Pasadena, Newfoundland Labrador, is a charming town nestled in the western part of Newfoundland, Canada. This suburban community is beautifully situated on the shores of Deer Lake, at the junction of the North Arm Valley and the Humber Valley. The town's name is derived from the Ojibwe (Chippewa) word for "valley," a tribute to its Californian namesake, Pasadena.
The town of Pasadena, Newfoundland Labrador, was originally three separate communities: South Brook, Pasadena, and Midland.
South Brook, located on the sandy shore of Deer Lake, began as a logging camp for the Bowater Company from Corner Brook in the early 1920s. The area saw an increase in activity when the Bowaters Company started its woods operations, establishing a bunkhouse, cook-house, and a company store to supply the needs of the area's wood camps. As the community grew, so did the need for schools, medical aid, and recreation facilities.
The second piece of the puzzle begins in St. John's. In 1923, Leonard Earle, a businessman in St. John's, heard about some suitable farmland in the Humber Valley area. Ten years later, he purchased a 2,500-acre block of land in the Humber Valley and named it Pasadena, in honor of his wife and their marriage in Pasadena, California.
The third community, Midland, evolved in 1936 as part of a government relocation program due to a severe decline in the inshore fishery around the Avalon Peninsula. The community was named Midland because of its position – halfway between Deer Lake and Corner Brook.
In 1955, Pasadena and Midland were incorporated, adopting the name of The Community of Pasadena-Midland. The community status gave way to town status in 1969, and was named the Town of Pasadena. The town experienced rapid growth after receiving its town status. In 1985, the Department of Municipal Affairs in St. John's began to see the possibilities of another merger, this time between the Town of Pasadena and its much smaller neighbor to the west, the Community of South Brook. On January 1, 1986, the Community of South Brook was amalgamated with the Town of Pasadena.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pasadena had a population of 3,524 living in 1,494 of its 1,598 total private dwellings, a change of -2.7% from its 2016 population of 3,620. With a land area of 49.17 km2 (18.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 71.7/km2 (185.6/sq mi) in 2021.
Pasadena, Newfoundland Labrador, is home to a variety of local attractions. The Humber Valley Golf Resort and Marble Mountain Ski Resort offer outdoor activities for all seasons. Pasadena Beach and Pasadena Ski and Nature Park provide opportunities for relaxation and exploration in the town's natural beauty. The town also boasts a town-owned recreational facility and community meeting place, Pasadena Place, which includes a gymnasium, community meeting rooms, a walking track, rock wall, community kitchen, and a fitness centre. The municipality's other recreational facilities include playgrounds, a sensory playground, baseball field, softball fields, soccer facilities, basketball court, tennis courts, a pump track, and a number of walking, running, skiing, and outdoor community spaces.
