City of Burbank Media Capital of the World
Official Burbank Home
Dear Friend:
As Mayor of the City of Burbank, it is my privilege to welcome you to the City's Web Site. I ho
pe that you will take an opportunity to explore Burbank
through this medium, as it is complete with information about our community and the many servic
es that we provide to residents and businesses alike.
As we embark on a new century, the City of Burbank is building upon its tradition of providing
quality services to our residents. I hope that you will
take a few moments to look into the information included on these pages, as they reflect a comm
unity that has recreational, social, and economic
opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
In partnership with the City of Burbank and the Burbank Unified School District, American Citie
s Online has created a virtual Burbank that allows you to
find out about us with the push of a virtual button. We are continually striving to improve thi
s Web Site so that it can meet your needs, but to do that
we need your comments and suggestions.
The City of Burbank is poised to take giant steps into the new millennium. I hope that you will
join us!
Sincerely,
Bob Kramer, Mayor
Burbank Airport
Burbank California High School
s
Dear Internet Visitor,
Burbank High School is a comprehensive high school serving more than 2000 students, and we prov
ide a high quality academic, co-curricular, and
extra-curricular experience for all of our students. We offer a wide range of academic courses
that include honors and advanced placement.
Portions of our four main school buildings were constructed in 1921 and include a library, and
auditorium, and two gymnasiums and locker rooms.
Much of the school is being rebuilt in the next five years as a result of a recent bond electio
n. The school's 18 acre site includes a large
football field, a baseball stadium, basketball courts, and tennis courts. Located at the top of
Burbank Boulevard overlooking the city, Burbank
High School is centrally located near the Burbank Village and Media City Center. Our school has
a strong Parent, Teacher and Student Association
(PTSA), as many parents frequently volunteer to help in our various co-curricular and extra-cur
ricular activities.
Our school colors are blue and white, and our motto is "PRIDE." Students are well-behaved and d
emonstrate respect for teachers and each other as they
participate in a wide variety of programs including athletic teams, vocal music, instrumental m
usic, drama, drill team, cheerleading, and ASB.
Our students take pride in their commitment to helping others less fortunate than themselves by
raising food and funds for Burbank Temporary Aid, or
volunteering their time on a community project. Student attendance is high, and promptness is r
equired and enforced. The dress code is strictly enforced,
as is the school discipline policy.
We welcome your involvement and participation in this excellent opportunity for learning and gr
owth in a positive, professional, healthy and
challenging atmosphere. You are invited to contact us for a school tour, or for additional info
rmation regarding our programs.
History of Burbank
Burbank is a city built by People, Pride, and Progress. These three ingredients turned a tiny,
rural town into the thriving community it is
today.
In the beginning, the land occupied by the present City was part of two large Spanish land gran
ts. The first was the vast Rancho San Rafael,
granted to Don Jose Maria Verdugo by the Spanish government in 1798. Nearby Rancho La Providenc
ia was created following Mexico's successful
bid for independence from Spain in 1821.
The real history of the city, though, began when a New Hampshire dentist headed west with the t
housands of Americans seeking new
opportunities. This was at a time when men like Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys were changi
ng the face of the San Fernando Valley.
Investing In The Future
Dr. David Burbank was active in Los Angeles real estate when he purchased portions of both ranc
hos in 1867. He combined them into a
large ranch where he raised sheep, built a ranch house (on what was later Warner Bros. backlot)
and occasionally sold off small plots of land.
Realizing that bringing in the railroad would increase the value of his ranch, Dr. Burbank sold
the Southern Pacific Railroad a stretch of
right-of-way for one dollar. The first train passed through Burbank on April 5, 1874. During th
e rate war between the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific
railroads, low fares brought people streaming into California and Dr. Burbank once more seized
the opportunity. In 1886, he sold his property
to a group of land speculators for $250,000 and the Providencia Land, Water and Development Com
pany was formed.
