Encyclopedia
|-
| align="center" colspan=2 |
|-
| Founded
| May 1, 1887
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| Incorporated
| July 8, 1911
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!colspan="2" style="color: white; background: navy;"|General Information
|-
|
County|
Los Angeles County, California|-
|
Latitude
Longitude
|
34°10'49" N
118°19'42" W
|-
|
Area - Total
- Water
|
45 kmē
0.1 kmē 0.12%
|-
|
Population - Total
- Density
|
105,400
5,800/miē
|-
|
Climate - Avg. Temp
- Avg. Rainfall
- Avg.
Humidity -
Prevailing Wind|
63 °F
12.1 inches
61%
SW 2 to 4 mph
|-
|
Time zone|
Pacific:
UTC-8
|-
| Dialing Code
| +1
818|-
|
Postal code| 91501-91526
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| City Tree
City Flower
|
Crape MyrtleCalifornia Lilac
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!colspan="2" style="color: white; background: navy;"|City Officials
|-
| Mayor
Todd Campbell
Vice Mayor
|Marsha Ramos
|-
| City Council
| David Golonski
David Gordon
Jef Vander Borght
|-
| City Treasurer
City Clerk
City Manager
City Attorney
| Donna Anderson
Margarita Campos
Mary Alvord
Dennis Barlow
|-
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" |
|}
Burbank is a city in
Los Angeles County,
California,
United States. As of 2004, the city has a
population of 105,400.
Burbank is located in the eastern region of the
San Fernando Valley, north and east of the city of Los Angeles.
Billed as the
"Media Capital of the World", many media and entertainment companies are headquartered or have significant production facilities in Burbank, including NBC,
The Walt Disney Company, and
Warner Bros.
The town has come a long way from the days when it was ironically referred to as
"Beautiful Downtown Burbank" on
Laugh-In was a United States [i] comedy [i] television [i] show broadcast for 140 e ...
and
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the full name of NBC's
The Tonight Show [i] during t...
.
Commonly believed to be named for famous horticulturalist
Luther Burbank who once lived in
Santa Rosa, California, the city is actually named for
New Hampshire-born dentist and entrepreneur David Burbank.
Early history
Originally part of two large
Spanish land grants, the vast Rancho San Rafael, granted to Don Jose Maria Verdugo by the Spanish government in 1798 and the Rancho La Providencia created in 1821.
Dr. David Burbank purchased over 4600 acres of the former Verdugo holding and another 4600 acres of the Rancho La Providencia in 1867 and operated a successful sheep ranch for many years.
A shrewd businessman, foreseeing the value of
rail transport, Burbank sold
Southern Pacific Railroad a right-of-way through the property for one dollar.
A boom created by a rate war between the
Santa Fe and
Southern Pacific would bring people streaming into
California shortly thereafter and a group of land speculators would purchase much of Burbank's land holdings in 1886 for $250,000 USD.
The speculators formed the Providencia Land, Water, and Development Company and began developing the land, calling the new town "Burbank" after its enterprising founder and began offering farm lots on May 1, 1887.
Laid out and surveyed with a modern a business district surrounded by residential lots, wide boulevards were carved out as the "Los Angeles Express" printed:
- "Burbank, the town, being built in the midst of the new farming community, has been laid out in such a manner as to make it by and by an unusually pretty town. The streets and avenues are wide and, all have been handsomely graded. All improvements being made would do credit to a city.... Everything done at Burbank has been done right.
The City of Burbank
The town grew steadily, weathering the
drought and depression that hit
Los Angeles in the
1890s and in 20 years, the community now consisted of its own
bank,
newspaper,
high school and a thriving business district with a hardware store, livery stable, dry goods store, general store, and a bicycle repair shop.
The population would petition the
State Legislature to incorporate and formally become a
city on July 8, 1911, naming
Thomas Story, a local businessman, as their first mayor.
By 1916, 1,500 residents claimed Burbank as home. By 1930, as First National Studios, Andrew Jergens Company, The
Lockheed Company, McNeill and Libby Canning Company, the Moreland Company, and
Northrop Aircraft Corporation opened factories and studios there, the numbers had swelled to 16,662.
The Federal government officially recognized Burbank's status in 1923 when the
United States Postal Service reclassified the city from the rural
village mail delivery classification to
city postal delivery service.
In the meantime, the United States Department of Commerce recommended Burbank as the most favorable airport location in the Los Angeles area. Dedicated on Memorial Day Weekend , 1930, the United Airport was the largest commercial
airport in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the
Los Angeles Municipal Airport in Inglewood when that facility commenced commercial operations.
Burbank's airport has undergone a number of name changes since its opening day in 1930. It remained
United Airport until 1934, when it was renamed
Union Air Terminal . Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it the
Lockheed Air Terminal, which it was known as until 1967, when its name changed again, to
Hollywood-Burbank Airport. It remained Hollywood-Burbank Airport for over a decade, until 1978, when it was renamed
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport . Most recently, in December of 2003, the facility was renamed Bob Hope Airport in honor of the famous comedian .
