From a tiny, rural town into the thriving community it is today, Burbank's roots were firmly established when the motion picture industry established itself there. Today Burbank is a prominent media and entertainment-oriented city which prides itself on a high quality of life, combining 21st century technology with small-town feel.

The business of making movies moved to Burbank in the 1920's. First National Pictures bought up a 78-acre site; the company was soon taken over by another young company founded by four brothers with the name of Warner. On October 23, 1927, motion picture history was made when Warner Bros. released the first all-talking movie, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson.

Soon, like waves coming to a shoreline, others followed. Columbia Pictures purchased property in Burbank as a ranch facility, using it 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.

Accommodations

The Graciela Burbank is an upscale boutique property in the Burbank Media District offering luxurious accommodations. The Best Western Media Center Inn & Suites, is only minutes from famous attractions and major media headquarters.

The Anabelle Hotel has New Orleans style influence. It is located minutes from NBC, Warner Bros, Walt Disney, & Universal Studios.

Restaurants

A Cuban restaurant, the Guantanamera, serves excellent food. Crabby Bobs Seafood Grill is a popular spot serving a variety of selections.

Shopping

Burbank Town Center has three levels of interior retail, and offers 14 theater screens. A wide variety of department and specialty stores are located throughout the Burbank area.

Major Attractions

Warner Brothers Studios VIP Tour is an insider's look at one of Hollywood's busiest and most famous motion picture studios. An intimate, historical and educational behind-the-scenes view of an actual working studio presents the past and current activities.

The tour to the Warner Bros. Museum shows an archive of the filmed entertainment history. Exhibits include costumes, props, awards and actual scripts from some of the most renowned productions. Visitors will visit back-lot sets, sound stages and craft/production shops.


If you want to see the behind-the-scenes workings of a television studio, the NBC Studio offers guided tours. The major television network studio is an interesting tour of the television industry.

Local History

The real history of the city began when a New Hampshire dentist headed west with the thousands of Americans seeking new opportunities. This was at a time when men like Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys were changing the face of the San Fernando Valley.

Dr. David Burbank was active in Los Angeles real estate when he purchased portions of both ranchos in 1867. He combined them into a large ranch where he raised sheep, built a ranch house (on what was later Warner Bros. back-lot) and occasionally sold off small plots of land.

Realizing that bringing in the railroad would increase the value of his ranch, Dr. Burbank sold the Southern Pacific Railroad a stretch of right-of-way for one dollar. The first train passed through Burbank on April 5, 1874.

During the 1960s and 1970s, there was a movement from the Hollywood entertainment industry to relocate in Burbank. The National Broadcasting Company moved its network television headquarters and by 1962, NBC's multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art complex was completed there.


Aviation in the mid-1920's was still in its infancy when the Lockheed Aircraft Company built a plant for the production of its planes.


By the time the United States entered World War II, Lockheed had some 94,000 employees producing 19,000 planes. Burbank's prominence in the aviation field was evident during the War when Lockheed's Burbank-built planes helped win the Battle of Britain. The wartime effort of the aviation industry had pushed Burbank's population to over 50,000 in 1943.