Burbank, Los Angeles County, California
From Freepedia
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| Image:Burbank in LA County map.png | |||||
| Founded | May 1, 1887 | ||||
| Incorporated | July 8, 1911 | ||||
| General Information | |||||
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| County | Los Angeles County, California | ||||
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Latitude
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34°10'49" N | ||||
| Area - Total - Water | 45 km² (17.4 mi²) 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) 0.12% | ||||
| Population |
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| Climate - Avg. Temp - Avg. Rainfall - Avg. Humidity - Prevailing Wind | 63 °F(17 °C) 12.1 inches (307 mm) 61% SW 2 to 4 mph (3 to 6 km/h) | ||||
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8 | ||||
| Dialing Code | +1 (Country code) 818 (Area Code) | ||||
| Postal code | 91501-91526 | ||||
| City Tree City Flower | Crape Myrtle California Lilac (Ceanothus) | ||||
| City Officials | |||||
| Mayor Vice Mayor | Jef Vander Borght Todd Campbell | ||||
| City Council | David Golonski Stacey Murphy Marsha Ramos | ||||
| City Treasurer City Clerk City Manager City Attorney | Donna Anderson Margarita Campos Mary Alvord Dennis Barlow | ||||
| City of Burbank Official Website | |||||
- This article is about the city of Burbank in Los Angeles County, California. For other cities named Burbank, please see the disambiguation page on "Burbank"
The city of Burbank is in the eastern corner of the San Fernando Valley, part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, in Los Angeles County, California just north of the city of Los Angeles.
Billed as the "Media Capital of the World", many media and entertainment companies are headquartered in Burbank, including NBC, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers.
The town has come a long way from the days when it was ironically referred to as "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" on Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Commonly believed to be named for famous horticulturalist Luther Burbank, the city of Burbank is actually named for New Hampshire-born dentist and entrepreneur David Burbank.
Contents |
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 (19 km²) of the former Verdugo holding and another 4600 acres (19 km²) 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 begain develping the land, calling the new town "Burbank" after its enterprising founder and began offering lots and farms 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 while the United States Department of Commerce recommended Burbank as the most favorable airport location in the Los Angeles area. Dedicated on Memorial Day, 1930, the Union Air Terminal was the largest commercial airport in the LA area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the Los Angeles Municipal Airport in Inglewood as it commenced commercial operations.
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.
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 (formerly First National Studio) contributed to the war effort by producting 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'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 her, she continued to evolve to meet its demands ushering in the 21st century vastly different from her sheep farm roots.
Burbank Today
A predominantly upper-middle class community, Burbank is home to many employees of the motion picture and television studios in and around Burbank.
Entertainment has generally replaced the defense industry as the primary employer of her citizens who are attracted by the relative safety and security offered by her own police and fire departments, highly rated schools and hospital. Other reasons cited are her small town feel while 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 Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport (former Union Air Terminal) has recently been renamed 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 Interstate 5 which bisects the city from north to south and the Ventura Freeway which connects Burbank to the Highway 101 on the west and the Foothill Freeway on 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 Equestrian Center, the Starlight Bowl, fine restaurants, and many theatres, parks, libraries. Visitors delight in the Studio VIP tours and close proximity to all that Los Angeles offers.
Burbank is also affiliated with the following sister cities :
Geography
Burbank is located at 34°10'49" North, 118°19'42" West (34.180170, -118.328341)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.0 km² (17.4 mi²). 44.9 km² (17.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.12% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 100,316 people, 41,608 households, and 24,382 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,232.4/km² (5,782.4/mi²). There are 42,847 housing units at an average density of 953.5/km² (2,469.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 41,608 households out of which 28.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% are non-families. 33.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $47,467, and the median income for a family is $56,767. Males have a median income of $41,792 versus $35,273 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,713. 10.5% of the population and 8.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 283 of which there were 3 murders and homicides. The violent crime rate was 2.7 per 1,000 people, well below state and national averages.
Economy
Much of Burbank's economy is based on the entertainment industry. Hollywood is considered to be a symbol of the glamorous entertainment industry, but much of the actual production takes place in Burbank. Many ancillary companies are also located there. The following companies are headquartered in Burbank:
- ABC
- Arri
- Cartoon Network
- DIC Entertainment
- Dick Clark Productions
- NBC
- Nickelodeon
- Touchstone Pictures
- The Walt Disney Company
- Warner Bros.
- Warner Music Group
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.
IATSE Grips Local 80 and Stagehands Local 33 also make their home in Burbank with Teamsters Local 399 and many other IATSE locals nearby.
Education
Burbank is home to several California Distinguished Schools including the confusingly named Luther Burbank Middle School (see history above). 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 make up and beauty trade schools servicing the entertainment industry.
Famous residents
- Wally Albright (1925-1999) actor. The Little Rascals
- Tim Burton (1958-) writer and director. Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Rod Beck (1968-) Major League Baseball player. San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox
- Dick Clark (1929-) actor, "America's oldest teenager". American Bandstand
- Debbe Dunning (1966-) actress. Home Improvement
- Soleil Moon Frye (1976-) actress. Punky Brewster, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
- Mark Harmon (1951-) actor. St. Elsewhere, Stealing Home
- Clint Howard (1958-) actor. Gentle Ben, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- James J. Jeffries (1875-1953) "The Boilermaker" World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
- Kelly Johnson (1910-1990) chief aeronautical engineer at Lockheed's Skunk works
- Sean Penn (1960-) actor, director, activist. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mystic River
- Eve Plumb (1958-) actress. The Brady Bunch
- Bonnie Raitt (1949-), singer/songwriter. Luck of the Draw, Longing in Their Hearts
- Debbie Reynolds (1932-) actress, Miss Burbank 1948. Singin' in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- John Ritter (1948-2003) actor and comedian. Three's Company, 8 Simple Rules
- Doug Savant (1964-) actor. Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives
- Wil Wheaton (1972-) actor and writer. Stand By Me, Star Trek: The Next Generation
External links
- City of Burbank - Official
- Downtown Burbank
- Burbank Airport Authority
- Burbank Unified School District
- Burbank Chamber of Commerce
- Burbank Community website
- Burbank Historical Society
- Burbank Live Web Cam
- Burbank News and Realestate on a Google Map
Reference
Brief History of Burbank, California (Burbank Chamber of Commerce, 1961)
Of Men and Stars, A History of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, 1957-1958)
Ranchos de Los Santos, The Story of Burbank (The Burbank Branch of the Security Trust and Savings Bank, 1927)
The Story of Burbank from Her Eventful Pioneer Days (The Magnolia Park Chamber of Commerce, 1954)
Your Burbank Home (Burbank Merchant’s Association, 1928)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
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