Naomi Hirahara ( Japanese : 平原 直美 , born 1962) is an American mystery writer and journalist. She edited the largest Japanese-American daily newspaper, Rafu Shimpo for several years. She is currently a writer of both fiction and non-fiction works and the Edgar Award -winning Mas Arai mystery series.
93-708: Naomi Hirahara was born in 1962 in Pasadena, California , to Japanese parents, both of whom were survivors of the Hiroshima bombing . She began writing when she was in elementary school in Altadena , California. She received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in international relations with a focus on Africa and spent a summer during her studies volunteering with the YWCA in Ghana . After her 1983 graduation, she furthered her education at
186-565: A "Best Book" by Publishers Weekly. Summer of the Big Bachi was named one of the "10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004" by the Chicago Tribune , as well as one of the "Best Books of 2004" by Publishers Weekly . In 2019, CrimeReads included Iced in Paradise in their list of the year's best traditional mystery novels. Two years later, they included Clark and Division on their list of
279-478: A Sunday). The first parade was held in 1890 and was originally sponsored by the Valley Hunt Club , a Pasadena social club . The motivation for having the parade was, as member Professor Charles F. Holder said, "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." By 1895, the festivities had outgrown
372-614: A boon to Pasadena as Southern California became a major staging area for the Pacific War . High tech manufacturing and scientific companies made the city their home, a trend which continued in the decades following the war, notably with NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Tetra Tech and Ameron International. In the 1950s, Pasadena saw a steady influx of people from the Southern United States , especially African-Americans from Texas and Louisiana . Pasadena also began hosting
465-595: A cost of $ 588-million. This new bridge replaced a 1932 viaduct of the same name which was demolished in 2016 due to a fact that it would collapse if there were a major earthquake, and alkali-silica reaction – colloquially known as “concrete cancer.” Pedestrian and bicycle access points link to other projects such as 12 acres of new park space below the viaduct. Shopping centers include FIGat7th , and The Bloc Los Angeles , an open-air shopping area. Others include Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo , City National Plaza ,
558-643: A decade. A year later, the 210 Freeway was built along a newly chosen route. The freeway's construction was controversial, as it caused the demolition of over a thousand homes, many historic, and many claimed that the route was designed to cut off the city's less wealthy neighborhoods. Downtown Pasadena became dangerous in some parts and deserted in others, and incidences of murder and arson skyrocketed. Old Pasadena faced destruction as plans for new high-rise developments were drawn up, though they were mostly stopped by increasingly active preservation advocates. Pasadena suffered demographically as many residents moved for
651-402: A female householder with no husband present, 2,460 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,016 (5.5%) unmarried partnerships . 18,838 households (34.1%) were made up of individuals, and 5,748 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 30,876 families (55.9% of all households); the average family size
744-512: A float, going through the parade together with the line of parades. The Rose Courts also represent their own local communities and their high school that they attend. The Rose Bowl , a National Historic Landmark , is host of the first and most famous college football postseason bowl game , the Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl Game, every New Year's Day. In 1895, the Tournament of Roses Association
837-478: A gesture of good will, Wilson added 2,000 acres (8 km ) of then-useless highland property, part of which would become Altadena . Colonel Jabez Banbury opened the first school on South Orange Grove Avenue. Banbury had twin daughters, named Jennie and Jessie. The two became the first students to attend Pasadena's first school on Orange Grove. At the time, the Indiana Colony was a narrow strip of land between
930-451: A large immigrant community, particularly from China , Japan , Philippines , Mexico , Guatemala , El Salvador , Italy , Armenia , and India . The American Academy of Dramatic Arts , founded in 1884 in New York, opened its Pasadena campus in 1974. However, in 2001 the conservatory moved from Pasadena to Hollywood. Training actors for the stage in a two year program, the conservatory
1023-465: A major bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Seventh and Alameda streets. Los Angeles World Airports operates a direct shuttle, LAX FlyAway Bus, every 30–60 minutes between Union Station and Los Angeles International Airport . Downtown Los Angeles is home to several public parks, plazas, gardens and other open space: Several future park proposals for the district make use of public-private partnerships between developers and
