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  • Essay / Pasadena Development History

    To begin, Pasadena, located in the Houston-Galveston area, is one of the myriad gems that Harris County and the state of Texas have to offer. Pasadena's history begins with its founding in 1893 by John H. Burnett. It takes its name from the Californian name Pasadena, which originates from the word Chippewan translating to “Crown of the Valley”. In 1894, construction of the La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad began, allowing the area to progress toward agriculture. Mention should be made of the efforts of Cora Bacon Foster and Charles R. Munger to make Pasadena an organized community. Soon after, many churches of different denominations began to establish themselves on the land, including: the Methodists (1896) and the Baptists (1898). But an unforeseen natural disaster occurred in 1900; The Galveston hurricane prompted American Red Cross member Clara Barton to donate about a million and a half strawberry plants to farmers. But by accident, Pasadena became the region's strawberry center, so much so that it adopted the nickname "Pasadena Acres." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Additionally, in 1899, the Pasadena Independent School District was formed, becoming the first of its kind in Harris County. Likewise, Pasadena High School opened in 1924. However, a period of decision arrived with the arrival of the 1920s; the endless struggle between incorporations reigned over Pasadena. On December 22, 1923, Pasadena decided to incorporate, only to reverse its decision the following year. Ironically, Pasadena decided to incorporate again in 1928. However, the most radical change for Pasadena did not occur until the 1930s, when the culture began to shift from agriculture to industrialization . Many major oil and gas companies began building refineries after the discoveries at Deer Park. Additionally, due to Pasadena's location and proximity to the Buffalo Bayou, a shipbuilding industry would soon follow, especially after the completion of the Houston Ship Channel. Today, Pasadena has grown through the annexation of neighboring territories and has a famous philharmonic. It is also home to San Jacinto College and Texas Chiropractor College. Additionally, Pasadena has many activities and sites that attract tourists, such as the Bay Area Museum, the San Jacinto Strawberry Festival, and the Pasadena Rodeo. As the years have passed, as Pasadena has developed, its population has been affected accordingly due to a plethora of changes, technologies, and economic activities that have severely altered the population and development of Pasadena. First, early records regarding the population of Pasadena estimate that approximately 200 people lived there in the early 20th century. Over time, Pasadena's residents have multiplied; in the 1940s the population numbered approximately 3,436 Pasadena residents. Furthermore, during the 1950s an astonishing growth rate was achieved. The population increased by a total of 554.34%, which represents a total population of 22,483 people. Unfortunately, this large influx of population did not progress further as the following decades continued to grow, although not to the levels mentioned above. The 1960s had a population estimate of 58,737. Similarly, the 1970s brought an increase of 31,220 inhabitants to the region, and by the 1980s the population had increased to 112,560. With the dawn of the new century, the populationgrew to consist of 141,674 inhabitants. In the new decade, the population continued to increase at a minimal rate; However, things changed when in 2015 the population began to decline from the 154,246 inhabitants obtained the previous year. Now that a trend based on a smaller surge has been established, the latest reports estimate Pasadena's population to be 153,520. To continue, worldreviewpopulation.com states that Pasadena's population density is "3,519.57 people per square mile with a household density of 1,243.45 people per square mile." Additionally, it states that “16.4% of families and 19.6% of individuals live below the federal poverty line. 29.1% of those under 18 live in poverty and 9.7% of those aged 65 or over. Worldreviewpopulation estimates that for every 100 women (median age: 32.3 years), there are 99.7 men (median age: 30.2 years); the median age of the Pasadena population is 31.2 years. Pasadena residents have a median income of $48,607. There is a predominance of White, as they make up 84.5% of Pasadena's population, followed by another race/two or more races (10.0%). Next, African Americans or Blacks represent an addition of 2.6% and Asians represent 2.0% of Pasadena's population. Finally, American Indians and Alaska Natives represent 1.2% of the total population. On the other hand, Pasadena has a major council system, which refers to a form of government in which a mayor is employed as the head of the authority, plus an additional council. Members who serve legislative purposes. In addition, the Pasadena government relies on the Code of Ordinances to manage and control the numerous protocols to maintain the functioning of the city. Some of the past mayors of Pasadena were: Clyde McMaster, Sam Hoover and Johnny Isbell. Pasadena's current government consists of Mayor Jeff A. Wagner and eight city council members each representing a district, namely: Felipe Villareal-District A, Bruce Leamon-District B, Don Harrison-District C, Sammy Casados-District D, Cody Ray. Wheeler-District E, Phil Cayten-District F, Cary Bass-District G, and Thomas Schoenbein-District H. Accordingly, the City Council acts as the legislative branch and has the right to “…enact ordinances; raise taxes: adopt a budget; and fix remuneration, in addition to other legislative obligations. While the mayor serves as the executive branch and “…oversees the management of the daily affairs of the city.” The City of Pasadena uses a budget to maintain its operating status by being able to provide safety, services and allow for improvements, benefits to the city as a whole. The adopted budget for fiscal year 2018 was carefully crafted to meet the city's needs and calls for spending $214 million on city services. Still, he intends to use $217.1 million in revenue as well as earmarked funds to reduce expenses compared to the previous year. More importantly, revenue comes from various sources, such as taxes: property ($48,282,030), sales ($41,632,500), industrial district ($17,104,000), utilities ($8,962,600) and others ($1,235,100). Not to mention the revenue generated by services and fees, which include, but are not limited to, water and sewer ($41,070,000), fees and permits ($12,444,670), fines ($5,931 000) and others ($5,317,806). All of these many forms of income work together to total $181,979,706 in income. However, there are also many cost bases; firstly, the stand, the services (personnel and contractual), the materials and supplies,!