Burbank, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Burbank, California | |
| Location of Burbank in Los Angeles County, California | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Founded | May 1 1887 |
| Incorporated (city) | July 8 1911 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Marsha Ramos |
| - Vice mayor | David Golonski |
| - City Council | Gary Bric David Gordon Anja Renke |
| - City Treasurer - City Clerk - City Manager - City Attorney | Donna Anderson Margarita Campos Mary Alvord Dennis Barlow |
| Area | |
| - Total | 17.4 sq mi (45 km²) |
| - Land | 17.3 sq mi (44.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²) 0.12% |
| Elevation | 607 ft (185 m) |
| Population (2004) | |
| - Total | 105,400 |
| - Density | 5,800/sq mi (2,239.4/km²) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| Zip Code | 91501–91526 |
| Area code(s) | 818 |
| FIPS code | 06-08954 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1652677 |
| Website: City of Burbank official website | |
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of 2004, the city had a population of 105,400.
Burbank is located in the eastern region of the San Fernando Valley, north of Downtown 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 Universal, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
At one time it was ironically referred to as "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" on Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[citation needed]
Although commonly believed to be named for famous horticulturalist Luther Burbank who once lived in Santa Rosa, California, the city is actually named for David Burbank, a New Hampshire-born dentist and entrepreneur.
Contents |
[edit] Early history
The city of Burbank occupies land that was originally part of two 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 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:
[edit] 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 had a bank, newspaper, high school and a thriving business district with a hardware store, livery stable, dry goods store, general store, and bicycle repair shop.
The populace petitioned the State Legislature to incorporate as a city on July 8, 1911, with local businessman Thomas Story as the mayor.
By 1916 Burbank had 1,500 residents. 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 facilities there, the number increased 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 to city postal delivery service.
[edit] Aviation
The United States Department of Commerce recommended Burbank as the most favorable airport location in the Los Angeles area. Dedicated on Memorial Day Weekend (May 30 - June 1), 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 (now Los Angeles International Airport) in Westchester when that facility (the former Mines Field) commenced commercial operations.
Burbank's airport has undergone several name changes since opening in 1930. It had five runways that radiated in varying directions, each 300 feet (91 m) wide and 2,600 feet (790 m) long. It remained United Airport until 1934, when it was renamed Union Air Terminal (1934–1940). Boeing built planes on the field. Lockheed Aircraft had its own nearby airfield. Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it Lockheed Air Terminal, which it was known as until 1967, when it bercame Hollywood-Burbank Airport. In 1978 it was renamed Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978–2003). In December 2003, the facility was renamed Bob Hope Airport in honor of the famous comedian who lived in nearby Toluca Lake.
The growth of companies such as Lockheed and the burgeoning entertainment industry drew more people to the area, and Burbank's population doubled between 1930 and 1940 to 34,337. Burbank saw its greatest growth during World War II due to Lockheed's presence, employing some 80,800 men and women producing aircraft such as the Hudson, P-38 Lightning, PV-1 Ventura and America's first jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star. Lockheed later created the U2, SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk at its Burbank-based "skunk works."
Burbank's growth did not slow as war production ceased, and over 7,000 new residents created a postwar real estate boom. Real estate values soared as housing tracts sprang up on vacant land in the Magnolia Park area of Burbank between 1945 and 1950.
[edit] Entertainment Industry
The motion picture business moved to Burbank in the 1920's. In 1926, First National Pictures bought a 78 acre site on Olive Avenue near Dark Canyon. The property included a 40 acre hog ranch and the original David Burbank house, both owned by rancher Stephen A. Martin. In 1928-29, First National was taken over by a company founded by the four Warner brothers.
[Columbia Pictures]] purchased property in Burbank as a ranch facility, used 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.
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 the armed forces. Walt Disney had authorized that the creation of these insignias were to be designed for free and by war's end was estimated to have cost Disney over thirty thousand dollars.
Burbank saw 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.
By the 1960s and 1970s, more of the Hollywood entertainment industry were relocating to Burbank. The NBC moved its network television headquarters to its new location at Olive and Alameda avenues. NBC arrived in 1952 from its former location at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, California.