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#17330940764281116-497: A population of roughly 85,000 residents, with an estimated daytime population of over 200,000 people prior to the COVID-19 pandemic . Downtown Los Angeles is divided into neighborhoods and districts, some overlapping. Most districts are named for the activities concentrated there now or historically, such as the Arts , Fashion , Banking , Theater , Toy , and Jewelry Districts. It is
1209-523: A real estate boom. Tourist hotels were developed in the city. Pasadena became a winter resort for wealthy Easterners, spurring the development of new neighborhoods and business districts, and increased road and transit connections with Los Angeles. In 1940, when the Arroyo Seco Parkway , California's first freeway, connected Pad. By that time, Pasadena had become the eighth-largest city in California and
1302-649: A survivor of the atomic bomb, but the character was American-born. Though he has a degree, prejudice keeps him from other work, and he becomes a gardener, mirroring Hirahara's father's experience. Mas Arai became the featured character in Gasa Gasa Girl , Snakeskin Shamishen , Blood Hina and Strawberry Yellow . (Strawberry Yellow takes place in Watsonville , Ca and at the Redman Hirahara Farmstead .) In 2007,
1395-472: A whole. The median household income in 2008 dollars was $ 15,003, considered low for both the city and the county. The percentage of households earning $ 20,000 or less (57.4%) was the highest in Los Angeles County, followed by University Park (56.6%) and Chinatown (53.6%). The average household size of 1.6 people was relatively low. Renters occupied 93.4% of the housing units, and home or apartment owners
1488-463: A wide variety of restaurants, nightclubs, outdoor cafés, pubs, and comedy clubs. "One Colorado" features renovated historic architecture that attracted the new retail stores and restaurants. This development filled vacant buildings and was the impetus of the revitalization of Old Town on Colorado Boulevard . Paseo Colorado is an open-air mall that covers three city blocks, anchored on the west end by upscale grocery store Gelson's (recently closed), on
1581-731: 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. Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles ( DTLA ) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles . It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a 5.84 sq mi (15.1 km ) area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has
1674-505: Is a large swap meet that involves thousands of dealers and tens of thousands of visitors in and around the grounds of the Rose Bowl. The merchandise on display ranges from old world antiques to California pottery to vintage clothing. The flea market has been held every second Sunday of the month since 1967. According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in
1767-481: Is accessible from various parts of the Los Angeles Basin. The cultural life has also made the area attractive to young tech employees. Two Bit Circus is the only amusement park located in the area. Anschutz Entertainment Group has its corporate headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. BYD Company , a Chinese technology firm, has its North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. The Last Bookstore
1860-715: Is bounded by the Raymond Fault line, the San Rafael Hills , and the San Gabriel Mountains . The Arroyo Seco , a major geographic feature and home of the Rose Bowl, flows from headwaters in Pasadena's towering Angeles National Forest greenbelt in the San Gabriel Mountains . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.1 square miles (60 km ), over 99% of it land; 0.68%
1953-475: Is known for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade . It is also home to many scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , Pasadena City College , Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine , Fuller Theological Seminary , Theosophical Society , Parsons Corporation , Art Center College of Design ,
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#17330940764282046-524: Is located in downtown Los Angeles. DTLA is a node in the tech economy that extends beyond Silicon Beach . A venture capital firm counted 78 tech-oriented firms in DTLA in 2015. This included mobile apps, hardware, digital media and clean-tech companies plus co-working spaces, start-up incubators, and other related businesses. The Arts District has become a popular spot for companies seeking out something different from typical modern offices. The central location
2139-503: Is now called the Historic Core . By 1920, the city's private and municipal rail lines were the most far-flung and most comprehensive in the world in mileage, even besting that of New York City . By this time, a steady influx of residents and aggressive land developers had transformed the city into a large metropolitan area, with DTLA at its center. Rail lines connected four counties with over 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of track. During
2232-414: Is typically sparse, but the marine layer becomes more persistent. Locals have dubbed June " June Gloom " as it is the cloudiest month despite being the 3rd driest month. By July, the marine layer subsides as inland areas cool due to an increased monsoon flow. Heatwaves from July through October can be oppressive and lengthy. In addition, it rarely rains during the summer and fall months, and only does when
