"Health seekers and wealth seekers arrived, amazed at the mild climate where just about anything would grow. Agriculture thrived, and Pasadenans loved the canyons and the wild edges of their community. Today Pasadena is a sophisticated city but still fringed with large natural areas: the Arroyo Seco on the west, Eaton Canyon on the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the north... Pasadena's natural history is not just a memory of the past but a living companion for the present." -From the back cover