A branch of the Tongva Nation. They spoke theTongva language (part of the Uto-Aztecanlanguages group) that lived in the Los Angeles Basin for thousands of years. The original inhabitants of Pasadena and surrounding areas were members of the Native American Hahamog-na Tongva dwellings lined the Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) in present day Pasadena and south Pasadena where it joins the Los Angeles River and along other natural waterways in the city.

Pasadena is the ninth-largest city in Los Angeles County, and on June 19, 1886, became the fourth to be incorporated in Los Angeles County, after Anaheim(March 18, 1876) and Santa Ana (June 1, 1886), which were part of Los Angeles County until Orange County was formed in 1889. It was largely as a ploy to get rid of its saloons.