The growth of companies such as Lockheed and the burgeoning entertainment industry drew more and more people to the area as Burbank's population doubled again between 1930 and 1940 to 34,337. But Burbank saw its greatest growth during
World War II due to
Lockheed's strong presence in the city, employing some 80,800 men and women to contribute to the war effort producing aircraft such as the
Hudson,
P-38 Lightning,
PV-1 Ventura and America's first
jet fighter, the
P-80 Shooting Star, arriving too late to participate in the war, but would see service in the
Korean War, logging the world's first jet-to-jet aerial kill in history. Lockheed would go on to produce the super secret spy planes
U2,
SR-71 Blackbird and the
F-117 Nighthawk at its Burbank-based "
Skunk Works."
Disney and
Warner ' contributed to the war effort by producing training films and morale films for the
armed services and
cartoons promoting the sale of
war bonds. Disney artists designed more than 1000 unit mascot designs for units from every branch of the armed forces.
Walt Disney had authorized that the creation of these insignias were to be designed for free and by the end of the war was estimated to have cost Disney over thirty thousand dollars.
Burbank would also witness its first real civil strife as the culmination of a six month labor dispute between the Set Decorator's union and the studios resulted in the
Battle of Burbank on October 5, 1945.
Burbank's growth did not slow as war production ceased and over 7,000 new residents created a postwar real estate boom and real estate values soared as housing tracts sprang up on formerly vacant land in the Magnolia Park area of Burbank between 1945 and 1950.
As America entered the atomic age, the city's industries thrived and as the world changed around it, Burbank continued to evolve to meet its demands ushering in the 21st century vastly different from the town's sheep-farm roots.
Burbank today
A predominantly upper-
middle class community, Burbank is home to many employees of the
motion picture and
television studios located in and around the city.
Entertainment has generally replaced the defense industry as the primary employer of its citizens, who are attracted by the relative safety and security offered by its own and departments, highly rated and . Other reasons cited are its small-
town feel while located only 10 minutes away by
car to the hip
clubs and
restaurants of
Hollywood.
The convenience of a local
airport and proximity to major
freeways is crucial in today's world, and Burbank is no exception.
The former Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport was renamed in December 2003 in honor of comedian
Bob Hope, who lived in nearby Toluca Lake for many years. The airport services 4.9 million travelers per year on seven major carriers, with more than 70 flights daily.
Burbank is easily accessible by and can easily access the
Southern California freeways via the
Golden State Freeway, which bisects the city from northwest to southeast, and the
Ventura Freeway which connects Burbank to the
U.S. Route 101 on the south and the nearby
Foothill Freeway to the east.
Those without cars can take advantage of the
Metro which operates
public transport throughout
Los Angeles County, connecting her citizens to 18,500 stops on 189 bus lines including those in Burbank while commuters can easily access the Metrolink and
Amtrak for service south into
Downtown and Union Station, west to
Ventura and north to
Palmdale and all points beyond.
While at home, residents enjoy the , the , fine , the city's Downtown Burbank Mall, a burgeoning "Burbank Village" shopping district, and many
theatres,
parks, and
libraries. Visitors to Burbank are attracted to the
Warner Bros. tour and close proximity to all other entertainments and attractions that Los Angeles offers.
Recently, the murder of Burbank police officer Matthew Pavelka by a local gang known as the Vineland Boys sparked an intensive investigation in conjunction with several other cities and resulted in the arrest of a number of gangmembers and other citizens in and around Burbank. Among those arrested was Burbank city councilwoman Stacey Murphy, implicated in trading guns in exchange for drugs.
Sister cities
Burbank is also affiliated with the following
sister cities :
Gaborone, Botswana Incheon, South Korea Ota, Japan
Solna, SwedenGeography
Burbank is located at .
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.0 kmē . 44.9 kmē of it is land and 0.1 kmē of it is water.
It is bordered by
Glendale to the east, Toluca Lake on the west, and
Griffith Park to the South.
Hollywood is easily accessible from Burbank by driving down Barham Blvd. to Cahuenga Blvd., formerly known as the Cahuenga Pass.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 100,316 people, 41,608 households, and 24,382 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,232.4/kmē . There were 42,847 housing units at an average density of 953.5/kmē . The racial makeup of the city was 72.18%
White, 2.06%
Black or
African American, 0.55%
Native American, 9.15%
Asian, 0.14%
Pacific Islander, 9.88% from
other races, and 6.04% from two or more races. 24.87% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 41,608 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,467, and the median income for a family was $56,767. Males had a median income of $41,792 versus $35,273 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,713. About 8.1% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
The number of violent crimes recorded by the in its 2004 was 262 of which there were 4 murders and homicides. The violent
crime rate was approximately 2.5 per 1,000 people, well below the as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice in the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Economy
Much of Burbank's economy is based on the entertainment industry.
