Pasadena Neighborhoods

The city sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, bounded on the west by the Arroyo Seco and on the south by the San Rafael hills and the border with San Marino. Colorado Boulevard runs east to west through the center and remains the city's main commercial spine.

West of Lake Avenue the street grid is flat and dense, with the historic commercial core, the civic center and the museum district clustered within walking distance of one another. East and north of that, the grid loosens into residential districts of Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Colonial Revival houses and mid-century infill.

Neighborhood boundaries in Pasadena are informal in places — landmark districts, homeowner associations and historic designations all draw slightly different lines. These guides use the boundaries residents commonly recognize.