Old Pasadena, often referred to as Old Town Pasadena or just Old Town, is the original commercial center of Pasadena, a city in California, United States that arose from one of the most prosperous areas of the state, and had a latter day revitalization after a period of decay. Old Pasadena began as the center of a research hub that gave rise to Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Beckman Instruments, Aerojet and numerous other important institutions and companies. The large concentration of such companies in the area gave it the nickname "Athens of the West".