Pasadena Hills, MO

Pasadena Hills was designed before it was built. The small St. Louis County city was established in 1928 as a suburban plan by Roland H. Buchmueller, who laid streets and sidewalks around natural ravines, parks, and changing views rather than imposing a simple grid. The 2020 census counted 912 residents, and the entire city is now a National Register historic district, listed in 2004 after a resident-led preservation effort. That plan still governs ordinary errands. Pasadena Hills has a mayor-alderperson government, monthly council meetings, and a historic commission that reviews exterior work. The two wards, city hall, winding residential streets, and preserved houses make the whole place read as one designed neighborhood. It sits inside the St. Louis suburban belt, with its practical local distinction in the road pattern, ravines, and preservation rules that remain part of the daily map.