Burbank Real Estate

Dave Mauerman, Realtor®

Communities Information

	Burbank

	Glendale

	San Fernando Valley

	Valencia/Santa Clarita

Burbank

History of Burbank California

Burbank sits on land that has history almost as old as the United States itself. Its origins were part of two Spanish land grants, Rancho San Rafael, granted in 1798, and Rancho La Providencia, granted in 1821.

It was shortly after the War Between the States, in 1867, that Dr. David Burbank, a dentist from New Hampshire, bought parcels of both ranches in order to pursue a new future as a sheep rancher. Nearly twenty years later Dr. Burbank began selling portions of his property in a variety of land deals-first to the Southern Pacific Railroad and later to the Providencia Land, Water, and Development Company-both of which brought people and progress to the area. The new town of Burbank, had its first lots for sale in the Spring of 1887. The City of Burbank was incorporated in 1911.

By 1930 Burbank’s 1500 residents could proudly boast of its newspaper, radio station, library and bank, as well as several commercial ventures, the Moreland Truck Company, Lockheed Aircraft, First National Studio (now Warner Brothers) and Andrew Jergens Company among them. Also in 1930 was the dedication of the United Airport, where Boeing built its planes; several name changes and decades later the airport is now known as the Bob Hope Airport.

Much of the growth of Burbank echoes that of the entertainment industry. By 1940 Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Studiosall had locations in Burbank. In the next two decades they were joined by television’s NBC, and the phrase, “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” became a familiar refrain in TV-tied American households.