By 1962, NBC's multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art complex was completed. Rumors surfaced of NBC leaving Burbank after its parent company General Electric Company acquired Universal Studios and renamed the merged division NBC Universal. Since the deal, NBC has been relocating key operations to the 391-acre (1.6 km²) Universal property located in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
On September 10, 2007, NBC Universal management informed employees that the company planned to end its 56-year relationship with Burbank and sell much of the 34 acre Burbank complex. NBC Universal will relocate its television and cable operations to the Universal City complex. The new facilities, part of an $800 million skyline-altering development expected to be completed in 2011, will be located adjacent to the Universal City Red Line subway station.
The Burbank studio was purchased in 1951. NBC plans to move "The Tonight Show" from Burbank to the Stage One lot at Universal Studios when Conan O'Brien takes over hosting duties upon Jay Leno's retirement in 2009. The company plans to take West Coast network and local news operations and other facilities such as the "Access Hollywood" set to a new broadcast facility across the street from Universal Studios in 2011.
Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos was quoted as saying she was sad to learn "The Tonight Show" is leaving the city of 105,000. "'The Tonight Show' put us on the map," she told the Los Angeles Times. "Without that line from Johnny Carson about beautiful downtown Burbank, most people wouldn't even know that we exist."
The dated Burbank property will be replaced by a modern media center featuring virtual studios, interactive graphic capabilities, a glass-walled newsroom and other high-tech features.
NBC Universal's relocation and building plans still need approval from the County of Los Angeles.
[edit] Burbank today
A predominantly upper-middle class community, Burbank is home to many employees of the motion picture and television studios located in the area.
Entertainment has generally replaced the defense industry as the primary employer, who are attracted by the relative safety and security offered by its own police and fire departments, highly rated schools and hospital. 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 Bob Hope Airport services 4.9 million travelers per year with seven carriers, with over 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 use the Metro which operates public transport throughout Los Angeles County, 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 points beyond.
The Bob's Big Boy Restaurant in Burbank (est. 1949) is the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in America, and in 1993 was designated a California Point of Historical Interest. Located at 4211 Riverside Drive, it was designed by Wayne McAllister. The eatery features a soaring pylon sign, an open kitchen and big picture windows looking out onto Riverside Drive. All are elements of "googie" architecture. In 1992, the restaurant's new owner sought to raze the 1950s structure and replace it with an office building or shopping center, but the landmark designation granted the eatery by the state and city made it legally more difficult to make significant changes to the structure.
Residents enjoy the music of the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, the Starlight Bowl, fine restaurants, 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. Studio VIP tour and close proximity to all other entertainments and attractions that Los Angeles offers.
Burbank became the first American city in 1991 to pass an ordinance requiring new buildings to ensure adequate first responder communications. Since then municipalities nationwide have copied Burbank's action. Burbank's ordinance allows for spot field-testing by police or fire department personnel. The ordinance required an in-building coverage system, adding expense but increasing safety for building occupants.
In 2003, 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 gang members and other citizens in and around Burbank. Among those arrested was Burbank city councilwoman Stacey Murphy, implicated in trading guns in exchange for drugs. Pavelka was the first Burbank police officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in the department's history, according to department officials.
[edit] Magnolia Park Area
Magnolia Park, established on Burbank's western edge in the early 1920s, had 3,500 houses within six years after its creation. When the city refused to pay for a street connecting the subdivision with the Cahuenga Pass, real estate developer Earl L. White did it himself and called it Hollywood Way. White was owner of KELW, the San Fernando Valley's first commercial radio station, which went on the air February 13, 1927.
The city's Magnolia Park area is known for its shady streets and Eisenhower-era storefronts. Most of the homes in the area date to the 1940s, when they were built for veterans returning from World War II. Central to the community is busy Magnolia Boulevard, known for its antique shops, mom-and-pop boutiques, thrift shops, corner markets, and occasional chain stores.
The neighborhood is in constant struggle with developers looking to expand and update Magnolia Boulevard. The independent merchants and slow-growth groups have fought off new construction and big-box stores. The neighborhood remains quiet despite being in the airport flight path and bordered by arterial streets. One of the centerpieces of the area's attempted comeback is Porto's Bakery at the old Thrifty site located at 3606 and 3614 West Magnolia Boulevard. As part of the project, Burbank loaned Porto's funds for building upgrades. Under the agreement a portion of the loan will be forgiven over a 10-year period.
Other enhancements include converting the disused railroad right-of-way along Chandler Boulevard into a landscaped bikeway and pedestrian path. This project was part of a larger bike route linking Burbank's downtown Metrolink station with the Red Line subway in North Hollywood.