Hollywood is considered a symbol of the glamorous entertainment industry, but much of the actual production takes place in Burbank. Many ancillary companies are also located there. Many companies have their headquarters in Burbank, including ABC,
Arri,
DIC Entertainment, Dick Clark Productions, NBC, Nickelodeon,
The Walt Disney Company,
Warner Bros.,
Warner Music Group, and
Yahoo.
Burbank is also conveniently located close to CBS Studio Center,
DreamWorks, and
Universal Studios in neighboring Studio City,
Glendale, and Universal City, respectively.
Capitol Records and
Paramount are just south of Burbank in
Hollywood proper.
Local
IATSE union offices for the Stagehands Local 33, Grips Local 80, Make-up and Hairstylist Local 706 and Set Painters Local 729 also make their home in Burbank with
Teamsters Local 399,
IBEW Local 40 and many other IATSE locals nearby.
The
Greater Los Angeles area relies on a multiple-airport system because of its sheer size. The Bob Hope Airport, one of these airports, is located in Burbank.
Education
Burbank is home to several California Distinguished Schools including the confusingly named
Luther Burbank Middle School . Both its
public and private K-12 schools routinely score above state and national average test scores. A number of colleges are also located in Burbank including the Woodbury University with its renowned design program and several and trade schools servicing the entertainment industry.
Famous residents
A number of famous people have lived in Burbank at one time or another, here's a partial list of some of people who have called Burbank home.
- Wally Albright actor. The Little Rascals, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a long-l...
- Tim Burton writer and director. Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 [i] stop motion [i] animated [i] ...
- Rod Beck Major League Baseball player. San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox
- Dick Clark TV personality. "America's oldest teenager". American Bandstand was a live dance music television [i] show. ...
, New Year's Rockin' Eve is a television program [i], which airs every New Year's Eve [i] ...
- Debbe Dunning actress. Home Improvement was an American television [i] sitcom [i] starring actor/comedian Tim Allen [i], an ...
- Soleil Moon Frye actress. Punky Brewster was a sitcom [i] which ran on NBC [i] from 1984 to 1986 and again in first-run syndication [i] ...
, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the name of a comic book [i] series published by Archie Comics [i] abo...
- Mark Harmon actor. St. Elsewhere was a weekly drama [i] series that originally ran on NBC [i] from October 26 [i], 1982 [i] ...
, Stealing Home is a 1988 movie [i], starring Mark Harmon [i], Jodie Foster [i], Jonathan Silverman [i] ...
- Clint Howard actor. Gentle Ben,
- Ron Howard actor and film director. Happy Days was a popular American [i] television [i] sitcom [i] that originally aired ...
, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code is a mystery [i]/detective [i] novel [i] by American [i] ...
- James J. Jeffries
...
"The Boilermaker" World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
- Kelly Johnson chief aeronautical engineer at Lockheed's Skunk works
- Cady McClain actress and singer. All My Children is an American [i] soap opera [i] that has been broadcast Monday throu...
, As The World Turns is the second longest-running American [i] television [i] soap opera [i] ...
- Patton Oswalt comedian, actor and writer. Magnolia is a large genus [i] of about 210 flowering plant [i] species [i] in the subfamily Magnolioideae [i] ...
, MADtv is an American [i] sketch comedy [i] television series based on the popular humo ...
- Sean Penn actor, director, activist. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mystic River
- Tom Petty musician.
- Eve Plumb actress. The Brady Bunch is an American [i] television [i] situation comedy [i], based around a ...
- Bonnie Raitt , singer/songwriter. Luck of the Draw, Longing in Their Hearts is the twelfth album [i] by Bonnie Raitt [i], released in 1994. ...
- Debbie Reynolds actress, Miss Burbank 1948. Singin' in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- Randy Rhoads Lead guitarist and founding member of Quiet Riot and lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne .
- John Ritter actor and comedian of TV's Three's Company was a popular American [i] sitcom [i] that ran from 1977 [i] ...
and 8 Simple Rules was an American [i] television [i] sitcom [i] that ai...
- Doug Savant
...
actor.
Melrose Place is an American [i] television series [i] that ran between 1992 [i] and 1999 [i] ...
,
Desperate Housewives is an American [i] television [i] Emmy award-winning popular seri ...
...
director.
Taxi Driver,
Raging Bull is a 1980 [i] film directed by Martin Scorsese [i], adapted by Paul Schrader [i] and Mardik Martin [i] ...
,
Goodfellas is a 1990 film [i] directed by Martin Scorsese [i], based on the book
Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi [i]...
Haney Family
References
- Brief History of Burbank, California
- Of Men and Stars, A History of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
- Ranchos de Los Santos, The Story of Burbank
- The Story of Burbank from Her Eventful Pioneer Days
Orlando Bloom-Actor,producer
External links
Maps