2325-657: Is water. Pasadena has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ), with typically hotter summers and slightly cooler winters than nearby coastal areas. Its location relative to the San Gabriel mountains allows the orographic lift to add several more inches of rainfall per year than nearby areas. During the first few months of the year, Pasadena experiences cool to warm highs, typically in the upper 60s (16–18 °C) to lower 70s (21–24 °C). Colder days are usually accompanied by heavier rain. By April, temperatures warm further, and rain tapers off significantly. By May and June, rain
2418-483: Is well represented in Pasadena. The architectural firm Greene and Greene developed the style; many of its residences still stand. Two examples of their Ultimate bungalow are the masterpiece Gamble House , of which public tours are available, and the Robert R. Blacker House , both designated California Historical Landmarks and enrolled on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . The Second World War proved to be
2511-530: The Fifth Street Store /Walker's, serving a variety of socioeconomic groups from across the city and suburbs. All but Coulter's would, in the 1920s–1950s, launch branches dotting shopping centers across a growing Southern California. Numerous specialty stores also flourished including those in the jewelry business which gave rise to the Downtown Jewelry District. Among these early jewelers included
2604-540: The Historic Core neighborhood. Despite its relative decentralization and comparatively new high-rises (until 1958, the city did not permit any structures taller than the 27-story City Hall building ), Los Angeles has one of the largest skylines in the United States , and its development has continued in recent years. The skyline has seen rapid growth due to improvements in seismic design standards, which has made certain building types highly earthquake-resistant. Many of
2697-523: The Homer Laughlin Building , and the Los Angeles Mall . Downtown Los Angeles is flanked by Echo Park to the north and northwest, Chinatown to the northeast, Boyle Heights to the east, Vernon to the south, Historic South Central and University Park to the southwest, and Pico-Union and Westlake to the west. Downtown is bounded on the northeast by Cesar Chavez Avenue , on
2790-611: The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo. After a brief job as an editorial assistant, Hirahara began working at the Rafu Shimpo newspaper in 1984 as writer about the city of Los Angeles. Three years later, she began working at a boutique public relations firm to allow more time for creative writing and taking classes at the UCLA extension. After three years, she
2883-623: The Los Angeles Basin for thousands of years. Pasadena means "valley" in the language of the Ojibwe , a Native American tribe not local to the region. The name was chosen by American colonists from Indiana who would later move to the area. The Spanish first colonized the Los Angeles Basin in the 1770s as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain , building the San Gabriel Mission and renaming
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2976-872: The Planetary Society , the Pasadena Playhouse , the Ambassador Auditorium , the Norton Simon Museum , and the USC Pacific Asia Museum . The earliest known inhabitants of Pasadena and its surroundings were members of the Native American Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva Nation. They spoke the Tongva language , part of the Uto-Aztecan language group. Native Americans had lived in
3069-492: The San Gabriel Valley . Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its population was 138,699 at the 2020 census , making it the 45th largest city in California and the ninth-largest city in Los Angeles County. Pasadena was incorporated on June 19, 1886, becoming one of the first cities to be incorporated in what is now Los Angeles County, following the city of Los Angeles (April 4, 1850). Pasadena
3162-559: The 1920s once-stately Victorian mansions on Bunker Hill were dilapidated, serving as rooming houses for 20,000 working-class Angelenos. The Broadway theaters saw much use as Spanish-language movie houses during this time, beginning with the conversion of the Million Dollar Theater in the 1950s to a Spanish-language theater. In the early 2000s, the neighborhood became popular with Artists and Creatives due to low rent, open loft space, and many vacancies. In mid-2013, downtown
3255-540: The 1950s the area began to experience an economic decline. Still, it remained an important center for various activities—government business in the Civic Center, banking on Bunker Hill , and retail and entertainment, especially for Hispanic Angelenos and immigrants, on Broadway . Since the early 2000s, downtown has experienced a renaissance of economic revitalization, including the Crypto.com Arena in downtown's south end, and
3348-641: The Arai series focuses on California centered around the World War II generation, the Rush series is contemporary and expands on Hirahara's desire to speak from a woman's point of view. Her first book in which the main character was a woman was a juvenile fiction work, 1001 Cranes , published in 2008. Her most recent book in the Ellie Rush series, Grave on Grand Avenue (2015) has received positive reviews, and has been featured as
