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History · Burlingame

Burlingame dates to 1855, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1870.

1855founded
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Burlingame began

When was Burlingame founded?

1855

Burlingame dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 655 in 18702020 census: 971171 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1855.The full story ↓

What stands out about Burlingame’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Burlingame are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1983. Watch Burlingame change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,472 in 1890; 971 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1912, drew every building in Burlingame.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burlingame’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Burlingame’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Burlingame on the map, 1889 to 1983

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

Burlingame on the 1889 USGS mapBurlingame on the 1894 USGS mapBurlingame on the 1972 USGS mapBurlingame on the 1983 USGS map1889Burlingame sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Burlingame, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,472

Peaked at 1,472 in 1890; 971 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story

How Burlingame came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Burlingame.

Read it all →

Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Council City post office was opened on April 30, 1855. The wide brick main street, Santa Fe Avenue, was built wide enough for an oxen team to be able to make a U-turn. The city and post office name was changed from Council City to Burlingame on January 30, 1858, in honor of Anson Burlingame.

During the Civil War, the townspeople constructed a stone fort in the town center. Burlingame's Fort was torn down after the war.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Burlingame, 1855 to 1915

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingBurlingame is established
  3. 1855Post officeThe Council City post office opens
  4. 1858Post officeThe Council City post office closes
  5. 1858Post officeThe Burlingame post office opens
  6. 1871Born hereVictor Murdock is born here
  7. 1887Born hereMaurice G. Mehl is born here
  8. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 1,472
  10. 1892Born hereMuriel Window is born here
  11. 20th century
  12. 1915Born hereEarl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr. is born here
By decade

Burlingame, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Pond in2021Pond inBurlingame kansas post office 20092009Burlingame kansas post office 2009Burlingame kansas city hall2009Burlingame kansas city hallKSMap-doton-Burlingame2005KSMap-doton-Burlingame
Every building

Burlingame, building by building, 1885–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Burlingame fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Burlingame

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr.American pharmacologist · b. 1915
Victor MurdockAmerican politician · b. 1871
M
Maurice G. MehlAmerican herpetologist · b. 1887
Muriel WindowAmerican actress · b. 1892
Carla ProvostUnited States government official · b. 1969
R
Ron ThornburghAmerican politician · b. 1962
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Burlingame’s post office has been open since 1858. Another post office, Council City, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Council City
1855–1858
Burlingame
1858–today
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Lincoln Middle SchoolschoolSchuyler Elementary Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Burlingame’s history

What year was Burlingame founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata. Burlingame’s post office opened in 1855, and the census of 1870 counted 655 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.