North Fair Oaks: Its Glory Days, Decline, and Hopeful Future

North Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena was once a thriving business corridor known as Pasadena’s “Black Main Street” and the heart of the city’s African American community. From the 1930s through the 1960s, Northwest Pasadena was one of the few areas where Black families could buy homes, establish businesses, and build community. Black doctors, lawyers, and other professionals maintained offices along Fair Oaks Avenue, while residents could meet most of their daily needs within walking distance. The neighborhood fostered a strong sense of identity, pride, belonging, and economic self-sufficiency that many longtime residents still remember today.

Racial Covenants: A major reason for this concentration was the widespread use of racial covenants. Approximately 65% of Pasadena neighborhoods included deed restrictions prohibiting the sale of homes to African Americans and other people of color. As a result, Northwest Pasadena became one of the few places where Black families could live. While these discriminatory policies limited opportunities, they also contributed to the development of a vibrant and close-knit community. Racial covenants remained influential until fair housing laws and related legislation were gradually dismantled. Racial steering by realtors still happens today.

Redlining: The community also faced the effects of redlining. In 1939, federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps classified neighborhoods according to perceived lending risk. Northwest Pasadena was labeled “declining” or “hazardous,” making it extremely difficult for residents to obtain mortgages and home improvement loans. These restrictions limited wealth-building opportunities and discouraged investment. In response, African Americans created and supported their own financial institutions (such as One United on Lake and Washington) to help families purchase homes and build generational wealth.

What caused the decline of N. Fair Oaks? The decline of North Fair Oaks was not accidental. Government policies and development decisions disproportionately harmed African American residents through redlining, urban renewal projects, freeway construction and more.

Urban Renewal: During the 1960s and 1970s, urban renewal programs targeted areas officials labeled as “blighted.” In Pasadena, redevelopment projects affected neighborhoods where Parsons Corporation now stands and the Pepper Street area, later known as Kings Village. These communities were home to active residents and businesses. Nevertheless, hundreds of families and business owners were displaced through eminent domain and demolition. The Pepper Street project alone displaced nearly 300 families (averaging 4 members per family), most of them people of color. Businesses closed, homeowners often became renters, and social networks built over generations were disrupted. Across the country, similar projects became known as “Negro Removal” because of their disproportionate impact on African American communities.

Freeway construction: Following the Federal Highway Act of 1956, many freeway routes were built through minority neighborhoods across the US. In Northwest Pasadena, construction of the 210 and later the 710 Freeway corridors cut directly through established Black communities. Alternative routes existed but were rejected. Thousands of homes and businesses were demolished, and nearly 3,000 residents were displaced-some say many more. Compensation often proved insufficient for families to purchase replacement homes in Pasadena. The resulting population loss weakened local businesses, while the freeways created physical barriers that disrupted social and economic connections throughout the community.

Unintended Consequences of the Fair Housing Act. The passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 brought new opportunities but also unintended consequences.  Now many middle-class African American families moved to neighborhoods that had previously been inaccessible. While this represented an important expansion of choice and opportunity, it also reduced the concentration of middle-income residents in Northwest Pasadena. The loss of customers, professionals, and community leaders weakened local businesses and institutions.

Gangs, Gentrification and more Displacement: In the 1980s President Reagan enabled drugs to enter the US from Central American, targeting low income communities. Gangs sprang up playing havoc on NW Pasadena. As businesses disappeared, employment opportunities and visible role models became less common. Property values were depressed opening the door for gentrification. Beginning in the 1990s and accelerating in the 2000s, new white homeowners brought new investment. While improvements in housing benefited the area, rising housing costs also displaced many long-term African American residents. Many former residents relocated to communities such as Lancaster, Fontana, and Victorville, while some churches evolved into “commuter congregations” with members living far from the neighborhood. Pasadena’s Black population declined from roughly 20% in 1990 to less than 8% today.

Hope for the Future. Despite these challenges, the remaining community has begun to demonstrate remarkable resilience and is working toward a vibrant future. Initiated by the IMA—the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, they partnered organizations such as Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH), which have spent over 10 years of working with the community to listen to what the community wants, utilizing surveys, focus groups, and a street fair with 500 in attendance. The Arroyo Group, a planning partner produced the North Fair Oaks Vision Plan, which demonstrates how the community’s desires can be implemented for affordable housing with a right-to-return, safer streets, opportunities for locally owned businesses, and public art to celebrate community history. Commissioned by MHCH, a mural at Fair Oaks and Montana honors notable African Americans connected to Pasadena, including Jackie Robinson, Mack Robinson, Octavia Butler, Loretta Thompson-Glickman, and Dr. Edna L. Griffin. Their achievements reflect the important contributions of Pasadena’s Black community to the city’s history.

By acknowledging past injustices and investing in community-led revitalization, Pasadena has an opportunity to restore North Fair Oaks while preserving its cultural heritage. In spring 2026, the Planning Commission took an important step by designating the area as the Black Legacy District, recognizing both its historic significance and its potential for a more vibrant future.