[edit] Rancho Equestrian Area
Perhaps the most famous collection of neighborhoods in Burbank is the Rancho Equestrian District, flanked roughly by Griffith Park to the south, Victory Boulevard to the east, Keystone Street to the west and Alameda Avenue to the north.
The neighborhood zoning allows residents to keep horses in their backyards. Single-family homes far outnumber multifamily units in the Rancho. Many of the homes come have stables and stalls. There are about 785 single-family homes, 180 condos and townhomes and 250 horses.
The Rancho is dominated by members of the Burbank Rancho Homeowners, which was formed in 1963 and is the oldest neighborhood group in the city. In 1990, the group decided to split off and form their own organization called the Burbank Rancho Assn. Inc. The newer organization maintains a strong activist stance on growth and other issues, including airport expansion. The community groups recently fought off the proposed development of a Whole Foods store in the Rancho area.
In the 1960s General Motors Corporation opened training facilities in the Rancho area, but in 1999 decided to contract out dealer-technician training to Raytheon Company and axed a dozen employees. The facility is now primarily a meeting and training venue for automotive-related events. In 2006, GM confiscated EV1 electric-powered cars from drivers who had leased them and moved them to the GM facility in Burbank. When environmentalists determined the location of the cars, they began a month-long vigil at the facility. To challenge the company's line that that were unwanted, they found buyers for all of them, offering a total of $1.9 million. The vehicles were loaded on trucks and removed, and several activists who tried to intervene were arrested.
[edit] Sister cities
Burbank is also affiliated with the following sister cities :
- Image:Flag of Botswana.svg Gaborone, Botswana
- Image:Flag of South Korea.svg Incheon, South Korea
- Image:Flag of Japan.svg Ota, Japan
- Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Solna, Sweden
[edit] Geography
Burbank is located at (34.180170, -118.328341).GR1
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 (0.12%) 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.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 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/km² (5,782.4/mi²). There were 42,847 housing units at an average density of 953.5/km² (2,469.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.18% White (including a mentionable body of Armenian-Americans and other census unqualified Indo-European subsets), 2.06% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American not including Latinos of Native American descent , 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 Latino of any race, including African descended like many Colombian-Americans.
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 $62,347, and the median income for a family was $67,767. 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 FBI in its 2004 Uniform Crime Reports 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 national average as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice in the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
[edit] Economy
Much of Burbank's economy is based on the entertainment industry. While Hollywood may be a symbol of the entertainment industry, much of the actual production occurs in Burbank. Many companies have headquarters or facilities in Burbank, including ABC, DIC Entertainment, Dick Clark Productions, NBC, Nickelodeon, New Wave Entertainnment,Technicolor/Thomson, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., Warner Music Group.
Many ancillary companies from Arri cameras, to Cinelease, Entertainment Partners, JL Fisher, and Matthews Studio Equipment also maintain a presence in Burbank.
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.
[edit] Education
Burbank is within the Burbank Unified School District.
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 serving the entertainment industry.
[edit] Famous residents
A number of famous people have lived in Burbank, including:
- Wally Albright (1925-1999) actor. The Little Rascals
- Aaron Poche' (1970-) Entrepreneur.
- Rod Beck (1968-2007) Major League Baseball player. San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox
- Rodger Bumpass (1951-) voice actor. SpongeBob SquarePants.
- Tim Burton (1958-) writer and director. Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Dick Clark (1929-) TV personality. "America's oldest teenager". American Bandstand, New Year's Rockin' Eve
- Holly Marie Combs (1973-) actress. Charmed
- John Debney (1956-) Film Composer. The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, Elf
- Geoff Downes (1952-) musician. Keyboardist and Composer for the bands Asia and The Buggles
- Debbe Dunning (1966-) actress. Home Improvement
- Mr. Ed (1951-1970) actor, the talking horse, in retirement
- Soleil Moon Frye (1976-) actress. Punky Brewster, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
- Mark Harmon (1951-) actor. St. Elsewhere, Stealing Home, NCIS (TV Series)
- Jack Heine - radio personality. The Jamie, Jack, and Stench morning show
- Clint Howard (1958-) actor, brother of Ron Howard. Gentle Ben, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Ron Howard (1954-) actor and film director. Happy Days, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code
- James J. Jeffries (1875-1953) "The Boilermaker" World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
- Kelly Johnson (1910-1990) chief aeronautical engineer at Lockheed's skunk works
- Jonna Lee- (1963-) Film and television actress. Another World, Making the Grade
- Logan Leistikow (1984-) actor, director.Tom Green Live
- Jay Leno- (1950-) Host The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
- Alejandro Soto Sr.- (1957-) Mastercraft employee and world famous fast food connoisseur. One man band, orchestra, and filmcrew. Youth soccer, baseball coach.
