BURBANK: BIG CITY IN A SMALL TOWN

For a city of just over 100,000 residents, Burbank’s reputation is a lot bigger than you’d think. Travel the globe, and chances are, people will have heard of Burbank. That’s because the city’s small size hasn’t held it back from fame. If anything, smallness has allowed it to be more nimble and responsive to changing conditions, and that has only increased its reputation. It certainly helps that Burbank is one of the great centers of media and entertainment production in the world.

In the 95 short years since Burbank incorporated in 1911, the city has grown into a respected leader in the areas of government, business and quality of life. In fact, when the San Fernando Valley attempted to secede from Los Angeles in 2002, Burbank was hailed by the media as a model of civic efficiency and an oasis of good government. The Los Angeles Daily News credited Burbank with better jobs, better services, lower taxes and more responsive officials. High praise for a small town. When a major metropolis looks to Burbank as a model for its own form of government, there’s reason to be proud.

What makes Burbank so great? Certainly, the neighborhoods, homes, families, schools, world-class facilities, and the highest level of municipal services. All this makes Burbank so very Burbank. But there’s more.

Shopping, Dining and Entertainment
There are the unique districts that burst with activity all over the city, where people love to come and shop, mingle, meet, attend events or just soak up the atmosphere. Places like the newly revitalized Downtown Burbank, Magnolia Park, Burbank Boulevard, the Empire Center and any number of other destinations.

In the past few years, Downtown Burbank has emerged as the entertainment and retail hub of East San Fernando Valley. AMC Downtown Burbank movie screens consistently rank in the top five of theatrical circuits nationwide, regularly beating the AMC-25 in New York City. Many shops regularly report some of the highest sales increases in their chains, and new businesses are popping up all over the area like Urban Outfitters, EQ3, PF Changs, and many other boutiques and eateries. Downtown Burbank is comprised of 32-blocks with City Hall, IKEA, Burbank Town Center, and the hip outdoor district around San Fernando Boulevard.

If you’re looking for something to do, this is the place for it. You’ll find “Swingin’ Sounds from Downtown,” a nine week live music series that transforms Downtown into an outdoor dance hall every Thursday in July and August (for a full schedule, go to www.downtown-burbank.org). On September 21, there’s “Taste of Downtown Burbank” (for tickets and information, go to www.tasteofdowntownburbank.com). Come fall, nurture your artistic side by browsing the many talented artists at Downtown Burbank Fine Arts Festival November 11 and 12 (for more information, go to www.westcoastartists.com.)

Famous for its “Holiday in the Park” celebration every November, Magnolia Park has made tremendous strides in the last few years. Since the long-awaited Porto’s Bakery & Café opened in January 2006, the neighborhood has been treated to the delicious cakes, pastries and sandwiches that made this bakery famous. Residents in Magnolia Park love to browse the antique stores, one-of-kind boutiques and eateries that line Magnolia Boulevard and Hollywood Way.

Newly emerging with a reinvigorated identity is Burbank Boulevard, which extends more than 30-blocks between Interstate 5 and the Burbank-North Hollywood line. Merchants and residents along this boulevard have grouped together to suggest improvements on the street, which includes a major streetscape to begin in 2007.

Who hasn’t visited the Empire Center? Seems like the whole world shops this hugely popular shopping center. A retail powerhouse adjacent to Interstate 5, it includes Greatland Target, The Great Indoors, Lowe’s, Best Buy and Costco. It also features two hotels, Extended Stay America and Marriott Courtyard.

The Media District is Burbank’s high-profile media office hub, which includes Disney World Headquarters, ABC television, NBC/Universal production studios, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Warner Bros. Studios, Clear Channel Communications, numerous
record labels and affiliated industries. Studio tours give you incredible insight into the magic of entertainment.

Recreation
Great cities encourage the well-being of citizens with opportunities to improve themselves, enjoy their leisure time and engage in healthy activities. In Burbank, that means investing in the maintenance and improvement of 22 city parks representing 150 acres of open space and a number of innovative recreation facilities including the Stough Canyon Nature Center, hiking trails, two Olympic swimming pools, and a 5,000 seat outdoor amphitheater, the ‘Starlight Bowl’. And, you can’t miss the 27-hole DeBell golf course, with spectacular views of the Valley.

Burbank also provides a network of bikeways that stretch more than 20 miles to the Warner Center in Woodland Hills. Within city limits, the Chandler Bikeway, a 2-mile dedicated bike and pedestrian path, attracts thousands of riders per week. Currently planned is another 15 miles of bike routes that will link many of the city's neighborhoods.

Public Transportation
Burbank’s population doubles each day with the influx of 100,000 workers. So as not to burden streets with additional cars, the city puts a major emphasis on public transportation, with Burbank Bus, the City’s bus service, leading the way. For more information Burbank Bus and transportation in general, go to www.burbankbus.org

By building the Downtown Burbank Metrolink station, promoting Burbank Bus, and establishing convenient and practical transit routes, the City has eliminated more than 510,000 car trips per year. That in turn has reduced emissions like carbon monoxide by 100,000 pounds per year.

As you can see, there’s a lot of big news coming out of the “small” city of Burbank. The city has achieved its greatness by remaining small and thinking big. It’s a secret shared by Burbank residents, which is what makes the city such a great place to live, work, and play. And it’s a secret that will guide Burbank into the future, where it will quietly go its own way, making waves felt around the world.