Editing Burbank, California (section)

===City of Burbank===
[[File:Burbank-1922.jpg|thumb|right|Burbank, 1922]]
[[File:CA 4 I5 NARA 1960 66.jpg|thumb|right|Golden State Freeway/Interstate 5 under construction through Burbank, 1959]]
The town grew steadily, weathering the [[drought]] and [[Depression (economics)|depression]] that hit [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in the 1890s and in 20 years, the community had a [[bank]], newspaper, [[High school (North America)|high school]] and a thriving business district with a hardware store, livery stable, [[dry goods]] store, general store, and bicycle repair shop. The city's first newspaper, ''Burbank Review'', was established in 1906.

The populace petitioned the [[California State Legislature|State Legislature]] to [[Municipal corporation|incorporate as a city]] on July 8, 1911, with businessman Thomas Story as the [[mayor]]. Voters approved incorporation by a vote of 81 to 51. At the time, the Board of Trustees governed the community which numbered 500 residents. With the action of the Legislature, Burbank thus became the first independent city in the San Fernando Valley.

The establishment of Burbank as a city was a crucial milestone in the area's progress, triggering a fresh phase of growth and advancement. This cityhood meant that Burbank gained the ability to govern itself, making decisions independently regarding its development and expansion. It also granted the city greater authority over its valuable resources, such as land, water, and other assets. With this newfound control, Burbank could shape its own future and manage its local affairs more effectively.

The first city seal adopted by Burbank featured a [[cantaloupe]], which was a crop that helped save the town's life when the land boom collapsed.<ref name="Ref-4" /> In 1931, the original city seal was replaced and in 1978 the modern seal was adopted. The new seal shows City Hall beneath a banner. An airplane symbolizes the city's aircraft industry, the strip of film and stage light represent motion picture production. The bottom portion depicts the sun rising over the Verdugo Mountains.

In 1915, major sections of the Valley were annexed, helping [[Los Angeles]] to more than double its size that year. But Burbank was among a handful of towns with their own water wells and remained independent. By 1916, Burbank had 1,500 residents. In 1922, the Burbank Chamber of Commerce was organized. In 1923, the [[United States Postal Service]] reclassified the city from the rural ''village mail delivery'' to ''city postal delivery service''.<ref name="Ref-4" /> Burbank's population had grown significantly, from less than 500 people in 1908 to over 3,000 citizens. The city's business district grew on the west side of San Fernando Blvd. and stretched from Verdugo to Cypress avenues, and on the east side to Palm Avenue. In 1927, five miles (8&nbsp;km) of paved streets had increased to {{convert|125|mi|km}}.

The [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] set off a period of hardship for Burbank where business and residential growth paused. The effects of the Depression also caused tight credit conditions and halted home building throughout the area, including the city's Magnolia Park development. Around this time, major employers began to cut payrolls and some plants closed their doors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/SFVH&CISOPTR=1713&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=782&DMY=134&DMMODE=viewer&DMTEXT=%20Burbank&REC=19&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0 |title=CONTENTdm Collection: Item Viewer |publisher=Digital-library.csun.edu |access-date=December 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929213805/http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FSFVH&CISOPTR=1713&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=782&DMY=134&DMMODE=viewer&DMTEXT=%20Burbank&REC=19&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0 |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

The Burbank City Council responded by slashing 10% of the wages of city workers. Money was put into an Employee Relief Department to help the unemployed. Local civic and religious groups sprang into action and contributed with food as homeless camps began to form along the city's Southern Pacific railroad tracks. Hundreds began to participate in self-help cooperatives, trading skills such as barbering, tailoring, plumbing or carpentry, for food and other services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FSFVH&CISOPTR=1704&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=170&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%2520Burbank&DMTHUMB=1&REC=20&DMROTATE=0&x=74&y=503 |title=CONTENTdm Collection: Item Viewer |publisher=Digital-library.csun.edu |access-date=December 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929213810/http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FSFVH&CISOPTR=1704&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=170&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%20Burbank&DMTHUMB=1&REC=20&DMROTATE=0&x=74&y=503 |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

By 1930, [[First National Pictures|First National Studios]], [[Andrew Jergens Company]], The [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed Company]], [[Libby's|McNeill and Libby Canning Company]], the Moreland Company, and [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop Aircraft Corporation]] opened facilities in Burbank, and the population jumped to 16,662.

In the 1930s, Burbank and [[Glendale, California|Glendale]] prevented the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] from stationing African American workers in a local park, citing [[sundown town]] ordinances that both cities had adopted.<ref>{{cite book|first=James W.|last=Loewen|author-link=James W. Loewen|title=Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism|location=New York City|publisher=[[The New Press]]|date=2005|isbn=978-1-62097-454-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abhIDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT81|via=Google Books}}</ref> Sundown towns were municipalities or neighborhoods that practiced racial segregation by excluding non-white individuals, especially African Americans, from living within the city limits after sunset.

Following a San Fernando Valley land bust during the Depression, real estate began to bounce back in the mid-1930s. In Burbank, a 100-home construction project began in 1934. By 1936, property values in the city exceeded pre-Depression levels. By 1950, the population had reached 78,577.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.laalmanac.com/population/po26.htm | title = General Population By City: Los Angeles County, 1910–1950 | work = Los Angeles Almanac | access-date = January 4, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080922162229/http://www.laalmanac.com/population/po26.htm | archive-date = September 22, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> From 1967 to 1989, a six-block stretch of San Fernando Boulevard was pedestrianized as the "[[Golden Mall]]".