Boundaries

Historic Highlands is located on the northern boundary of Pasadena and as its name suggests, houses here sit at the foothills on the “higher ground” of Pasadena.   Historic Highlands is a neighborhood with the following boundaries:  E. New York Drive to the north, N. Hill Avenue to the east, E. Washington Boulevard to the south, and N. Lake Avenue to the west. 

Allure of Area

There are several reasons why people want to live in Historic Highlands.  For the most part, the homes are situated on generously- sized lots with an abundance of natural beauty: tree-lined streets, sprawling lawns, wooded yards and verdant landscapes.   Pride of ownership continues to be thematic throughout several Pasadena neighborhoods, and Historic Highlands is no exception.  Homes here appear to be slightly bigger and a bit more luxurious as compared to its neighbor immediately to the south, Bungalow Heaven.  You can tell that select homes in this area belonged to wealthy families and, as evidenced by the historical synopsis, prominent persons of their time.  – The people most likely to live here are those with deep roots in the area with homes being passed down a few generations, or people with good incomes that enter the well, established neighborhood; the price of homes in this area can get a bit steeper than the immediate surrounding communities.  – Overall, the neighborhood is very pleasant and suburban in nature.  – There is not any shopping and dining in the neighborhood, but not too far away, the South Lake District on Lake Avenue, between Colorado and California, offer a great variety of restaurants and shops.  – The traffic in Historic Highlands is light and is mostly comprised of local residents.  On the perimeter of Historic Highlands are the bigger streets and can get some moderate traffic during the mornings and early evening.  The 210 Freeway can be accessed just to the south on Lake Avenue, as well as the Metro Gold Line. 

Neighborhood Groups/ Associations

Much of the preservation efforts in Historic Highlands are headed by the Historic Highlands Neighborhood Association (HHNA).  This organization was established in order to keep the residents of Historic Highlands well informed and connected in their common interests to preserve architectural styles and community for the neighborhood.  One big distinction for Historic Highlands is that it became a Landmark District in January of 2008.  This distinction allows the fabulous homes in the area, predominantly Craftsman homes, to be protected and safe-guarded as the city now must scrutinize any developments or additions/ changes to homes within the neighborhood.       

Public Schools

These are the public schools that young residents of Historic Highlands would attend:

·         Elementary School:  Longfellow, Burbank or Webster

·         Middle School: Eliot  

·         High School: Pasadena

Significant Resident and Fact  

David McPherson built 1075 Topeka in 1906 (pictured below) and he resided at 1120 Atchison (pictured above)  until the time of his death.  Also, many of the streets in the Historic Highlands area were originally named after famous railroads which can be explained by McPherson’s long history as a railroad design engineer.    

History

The area known as Historic Highlands was incorporated into the City of Pasadena in 1925.  Before that, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this area was predominantly made up of orange groves in a remote country setting.  The area would then be transformed into a suburb as people began their migration from Midwestern cities.  Neighborhoods began to take shape and Historic Highlands would be born. 

Two notable pioneers in the Historic Highlands area of Pasadena are Ezra Dane and David MacPherson: 

Ezra Dane was originally from Massachusetts and arrived in Pasadena in 1883.  He bought 160 acres and began planting orchards because of his vast experience and success with orchards.  In 1885, the Dane family built their large ranch home known as “Sunnyridge on the Highlands.”  As the years progressed and into the new century, the Dane family would sell several large lots for residential homes to prominent business men and the growing demand to settle in Pasadena.

 David MacPherson was a railroad man, specifically a Santa Fe Railroad design engineer.  Much of the land that he owned would later have streets named after railroads such as Atchison, Topeka, and Rio Grande.