Old Pasadena, often referred to as Old Town Pasadena or just Old Town, is the original commercial center of Pasadena, California. It began as the center of an enlightened "Athens of the West" that gave rise to Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Beckman Instruments, Aerojet, and numerous other industrial giants. It was the home to Andy Warhol's west coast debut, the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art––one of the earliest and best modern art museums in the country, now the Norton Simon Museum––and before that a center of suffragist and pacifist movements, and other liberal causes.
By the late 1940s, the downtown area was blighted by flop houses, seedy bars, and pawn shops. It later became a hippie mecca with head shops, adult bookstores, and massage parlors. After decades of decline, Old Town saw a revival of its museum, retails, and restaurant scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In the 1990s, a mixed-use development made its first appearance in Old Town. With the arrival of the Metro Gold Line in 2003, Old Town Pasadena cemented its reputation as a hip and easily accessible place to live for people of all ages.
Who wouldn’t want to be able to live in a condominium or apartment, where you can walk out your door and within just a few minutes, be at a train station that gets you to Downtown Los Angeles in less than 30 minutes; or be shopping at a first-rate farmer’s market, grocery store, or boutique; or go clubbing; or get a dose of culture at the theater, movies, or world-class museums; or be eating at some of the country’s finest restaurants; or going to one of the many gyms in the neighborhood; or being pampered at Burke Williams; or having your hair or nails done?
If getting in your car and driving somewhere is more your speed, Old Town Pasadena is just minutes from the 110, 134 and 210 freeways. It is the perfect place to live if you work in Burbank, Glendale, Downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley or points east and south, including Arcadia, Duarte, and City of Industry.
Want to get away? In less than two hours (without traffic) residents of Old Town can be in Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach, or Lake Arrowhead.
Convinced that Old Town Pasadena is the place for you to live? Call us and we can help you find a place to call home!