3441-606: The Arroyo Seco and Fair Oaks Avenue . On the other side of the street was Wilson's Lake Vineyard development. After more than a decade of parallel development on both sides, the two settlements merged into the City of Pasadena. The region drew people from across the country. In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened its Second District and began making stops at the Santa Fe Depot in downtown Pasadena. This triggered
3534-463: The Arroyo Seco area. The new stadium hosted its first New Year's Day football game in 1923. It was soon christened "The Rose Bowl", as was the game itself . The Rose Bowl , also holds annual Fourth of July events in its stadium. Since fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles County. Due to fireworks being banned or illegal, people gather together at the Rose Bowl to watch the night sky light up with colorful fireworks. The legendary Pasadena Playhouse ,
3627-714: The DTLA area. It was not a "census" but rather a comprehensive survey of Downtown LA consumers. An additional study by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that by 2017 the population reached 67,324. In early 2020 the population was estimated to have exceeded 80,000 at the end of 2019. Downtown Los Angeles is the center of the region's growing rail transit system, with six commuter lines operated by Metrolink , as well as six urban rail transit lines and local and regional bus service operated by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Major Metro stations in
3720-639: The Laykin Diamond Company (later becoming Laykin et Cie ) and Harry Winston & Co., both of which found their beginnings in the Hotel Alexandria at Fifth and Spring streets. Following World War II , suburbanization , the development of the Los Angeles freeway network, and increased automobile ownership led to decreased investment downtown. Many corporate headquarters slowly dispersed to new suburbs or fell to mergers and acquisitions. As early as
3813-650: The Mexican owners of Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual was Manuel Garfias , who retained title to the property through the American conquest of California in 1848 and statehood in 1850. Garfias sold sections of the property to the first Anglo settlers to come into the area: Dr. Benjamin Eaton , the father of Fred Eaton ; and Dr. S. Griffin. Much of the property was purchased by Benjamin Wilson , who established his Lake Vineyard property in
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3906-647: The Rose Court. There are total 7 candidates that advances to the Rose Court and one is chosen to be the Rose Queen and the others to be the Rose Princess. The Rose Court's main goal is to support local communities and local stores. They visit small stores owned by local residents to boost the activity of the area and to keep them in the current flow of the economics. During the Rose Parade, the Rose Court members are also on
3999-560: The Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds can produce heat, high winds, power outages, tree damage and an increased wildfire threat whenever they strike. By December, lows typically drop into the 40s (below 10 °C) with the occasional reading in the 30s (under 5 °C and down to freezing). Highs remain around 68 °F (20 °C) with heatwaves pushing temperatures into the mid-80s (around 30 °C). A high temperature of at least 85 °F (29 °C) has been recorded on all 365 days of
4092-657: The State Theater of California, is a member supported theater company that celebrated their centennial season in 2018. The theater puts on five shows a year. In 1937, the Pasadena Playhouse established a record as the only theatre in the United States to have staged the entire Shakespearean canon. Today, the Playhouse is known for their innovative productions. The Pasadena Symphony , founded in 1928, offers several concerts
4185-515: The Valley Hunt Club, and the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to take charge of the parade. The Rose Parade, as it is familiarly known, traditionally features elaborate floats, bands and equestrian units. According to the organizers, "Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers, or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds, or bark. On average a float requires about 100,000 flowers and greenery. Volunteer workers swarm over
4278-429: The adaptive reuse ordinance, leading to an increase in the residential population. With 28,878 residents in 2006, 39,537 in 2008, and over 60,000 in 2017, downtown Los Angeles is seeing new life and investment. Multiple Olympic and Paralympic events will be held in DTLA during the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics . After six years of construction, the new Sixth Street Viaduct opened on July 9, 2022 at
4371-530: The best view along the parade route. The Rose Parade is satirized by the popular Doo Dah Parade , an annual event that originated in Old Pasadena in 1978, and soon gained national notoriety. Reader's Digest named the Doo Dah Parade "America's Best Parade", and was a recent feature in 50 Places You Must Visit Before You Die! . It was formerly held around Thanksgiving, a month before the Rose Parade, but