The speculators laid out a business district, started construction on a "brick block building"
which still stands on the corner of San Fernando
Blvd. and Olive Avenue, and subdivided the property into small farms and residential lots. They
opened the tract for sale on May 1, 1887,
and the town of Burbank was born. The population of the town was 500 when the voters approved i
ncorporation in 1911. That same year, civic
boosters began a campaign to have the Pacific Electric Streetcar line extended from Glendale in
to Burbank. The citizens of Burbank had to
put up a $48,000 subsidy to get the reluctant P.E. officials to agree. The first Red Car rolled
into Burbank on September 6, 1911.
Leading the opposition to the public fundraising was J.W. Fawkes, who had patented the first mo
norail car in the United States. He built a
prototype on his Burbank ranch, running a line between Lake and Flower Streets. Fawkes called h
is invention the "Aerial Swallow." City
officials, however, called it "Fawkes' Folly" and the proposed monorail system never materializ
ed.
Burbank Continues to Grow
The following years brought marked progress in Burbank's development as a city. In 1917, civic
leaders Ralph O. Church and Maurice Spazier
convinced Walt Moreland to relocate his truck company to Burbank by offering him a free site to
build.
The $25,000 cost was raised to buy the Luttge farm at San Fernando Blvd. and Alameda Avenue and
the Moreland Truck Company became
Burbank's first major industry. For years afterward, the Moreland trucks traveled the highways
of the world bearing the label "Made in
Burbank."
The 1920's saw a period of growth and real estate development with the population increasing f
rom 2,913 in 1920 to 16,622 in 1930.
Earl L. White knew the value of a connecting link from Burbank to the Cahuenga Pass. When he c
ouldn't get help from the City, he cleared the
underbrush through Dark Canyon and graded the street. This link is now Barham Blvd. and Hollyw
ood Way.
White developed the Magnolia Park area and by 1929, more than 3,500 homes had been built. The
area had a shopping center at the corner of
Hollywood Way and Magnolia Blvd., a bank, Burbank's first radio station, KELW, and Magnolia Pa
rk's own newspaper, The Tribune.
Movies and Airplanes Move to Burbank
Burbank's continued growth was tied in to aviation and entertainment. Both industries came to
Burbank because of its location and the
available space.
Aviation in the mid-1920's was still in its infancy when the Lockheed Aircraft Company purchas
ed a piece of Burbank farmland, near a place
called "Turkey's Crossing," and built a plant for the production of its planes.
By the time the United States entered World War II, Lockheed had some 94,000 employees producin
g 19,000 planes. Burbank's prominence in the
aviation field was evident during the War when Lockheed's Burbank-built planes helped win the
Battle of Britain. The wartime effort of the
aviation industry had pushed Burbank's population to 53,899 in 1943.
The motion picture business also moved to Burbank in the 1920's. First National Pictures bough
t up a 78-acre site on Olive Avenue near Dark
Canyon. The company was soon taken over by another young company founded by four brothers by t
he name of Warner. On October 23, 1927,
motion picture history was made when Warner Bros. released the first all-talking movie, The Ja
zz Singer, starring Al Jolson.
Other companies soon followed. Columbia Pictures purchased property in Burbank as a ranch faci
lity, using it primarily for outdoor shooting.
Walt Disney's company, which had outgrown its Hollywood quarters, bought 51 acres in Burbank.
Disney's million-dollar studio was
completed in 1939 on Buena Vista Street.
The Changing Face of the City
A new City Hall was built by City employees and opened in 1943. Still standing as a local land
mark, the marble building has been named to the
National Register of Historic Buildings.
Burbank's boom didn't end with the war. A postwar real estate boom left few undeveloped areas
in the community. A ten-year capital improvement
program produced many new municipal facilities, most of which were completed when the City cel
ebrated its 50th anniversary in 1961.
During the 1960s and 1970s, more and more of the Hollywood entertainment industry were relocat
ing to Burbank. The National
Broadcasting Company moved its network television headquarters to its new location at Olive an
d Alameda avenues. By 1962, NBC's multi-million
dollar, state-of-the-art complex was completed. On June 28, 1978, the airport was purchased fr
om Lockheed through a
tri-city authority. The newly named Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport is the largest privately
owned municipal airport in the United States.
