More about Altadena

Altadena is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 42,610. Featuring spectacular views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Altadena was developed as a suburb of Los Angeles in the 1890s. It has long refused annexation by neighboring Pasadena. Its unincorporated status allowed Los Angeles County to overcome local NIMBYism and build several public housing projects from the 1940s onward; much of the African American and Latino population of the area resides in these buildings. The name Altadena apparently derives from the Spanish alta, meaning "upper," and -dena from Pasadena[1]; the area is adjacent to, but at a higher elevation than, Pasadena.