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() is a city south of Houston in Harris County, Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in the county, 15th largest in the state and 159th largest in the United States, next to its namesake city, Pasadena, California, the 160th largest. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston. At the time of its founding, the land's lush, flowering vegetation inspired Burnett to name the city after Pasadena, California.
As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 141,674, but as of 2007, it is estimated to be at 152,968. It claims largest all volunteer municipal fire department in the United States, the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department. The city's economy is closely linked to the nearby Houston Ship Channel and its related industrial districts, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in the bordering Clear Lake area.
The first inhabitants of the area are believed to have been the Karankawa Indians, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region.