Burbank continues to look to the future with the same "can-do" attitude of the early City pion
eers. With the energy crisis of the 70s and the
drought conditions of the 80s and 90s, Burbank quickly responded with conservation programs to
deal with the environmental issues. The City
has a nationally acclaimed recycling program and uses reclaimed water for landscape irrigation
.
The 80's
In these last years of the 20th century, Burbank continues to see changes. In 1989, the Golden
Mall was reopened and traffic again flowed
down San Fernando Boulevard after 20 years as an outdoor pedestrian mall. After years of effor
t, the City finally obtained a major retail
shopping center on a 41-acre site bounded by the Golden State Freeway, Burbank Blvd., Third St
., and Magnolia Blvd. The downtown area has been
revitalized with a wide variety of restaurants and multi-screen movie theatres.
The City Council began cablecasting their meetings on public television in 1987. The use of pu
blic access television has expanded citizen
participation with government by bringing televised Board meetings and special programming int
o the home via cable.
The 90's
When Lockheed announced in 1990 that it would be closing its Burbank operations, the City bega
n efforts to see that the 325 acres were
recycled into new development projects. In October 1992, two forward-thinking new facilities w
ere opened. The
Burbank Recycle Center moved to new 2-1/2 acre facility that can handle 5,000 tons of recyclab
les per month. The Regional Intermodal
Transportation Center (RITC) opened at 201 N. Front St. Throughout the 90's it has been expand
ed and improved. In January 1998, the Police and
Fire Departments moved in their new state-of-the-art Burbank Police-Fire Headquarters facility
at 200 N. Third Street.
Today Burbank is a prominent media and entertainment-oriented city which prides itself on a hi
gh quality of life, combining 21st century
technology with small-town feel. It is, indeed, a city of "people, pride, and progress."
Hilton Burbank Airport and Convention Center
The Hilton Burbank Airport & Convention Center, located across the street from the Burbank-Glen
dale-Pasadena Airport and 45 minutes from Los
Angeles International Airport. All 403 standard guest rooms and 83 suites are equipped with co
ffee makers, voice mail, iron and ironing boards, data
ports and on command movies. Recreational facilities include two on-site fitness centers, pool
s, spas and saunas. The Daily Grill Restaurant offers
fine California cuisine in a garden/patio setting. This property features 24 hour room service
, complimentary transportation is provided to and from
the Burbank Airport, Glendale offices, Universal Studios and Citywalk along with the many choi
ces in shopping, dining and night life at Media City
Center. Advance reservations required.
Burbank, California Real estate information
The Burbank real estate market offers something for everyone. Homes for sale in Burbank, Calif
ornia have a median list price of $339,000 as of
October 2001 and a median sales price of $330,000.
Search for Burbank, California real estate
- Burbank facts
Burbank, California is called the Media Capital of the World. It hosts studios and lots of Warn
er Bros., Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney, and NBC. The
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport is the largest privately owned municipal airport in the Unit
ed States.
- Recreation
22 parks totaling 2,199.57 acres, of which 141.13 are developed, including:
2 municipal swimming pools
20 tennis courts
3 community/gymnasium facilities
2 senior citizen centers
13 ballfields
1 outdoor concert amphitheater
1 municipal golf complex, including regulation 18 holes - 113.29 acres,
driving range, 3-par course, 9-hole course.
With an area of 17.155 square miles, Burbank is located in the eastern part of the San Fernando
Valley, in Los Angeles County, 12 miles from the
downtown area of the City of Los Angeles. The city has a population of 100,316 (per 2000 U.S. C
ensus) with 42,847 housing units (April 2000 U.S.
Census data) and an average household size of 2.27 (1990 Census data).
- Schools
Residents are served by the Burbank Unified School District which has 12 elementary school
s, 3 middle schools, and 3 high schools.
For a complete list of schools visit the City of Burbank web site
Burbank Chamber of Commerce
Welcome to the Official Website of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce
