History · Burbank

Burbank in old photos and postcards

Postcards, papers and photographs of Burbank from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

12old photos & papers

1famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Burbank’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Burbank’s past

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

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Old housesHalf of Burbank’s homes were built before 1946.

★ What stands out · 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

1935Vega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California

1936Self-help cooperative unit. Burbank, California

Self-help cooperative. Members of the community. Burbank, California

1936Self-help cooperative. Members of the community. Burb…

1936Self-help cooperative

1939Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation

1940s5 items

1942Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California

Untitled photo, possibly related to: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California

1942Untitled 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…

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, 1935 to 1964

Woven from the archive, the National Register and the people born here.

20th century
1935In the archiveVega Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California
1942In the archiveLockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California
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.

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

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+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Memory lane

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

Town Square →

Weigh in

Has Burbank changed for the better?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

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From the Library of Congress (12) and Wikidata for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.