4464-638: The building was under construction, L.A. City Council removed the flat roof ordinance as of 2015. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Central Health Center in downtown Los Angeles. The Southern California Liaison of the California Department of Education has its office in the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch
4557-410: The city are: Other companies based in Pasadena include Idealab , Inter-Con Security , Green Dot Corporation , Tetra Tech , Wesco Financial , OpenX , Stark Spirits Distillery, and Wetzel's Pretzels . The Los Angeles office of China Eastern Airlines is also located in Pasadena. Pasadena is home to the Tournament of Roses Parade, held each year on January 1 (or on January 2, if the 1st falls on
4650-656: The city is located just north-west of the townhall on the other side of Garfield Avenue. The 2010 United States Census reported that Pasadena had a population of 137,122. The population density was 5,928.8 inhabitants per square mile (2,289.1/km ). The racial makeup of Pasadena was 76,550 (55.8%) White , 14,650 (10.7%) African American , down from 19.0% in 1990, 827 (0.6%) Native American , 19,595 (14.3%) Asian , 134 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 18,675 (13.6%) from other races , and 6,691 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 46,174 persons (33.7%). Non-Hispanic White residents were 38.8% of
4743-569: The city of Los Angeles, including a public park at the proposed Nikkei Center development in Little Tokyo ; a 1-acre (4,000 m ) park at the Medallion development in the Historic Core; and a pocket park at the Wilshire Grand Hotel replacement project, currently under construction. Additionally, the city recently completed a new park located on the 400 block of South Spring Street in
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#17330940764284836-489: The congestion they could bring to the streets, and height limit ordinances were a common way of dealing with the problem. In 1911, the city passed an updated height limit ordinance, establishing a specific limit of 150 feet (46 m). Exceptions were granted for decorative towers such as those later built on the Eastern Columbia Building and United Artists Theatre, as well as the now-demolished Richfield Tower . The pattern of buildings in Los Angeles to feature flat rooftops
4929-505: The district include Union Station , Civic Center/Grand Park station , Pershing Square station , 7th Street/Metro Center station , Pico station , Little Tokyo/Arts District station , Historic Broadway station , and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station . Amtrak operates intercity passenger train service on five routes through Los Angeles Union Station : the Coast Starlight , Pacific Surfliner , Southwest Chief , Sunset Limited , and Texas Eagle . Greyhound Lines operates
5022-431: The early 1900s and was demolished in 1934. The world-famous Mount Lowe Railway and associated mountain hotels shut down four years later due to fire damage. Three hotel structures have survived, the Green Hotel (a co-op since 1926), the Vista Del Arroyo (now used as a Federal courthouse), and a residential tower of the Maryland at 80 North Euclid Avenue (a co-op since 1953). The American Craftsman era in art and design
5115-465: The early part of the 20th century, banking institutions clustered around South Spring Street, forming the Spring Street Financial District . Sometimes referred to as the " Wall Street of the West ," the district held corporate headquarters for financial institutions including Bank of America , Farmers and Merchants Bank , the Crocker National Bank , California Bank & Trust, and International Savings & Exchange Bank. The Los Angeles Stock Exchange
5208-452: The east by the Los Angeles River , on the south by the Los Angeles city line with Vernon, on the southwest by East Washington Boulevard and on the west by the 110 Freeway or Beaudry Avenue, including the entire Four Level Interchange with the 101 Freeway . The neighborhood includes these districts: The 2000 U.S. census found that just 27,849 residents lived in the 5.84 square miles of downtown—or 4,770 people per square mile, among
5301-476: The east end by Macy's (also closed) and Arclight Cinemas centers the middle portion of the mall. Another shopping district is located in the South Lake Avenue neighborhood. On Lake Avenue, a Macy's department store and furniture gallery is in a registered California historical landmark. The building was originally designed and built as the fourth Bullock's department store in the mid-1950s (the last freestanding store they constructed). The Rose Bowl Flea Market
5394-506: The eastern Pacific and dry years with La Niña cold water conditions. The most rainfall in one month was 19.70 inches (500.4 mm) in February 1980. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 7.70 inches (195.6 mm) on March 2, 1938. Situated at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, snow is known to fall occasionally in Pasadena. The heaviest snowfall in Pasadena history occurred on January 11, 1949; 8 inches (20.3 cm) fell at Pasadena's city hall and more than 14 inches (35.6 cm) fell in
5487-405: The find a secret, Berry code-named the area "Muscat" after the grape that Wilson grew. To raise funds to bring the company of people to San Pascual, Berry formed the Southern California Orange and Citrus Growers Association and sold stock in it. The newcomers were able to purchase a large portion of the property along the Arroyo Seco and on January 31, 1874, they incorporated the Indiana Colony . As
