[5][6] Prior to European settlement the area around Galveston Bay was settled by the Karankawa and Atakapan tribes, particularly the Akokisa, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region.

Spanish explorers such as the Rivas-Iriarte expedition and José Antonio de Evia charted the bay and gave it its name.

Because this was the last conflict that led to the Mexican surrender, Pasadena and neighboring Deer Park have adopted the nickname "Birthplace of Texas".

In 1892 Colonel John H. Burnett of Galveston established an unnamed townsite on the Vince Survey just east of the Allen Ranch.

[15][16] Donations by the newly created Red Cross, including millions of strawberry plants to Gulf Coast farmers, helped revive the community.

The discovery of the oil field at Goose Creek led to increasing petroleum exploration around Galveston Bay.

[17] Eventually, the city gained the unofficial moniker Stinkadena by locals due to the pollution from its large industrial base.

"[27] Barnhart recalled that a half dozen Pasadena officials were indicted in the late 1950s and early 1960s for public corruption.

[27] In 1965, Houston Post reporter Gene Goltz Received the Pulitzer Prize for his exposure of government corruption in Pasadena, Texas, which resulted in widespread reforms.

The tornado moved northeast into La Porte city limits and damaged approximately 30 homes.

The city is bordered by the Houston Ship Channel (Buffalo Bayou / San Jacinto River) to the north.

Neighborhoods in Pasadena include: As of the 2020 United States census, there were 151,950 people, 48,174 households, and 36,201 families residing in the city.

The city's economy is closely linked to the nearby Houston Ship Channel and the Bayport shipping terminal and industrial district, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in the bordering Clear Lake Area.

[42] The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Houston V District Parole Office in Pasadena.

[20] Several country music songs have been recorded with "Pasa-get-down-dena" as the title including Kenefick on their album "Hard Road."

John Travolta, Debra Winger and other actors came to the city to film the 1980 hit movie Urban Cowboy, which depicted life and young love in Pasadena.

In 1989, Gilley's suffered an arson fire that gutted the interior of the building, including the mechanical bull used in Urban Cowboy.

The shell of the building stood until 2006, when it was demolished by the Pasadena Independent School District, its current owner.

[58] In 1900, Clara Barton of the American Red Cross purchased 1.5 million strawberry plants and sent them to Pasadena to help victims of the 1900 Galveston hurricane get back on their feet.

[79] Local residents have access to tennis courts, soccer fields, jogging tracks, walking tracks, picnic tables, family gathering pavilions at Pasadena's 47 parks, 5 swimming pools, and 5 game room buildings, museum, recreation center, 15 tennis courts and 21 ball fields.

[82] Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) is a 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) preserve on the western shore of Galveston Bay in Pasadena.

Hundreds of species of wildlife thrive in the narrow wooded streams and scattered lakes, ponds and marshes.

[citation needed] Armand Bayou also is a breeding and nursery ground for many finfish and shellfish and a haven for rarely seen species such as bobcats and owls.

[84] Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates a park & ride service from the Plaza Paseo Mall.

This joint venture between Harris County, the city of Pasadena and METRO extended select trips.

[87] Harris County Youth Village, a juvenile detention facility, is located in far southern Pasadena,[88] but it has a Seabrook postal address.