Public schools

Residents are zoned to Pasadena Unified School District schools.

Zoned elementary schools include:

Altadena Elementary School
Burbank Elementary School
Franklin Elementary School
Jackson Elementary School
Loma Alta Elementary School

All residents are zoned to Eliot Middle School.

Some residents are zoned to Muir High School, while others are zoned to Pasadena High School.

Private schools

Pasadena Waldorf School

[edit] Further reading

The Altadena Historical Society
Altadena Town Council
Ives, Sarah Noble, Altadena, The Altadena Historical and Beautification Society, 1938, out of print.
Peterson, Robert H., Altadena's Golden Years, published by Webster's Pharmacy, 1976.