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1953 Map of Burbank

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Burbank
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

Burbank and the surrounding San Fernando Valley are shown during a period of massive mid-century expansion, dominated by the arrival of major entertainment and aerospace industries. The map illustrates the concentration of global production power with the Walt Disney Studio, Warner Brothers Studio, and the NBC-TV Headquarters clustered near the Los Angeles River. The Lockheed Air Terminal stands as a massive landmark in the northwest, signaling the era's aviation growth.

Residential neighborhoods like Magnolia Park and Sun Valley push against the slopes of the Verdugo Mountains. Dozens of local landmarks appear, from the Villa Cabrini Academy to the transient housing of Rodger Young Village. This survey also documents the sprawling Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) and the early network of the Hollywood Freeway and Golden State Freeway that began to redefine Southern California's transit.