When you think about how many people live in South Pasadena, you probably don't see the neighborhoods divided in styes and lots. The city government did this in the 1940s, when they implemented an exclusion campaign through the use of restrictive housing covenants. Housing deeds that identified properties for whites only were common throughout the city. These deeds prohibited people of color from moving into white communities and disrupting racially homogeneous cities.
In 1973, the South Pasadena city council decided to close the border between the two cities, but a large crowd gathered to tear down the wooden barrier. Ultimately, the City of Los Angeles won a court ruling that removed the division, but South Pasadena appealed and won. The California Supreme Court ruled that cities could close any street, not just ones that divide two communities.
South Pasadena also features an original U.S. Route 66 that runs through the city. The Fair Oaks Pharmacy was a prominent landmark in the city, and the historic Rialto Theater is the oldest remaining single-screen cinema in the country. This theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, but unfortunately closed its doors in August 2007.
South Pasadena's boundaries remain similar to those of today's city. The city's boundaries are three and a half square miles, encompassing a mix of hillsides and flatlands that have some of the best real estate on the west side of the San Gabriel Valley. In 1876, unimproved land near water cost $75 to $150 per acre. In 2014, the city's boundaries will be almost identical to those of today.