History | Characteristics & Population | Political Districts | Local Schools | Neighborhood Associations

Santa Catalina Branch and Neighborhood History
Santa Catalina is one of the oldest branch libraries in the Pasadena system, dating back to 1913. The present branch building opened in 1931. The library is located in District 2, two blocks east of a business center at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Washington Boulevard.

Although there are many small businesses along both Lake and Washington, the surrounding area is primarily residential. Income levels in the community range from below poverty level to in excess of $100,000. The majority of homes are bungalows or starter homes. In addition, there are several apartment complexes that house a somewhat transient renter population.

Santa Catalina Branch Library serves a diverse community which is a microcosm of the City as a whole. The area has large segments of Hispanic, Black and Armenian populations as well as Whites. Various other groups are also represented in smaller proportions.

Since 1918, there has been a relationship between Santa Catalina Library and Longfellow School. Currently, the library is part of the School Library Co-Op that provides regular visits for all classes from the school. The library also provides on-going programs for Allegra and Lake Avenue preschools.

Santa Catalina offers a variety of special programs for adults and children year-round. The branch on-going programs include a Thursday morning preschool storytime and a Learning Enrichment Center, multi-media workstation.

Neighborhood Characteristics and Population

Source: 2000 Census. Santa Catalina's service area is represented by tracts 4613, 4614, 4624, 20% of 4615, 50% of 4621, and 50% of 4626. This area includes 20,270 people, of whom approximately 23% are age 17 and under.

Political Districts (based on library's address, service area may cross district boundaries)

Local Schools
Public Schools
Longfellow Elementary/Pre-K
Marshall Fundamental Secondary
Webster Elementary
Private Schools
Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori School
Rising Star Academy
Tavlian Armenian School
Preschools
Allegra Preschool
Lake Avenue Preschool

Neighborhood Associations
Bungalow Heaven Neighborhood Association
Historic Highlands Neighborhood Association

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Last updated March 11, 2008