5580-399: The floats in the days after Christmas, their hands and clothes covered with glue and petals." The most perishable flowers are placed in small vials of water, which are placed onto the float individually. Over the almost 3 hours of the parade, floats, and participants travel over five miles (8.0 km) and pass by over one million viewers who traditionally camp out over New Year's Eve to have
5673-413: The foothills above the city. The most recent snowfall in Pasadena was 1 inch (2.5 cm) on February 21, 2019. On November 30 and December 1, 2011, Pasadena, along with surrounding communities, was struck by a major windstorm caused by Santa Ana winds. The city suffered heavy damage with trees toppled, buildings damaged and even the roof of a gas station torn off. The official NOAA weather station for
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#17330940764285766-441: The hub for the city's urban rail transit system , as well as the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail system covering greater Southern California . Also located in downtown is the Civic Center , the administrative core of the city government . Historically, downtown held a dense concentration of banks , department stores , and movie palaces that drew residents and visitors of all socioeconomic classes, but after
5859-421: The local Tongva people "Gabrielino Indians", after the name of the mission. Today, several bands of Tongva people live in the Los Angeles area. In 1821, Mexico became independent of Spain, and California came under control of the Mexican government. In 1833, the mission lands were secularized and most of the lands in California were granted to private Mexican citizens in the form of ranchos. Present-day Pasadena
5952-431: The lowest densities for the city of Los Angeles but about average for the county. The Southern California Association of Governments estimates that downtown's daytime population is 207,440. The population increased to 34,811 by 2008, according to city estimates. By the end of 2019, the population of the district had grown to 85,000 residents, and 7,956 residential units were under construction. The median age for residents
6045-454: The nearby suburbs or the Inland Empire , causing an overall decrease in population. Despite these setbacks, many local artists and hipsters moved in to take advantage of low property values. Their legacy can be seen today in the Doo Dah Parade which began in 1976. In 2014, several arrests were made involving an embezzlement scheme which stole an estimated $ 6.4 million from the city's Underground Utility Program. The greater Pasadena area
6138-475: The new skyscrapers contain a housing or hotel component. Some current and upcoming examples of skyscraper construction include: The first height limit ordinance in Los Angeles was enacted following the completion of the 13-story Continental Building , located at the southeast corner of Fourth and Spring streets. The purpose of the height limit was to limit the density of the city. There was great hostility to skyscrapers in many cities in these years, mainly due to
6231-457: The nightlife, shopping and entertainment district of the city, with over a dozen theater and movie palaces built before 1932. Department stores, most that had grown from local dry goods businesses, moved from Spring and Main streets around Temple and 1st , to much larger stores along Broadway, including The Broadway , Hamburger's, which became May Co. , Robinson's , Bullock's , Coulter's , Desmond's , Silverwoods , Harris & Frank , and
6324-461: The parade is now held in January. In 2011, after 33 years in Pasadena, the parade moved to East Pasadena for the first time. It features unusual and absurd entrants such as the BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, the Men of Leisure, and the Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin. Proceeds from the parade's pancake breakfast, T-shirts, and after-party are donated to charity. The Tournament of Roses also auditions local female high school students to be part of
6417-439: The population living below the federal poverty line. For people ages 25 and over, 88.3% had a high school degree or higher while 52.3% had a Bachelor's degree or higher. According to Mapping L.A. , Mexican and English were the most common ethnic ancestries cited by residents in 2000. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth. Old Town Pasadena spans 21 blocks downtown. It boasts shops and
6510-414: The population, down from 70.4% in 1970. The Census reported that 133,629 people (97.5% of the population) lived in households, 2,472 (1.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,021 (0.7%) were institutionalized. There were 55,270 households, out of which 14,459 (26.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 22,285 (40.3%) were married couples living together, 6,131 (11.1%) had
6603-439: The region had "all the requisites for a large settlement". On September 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by a group of settlers who trekked north from present-day Mexico. Like most urban centers in the Spanish Empire , the town grew in a grid-like street pattern around a central plaza which faced the first church . The area passed to American control in 1847, and the small town grew to 11,000 by 1880, The business district
