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C+History
History · Pasadena

2 of Pasadena’s places are on the National Register

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #113 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Pasadena was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1894 on.

2on the National Register
0.8%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Pasadena’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Pasadena’s history

How historic is Pasadena?

C+

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Pasadena’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pasadena is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #113 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pasadena’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.8% of homes (±0.5) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register2 listings, 32 historic buildings, 9.3 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 40%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 57%

Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Pasadena’s 9.3 sits above most of its state (69% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 32 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Pasadena’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Pasadena, and 43 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18946 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1974. Watch Pasadena change.A historic districtThe U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay takes in 31 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Jacobsville
1872–1888
Armiger
1888–1909
Jacobsville
1908–1909
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Altoona BeachArmigerAspen ParkBarrington ManorBeauty BeachBohemia BeachBrandon ShoresBrightwater BeachBrookfieldBrookfield on the MagothyClearview VillageCountry PlaceDeerfieldDunbrookForemans CornerGreen HavenGreenlawn BeachGreenlawn ShoresHigh PointJacobsvilleKlasmeier PointLipins CornerLombardee BeachLong Hill
Gone or out of use
Marley Neck Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pasadena
Hall United Methodist ChurchMount ZionSolleys

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Pasadena’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pasadena’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHancock's Resolution, 2795 Bayside Beac…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Pasadena on the map, 1894 to 1974

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pasadena. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Pasadena on the 1894 USGS mapPasadena on the 1907 USGS mapPasadena on the 1946 USGS mapPasadena on the 1957 USGS mapPasadena on the 1969 USGS mapPasadena on the 1974 USGS map1894Relay sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pasadena.

The story so far

Pasadena, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pasadena yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Pasadena is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 24,287 at the 2010 census. The areas of Lake Shore, Riviera Beach and Pasadena are collectively referred to as Pasadena by residents. As all areas are governed by Anne Arundel County, there is no distinction in services such as fire, police, or public schools. All three areas are encompassed by the 21122 zip code. The collective area population was at 56,441 at the 2010 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 24,287 to 32,979 (+36%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Pasadena, 1872 to 1991

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Jacobsville post office opens
  3. 1888Post officeThe Jacobsville post office closes
  4. 1888Post officeThe Armiger post office opens
  5. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908Post officeThe Jacobsville post office opens
  8. 1909Post officeThe Armiger post office closes
  9. 1909Post officeThe Jacobsville post office closes
  10. 1982Born hereNilah Magruder is born here
  11. 1987Born hereMike Newton is born here
  12. 1991Born hereLauren Gibson is born here
By decade

Pasadena, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Hancock's Resolution, 2795 Bayside Beach RoadDate?Hancock's Resolution, 2795 Bayside Beach Road
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Hancock's Resolution, 2795 Bayside Beach Road
Retake this viewHancock's Resolution, 2795 Bayside Beach Road

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Pasadena’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 32 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
32
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay
U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis BayMarley Neck Rosenwald School
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Art Deco1
Rosenwald School Plan1
U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis BayColonial Revival
Marley Neck Rosenwald SchoolRosenwald School Plan

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Pasadena

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Nilah MagruderAmerican storyboard artist, comic illustrator a… · b. 1982
Katie Von SchleicherAmerican songwriter and musician
L
Lauren GibsonAmerican softball player · b. 1991
M
Mike NewtonPlayer of American football · b. 1987
B
Brian GaiaAmerican-football player · b. 1994
N
Nick KuhlAmerican rugby union player
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Severna Park1 historic placeC−Riviera BeachIts storyDGlen Burnie3 historic placesB−Lake ShoreIts storyC−Baltimore307 historic placesA+

Questions about Pasadena’s history

How does Pasadena rank for history?

Pasadena is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #113 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Pasadena?

Two places: the U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay (listed 1983) and the Marley Neck Rosenwald School (2005).

How old are the homes in Pasadena?

0.8% of Pasadena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1996.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.