- Cady McClain (1969-) actress and singer. All My Children, As The World Turns
- Bill Miller (1915-2006) pianist for Frank Sinatra and close collaborator.
- Patton Oswalt (1969-) comedian, actor and writer. The King of Queens, Magnolia, The Comedians of Comedy
- John Payne (1958-) musician. Lead singer and bassist for the band Asia
- Sean Penn (1960-) actor, director, activist. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mystic River.[citation needed]
- Tom Petty (1950-) musician.[citation needed]
- Eve Plumb (1958-) actress. The Brady Bunch
- Jim Pugh (1964-) former tennis player.
- 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
- Randy Rhoads (1956-1982) Lead guitarist and founding member of Quiet Riot (1976-1979) and lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne (1979-1982).
- John Ritter (1948-2003) actor and comedian of TV's Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules
- Jimmy Rowles (1918–1996) American jazz pianist
- Freddy Sanchez (1977-) Major League Baseball player. Pittsburgh Pirates
- Doug Savant (1964-) actor. Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives
- Adam Schiff (1960-) Democratic U.S. Congressman from California since 2000.
- Martin Scorsese (1942-) director. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas
- Rocco Paolone (1979-) Musician
- Kyle Searles (1985-) actor. 7th Heaven
- Derek Sherinian (1966-) world-renowned rock and fusion keyboardist
- Jay Silverheels (1912-1980) Native American (Canadian) Actor who played Tonto (birth name: Harold Jay Smith).
- Ashley Tisdale (1985-) actress and singer. High School Musical, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
- Lalaine Ann Vergara-Paras (1987-) actress and singer. Lizzie McGuire
- Eddie Van Halen (1955-) Guitarist and singer "Van Halen"
- Kate Walsh (1967-) actress. Grey's Anatomy
- Wil Wheaton (1972-) actor and writer. Stand By Me, Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Royce Clayton (1970-) Major League Baseball player. San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays
- Shia LaBeouf (1986-) Actor Transformers, Disturbia
- Wayne Static (1975-) Musician for Static-X.
- Hilary Duff (1987-) Actress and singer
[edit] Amelia Earhart
The pilot Amelia Earhart had close ties to Burbank. George Palmer Putnam reportedly had proposed marriage to Earhart on several occasions. Finally, when Putnam proposed a sixth time at the Lockheed Co. in Burbank, she consented. They were married in 1931. In 1932, determined to prove herself a true pilot, not just a "sack of potatoes" as she had described her role in the flight four years before-Earhart took off eastward from New Jersey in her Burbank-built Lockheed Vega and became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
From 1935 to 1937, Earhart made many more flights, many of them from Burbank Airport. It was there that she pored over blueprints with Lockheed engineers, who built the $34,000 Electra she was flying at the time of her disappearance. Earhart's damaged plane was sent to Burbank after she crashed on the runway at Pearl Harbor on her first around-the-world attempt in 1937. At the time of her disappearance, Earhart lived in nearby North Hollywood with Putnam.
[edit] References
- 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)
[edit] External links
- City of Burbank - official
- Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra
- Downtown Burbank
- Burbank Airport Authority
- Burbank Unified School District
- Burbank Chamber of Commerce
- Burbank Community website
- Burbank Historical Society
- Burbank News and Real Estate on a Google Map
- Burbankia (Burbank history and lore)
- ValleyNews.com
- BetterBurbank.com (Site coming soon)
- Burbank Tournament of Roses Association
- BurbankGlendale.com Online business directory for the local community
- BurbankSite.com - Local City Guide
- [http://www.burbankwire.com/ BurbankWire - publishes events sponsored by educational, municipal, non-for-profit & community
organizations]
[edit] Maps
- Burbank, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
de:Burbank (Los Angeles County) fr:Burbank id:Burbank, California it:Burbank (Los Angeles County) nl:Burbank ja:バーバンク (カリフォルニア州) no:Burbank pl:Burbank (hrabstwo Los Angeles) pt:Burbank ru:Бербанк (Калифорния) fi:Burbank sv:Burbank vo:Burbank (komot: Los Angeles) zh:伯班克 (加利福尼亚州)