6696-535: The remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms pass by. In fact, some days in both July and August have never recorded rainfall. It is not impossible to go 6 months without measurable precipitation. The average highest temperature recorded each year is around 106 °F (41 °C). The hottest heatwaves of the year usually occur in mid to late September. By late October, temperatures drop off. By November, Pacific storms return to Pasadena, bringing increasingly heavy rain and cooler weather. Along with them, however, are
6789-418: The rest. In 2000, there were 2,400 military veterans living downtown, or 9.7% of the population, considered a high rate for the city but average for the county overall. In 2010, census data concluded that 40,227 people lived in downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, a study by Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that of the 52,400 people resided in downtown Los Angeles, the demographic breakdown
6882-460: The restoration and repurposing of historic buildings in the area. The Tongva village of Yaanga was located in what is now downtown Los Angeles, possibly near or underneath where the Bella Union Hotel was located (now Fletcher Bowron Square ). Father Juan Crespí , a Spanish Franciscan missionary charged with exploring sites for Catholic missions in California , noted in 1769 that
6975-401: The second–most diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles, its diversity index being 0.743, outrated only by Mid-Wilshire . The ethnic breakdown in 2000 was Latinos , 36.7%; blacks , 22.3%; Asians , 21.3%; whites , 16.2%, and others, 3.5%. Mexico (44.7%) and Korea (17%) were the most common places of birth for the 41.9% of the residents who were born abroad, about the same ratio as in the city as
7068-632: The third book in her series, Snakeskin Shamishen won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The following year, the series began being released in Japan. In 2014, Hirahara began a new series, though Mas Arai's story has at least two more chapters. The new series features a young bicycle policewoman, Ellie Rush, who is the central character in Hirahara's seventh novel, Murder on Bamboo Lane . While
7161-618: The vicinity. Wilson, known as Don Benito to the local Indians, also owned the Rancho Jurupa ( Riverside, California ) and was mayor of Los Angeles . He was the grandfather of WWII General George S. Patton, Jr. and the namesake of Mount Wilson . In 1873, Wilson was visited by Dr. Daniel M. Berry of Indiana, who was looking for a place in the country that could offer a mild climate for his patients, most of whom suffered from respiratory ailments. Berry, an asthmatic, concluded that he had his best three nights' sleep at Rancho San Pascual. To keep
7254-476: The year's best crime novels. Amazon also included the novel on their list of the year's best Mysteries and Thrillers. Pasadena, California Pasadena ( / ˌ p æ s ə ˈ d iː n ə / PAS -ə- DEE -nə ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California , United States, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles . It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of
7347-530: The year, with temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C) possible April through early November. Pasadena averages 20.08 inches (510.0 mm) of rain a year, about 6 inches (150 mm) more than nearby Los Angeles due to the orographic effect created by the San Gabriel Mountains . The wettest "rain year" was from July 1940 to June 1941 with 46.32 inches (1,176.5 mm) and the driest from July 1960 to June 1961 with 7.18 inches (182.4 mm). Wet years are commonly associated with El Niño warm surface water in
7440-438: Was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%. 64,306 people (46.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 69,323 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units . According to the 2010 United States Census, Pasadena had a median household income of $ 69,302, with 13.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line . During 2015–2019, Pasadena had a median household income of $ 83,068, with 14.5% of
7533-654: Was 3.18. The age distribution of the population was as follows: 26,507 people (19.3%) were under the age of 18, 12,609 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 45,371 people (33.1%) aged 25 to 44, 34,073 people (24.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 18,562 people (13.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. There were 59,551 housing units at an average density of 2,574.8 units per square mile (994.1 units/km ), of which 24,863 (45.0%) were owner-occupied, and 30,407 (55.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
7626-400: Was 39, considered old for the city and the county . Downtown Los Angeles is almost evenly balanced among the four major racial and ethnic groups— Asian Americans (23%), African Americans (22%), Latinos (25%) and non-Hispanic whites (26%)—according to an analysis of 2010 census data made by Loyola Marymount University researchers. A study of the 2000 census showed that downtown was
