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BHistory
History · Burbank

30% of Burbank’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #100 of 847 in California. What drives it

Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1990.

0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Burbank’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Burbank’s history

How historic is Burbank?

B

More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Burbank’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Burbank is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #100 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Burbank’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194029.7% of homes (±6.6) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 60%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 88%

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Burbank’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (31% of California towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points).

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Burbank’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1980. Watch Burbank change.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers.Old housesHalf of Burbank’s homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · On the map

Burbank on the map, 1889 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Burbank. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Burbank on the 1889 USGS mapBurbank on the 1897 USGS mapBurbank on the 1953 USGS mapBurbank on the 1961 USGS mapBurbank on the 1973 USGS mapBurbank on the 1980 USGS map1889San Jose sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Burbank.

By decade

Burbank, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s7 items
Vega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1935Vega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, CaliforniaVega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1935Vega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, CaliforniaSelf-help cooperative unit. Burbank, California1936Self-help cooperative unit. Burbank, CaliforniaSelf-help cooperative. Members of the community. Burbank, California1936Self-help cooperative. Members of the community. Burb…Self-help cooperative1936Self-help cooperativeSelf-help cooperative1936Self-help cooperativeWoman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation1939Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation
1940s11 items
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1942Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, CaliforniaLockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1942Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, CaliforniaLockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1942Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, CaliforniaUntitled photo, possibly related to: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Lockheed Aircraf…Production. Ventura bombers. Tinfoil--and only part of one day's collection--made by employees of a large Western aircr…1942Production. Ventura bombers. Tinfoil--and only part o…Production. Ventura bombers. On "MacArthur Boulevard" in a large Western aircraft plant. Ventura bombers are rolling of…1942Production. Ventura bombers. On "MacArthur Boulevard"…Production. Ventura bomber. Along the well-lighted length of the "MacArthur Boulevard" in a large Western aircraft plan…1942Production. Ventura bomber. Along the well-lighted le…Production. Ventura bombers. Part of the makings of Ventura bombers that will soon be giving Tokyo, Berlin, and Rome so…1942Production. Ventura bombers. Part of the makings of V…Production. Ventura bombers. The "Pony Express" driver in a large Western aircraft plant rounds the corner of "Bataan B…1942Production. Ventura bombers. The "Pony Express" drive…Production. Ventura bombers. When these birds of war are full fledged they will be assigned to chores in which Tokyo, B…1942Production. Ventura bombers. When these birds of war …Production. Airplanes. Atop the water tower of a huge Western airplane factory, a fireman surveys the hive of activity …1942Production. Airplanes. Atop the water tower of a huge…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story so far

Burbank, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Burbank yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Burbank is an unincorporated community in Santa Clara County, California, United States. As an urban island, it is surrounded by the city of San Jose. The population was 4,940 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Burbank as a census-designated place (CDP). The area was named for horticulturist Luther Burbank. The area is a center for antique stores and is centrally located to Santana Row, Westfield Valley Fair, and also the downtown area. The area is in ZIP code 95128 and area codes 408 and 669.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,926 in 2010, 4,940 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Burbank, 1889 to 1964

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1935In the archiveVega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California
  5. 1942In the archiveLockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California
  6. 1964Born hereJim Pugh is born here
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Vega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California
Retake this viewVega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California, 1935

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Burbank’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Burbank, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50020002020Peak: 5,239

Between 4,902 and 5,239 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Burbank’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Parkmoor

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Burbank’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewVega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, Cal…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Burbank’s history

How does Burbank rank for history?

Burbank is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #100 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Burbank?

30% of Burbank’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1946.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From the Library of Congress (18), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.