7719-432: Was 52.7% Caucasian, 20.1% Asian, 17.0% Latino, and 6.2% African-American; 52.9% female, 47.1% male; and 74.8% of residents were between the ages of 23–44. The median age for residents was 34. The median household income was $ 98,700. The median household size was 1.8. In terms of educational attainment, 80.1% of residents had completed at least 4 years of college. The study was a self-selecting sample of 8,841 respondents across
7812-608: Was also located on the corridor from 1929 until 1986 before moving into a new building across the Harbor (110) Freeway . Commercial growth brought with it hotel construction—during this time period several grand hotels, the Alexandria (1906), the Rosslyn (1911), and the Biltmore (1923), were erected—and also the need for venues to entertain the growing population of Los Angeles. Broadway became
7905-742: Was asked to come back as an editor at the Rafu Shimpo and began writing nonfiction books in the 1990s. In 1996, Hirahara quit her job, took a fellowship for creative writing with the Milton Center at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and committed to working full-time as a creative writer. In 2001, she published a non-fiction work, Green Makers: Japanese American Gardeners in Southern California and later that year published An American Son: The Story of George Aratani, Founder of Mikasa and Kenwood . In 2002, Distinguished Asian American Business Leaders
7998-778: Was centered along Main Street between the Plaza and First Street. Land speculation increased in the 1880s, which saw the population of the city explode from 11,000 in 1880 to nearly 100,000 by 1896. Infrastructure enhancements and the laying of a street grid eventually brought development south of the Plaza: Victorian Downtown Los Angeles in the 1800s and 1890s along Main, Spring and Broadway south to Third Street – all of which were razed to make way for today's Civic Center . After 1900, larger buildings were constructed along Broadway and Spring from Third to Ninth streets in what
8091-512: Was divided between Rancho San Rafael (lands west of the Arroyo Seco extending to present-day Burbank in the northwest to Glassell Park in the southwest), Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual , (present-day central Pasadena, Altadena , and South Pasadena ), and Rancho Santa Anita (present-day east Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia). Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual was so named because it was deeded on Easter Sunday to Eulalia Perez de Guillén Mariné of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel . The last of
8184-401: Was formed to take charge of the parade. In 1902, the association declared that a football game would be added to the day's events. This was the first post-season college football game to be played on New Year's Day and is known as, "The Grandaddy of Them All"; many other football stadiums followed suit. After two decades, the game outgrew its original facility, and a new stadium was constructed in
8277-770: Was noted as "a neighborhood with an increasingly hip and well-heeled residential population". Because of the downtown area's office market's migration west to Bunker Hill and the Financial District , many historic office buildings have been left intact, which is simply used for storage or remaining empty during recent decades. In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council passed an adaptive reuse ordinance , making it easier for developers to convert outmoded, vacant office and commercial buildings into renovated lofts and luxury apartment and condo complexes. As of early 2009, 14,561 residential units have been created under
8370-474: Was released. She sold her first fiction book, Summer of the Big Bachi in 2003, which received positive reviews in the Chicago Tribune , and later that same year was named by them as one of the "10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004". It was also selected by Publishers Weekly as a "Best Books of 2004". The book turned out to be the first of a series about an aging Japanese-American gardener, Mas Arai,
8463-475: Was the first school in the United States to offer professional education in the field of acting. Point Loma Nazarene University was located in Pasadena for many years before relocating to San Diego County , and retained the names Pasadena University and Pasadena College. In 1969, the Pasadena Unified School District was desegregated, though the issue would continue to be fought in court for
8556-538: Was the result of a 1974 fire ordinance which required all tall buildings in the city to include rooftop helipads in response to the devastating 1974 Joelma Fire in Sao Paulo, Brazil , in which helicopters were used to effect rescues from the flat rooftop of the building. The Wilshire Grand Center was the first building granted an exception by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 2014. However, as
8649-517: Was widely considered a twin city to Los Angeles. The first of the hotels to be established in Pasadena was the Raymond (1886) atop Bacon Hill, renamed Raymond Hill after construction.The original Mansard Victorian 200-room facility burned down on Easter morning of 1895, was rebuilt in 1903, and razed during the Great Depression to make way for residential development. The Maryland Hotel existed from
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