Glendale, California

Glendale, California is a city with over 200,000 residents. Glendale is the fourth most populous city in Los Angeles County. Incorporated in 1906, Glendale, which was once part of the Spanish land grant Rancho San Rafael and was later established as a 150-acre townsite, now encompasses over 30 square miles. The city includes portions of the San Fernando Valley, Verdugo Mountains, San Rafael Hills, and San Gabriel Mountains. The city of Glendale is divided into 34 neighborhoods, ranging from the low-density residential Markridge on the north to mixed-use Tropico on the south. To the north of Glendale is Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge, Angeles National Forest, and the city of Los Angeles communities of Tujunga and Sun Valley. To the south is downtown Los Angeles and the city of Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village and Glassell Park. To the west is Griffith Park, home of the Los Angeles Zoo. The Los Angeles River runs along the western edge of Glendale before flowing downstream through Chinatown and downtown Los Angeles. To the east is the city of Los Angeles community of Eagle Rock and the city of Pasadena. Glendale was the birthplace of the Bob’s Big Boy restaurant chain, originally called Bob’s Pantry, a hamburger stand that opened in 1936. The city was also the birthplace of Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors ice cream parlor chain. Founded in 1945, Baskin-Robbins grew to become the largest chain of ice cream shops in the world. Today, Glendale is home to one of the largest Armenian American populations in the country. In fact, only the city of Los Angeles itself has a larger population.

Glendale has enjoyed substantial economic development. In part, Glendale’s success owes to its location. Four freeways pass through or near Glendale: Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5), Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210), Ventura Freeway (State Route 138), and Glendale Freeway (State Route 2). Glendale is near the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Glendale is connected to passenger and freight rail systems. Glendale has more than 12,000 businesses. Glendale offers around 6 million square feet of office space. Glendale has more retail space and lower retail vacancy rates than neighboring Burbank and Pasadena. Glendale benefits from generous sales tax revenue. The largest sales tax producers include Apple, Bloomingdale’s, Home Depot, Vons, and several auto-related retailers, including Allen Gwynn Chevrolet and Calstar Mercedes. Brand Boulevard of Cars is a collection of about 21 auto dealerships strung along Brand Boulevard. Brand Boulevard of Cars acts as an economic engine for the area. Thirteen lodging properties are located in Glendale.

Glendale is home to several medical facilities. Adventist Health Glendale began as Glendale Sanitarium in 1905. The facility expanded its services and moved to its present location in the 1920s. Adventist Health Glendale has around 3,400 employees. Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center was established in 1926 as Physicians and Surgeons Hospital. The facility has around 1,000 employees. It is a 334-bed facility with a full range of services, including emergency care.

Downtown Glendale is a vibrant shopping, dining, and employment district. Notably, Downtown Glendale is home to two large shopping malls.

Glendale Galleria, a three-story indoor mall and office center, opened in 1976 and was later expanded and renovated. Glendale Galleria offers over 1.5 million square feet of retail space. One of the most important malls in the United States, Glendale Galleria was home to the first Panda Express and the first Disney Store.

The Americana at Brand, a mixed-use center designed by the same team that created The Grove in Los Angeles, combines shopping, entertainment, and residential properties, creating a “village” complete with a “town center,” a trolley, and landscape features that mimic natural streams and parks. Inspired by Boston’s Newbury Street, the property has condominiums and apartments along with various retail offerings. The Americana at Brand is touted as being among the 15 highest-grossing malls in the world.

Glendale is a full-service municipality with its own fire department, water and power department, police department, and library system. Glendale Fire Department has been approved as an ISO Class 1 organization, which represents a standard for superior property fire protection. Only a few cities in California have received this designation. Glendale Unified School District serves more than 24,000 students at more than 30 schools.

Glendale Community College is a respected institution of higher learning located in the foothills of the San Rafael Hills where students can acquire valuable career skills or earn transfer credit toward a university degree. The institution dates to 1926. Soon thereafter, Glendale Junior College began holding classes at Glendale Union High School. More than 25,000 students now attend Glendale Community College.

Historical buildings include the Alex Theatre (formerly the Alexander), which was built in 1925; the Brand Library & Art Center, which was formerly a mansion built in 1905 by and for Leslie Coombs Brand; and The Doctors House Victorian Museum, built in around 1888, one of Glendale’s two remaining Queen Anne-Eastlake style Victorian homes.

Grand Central Airport was the area’s first commercial airport. The facility, which was known first as Glendale Municipal Airport and then Grand Central Air Terminal, was the launching pad for the first west-to-east transcontinental airplane flight by Charles Lindbergh. Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart, legendary figures in American aviation, both used the facility. The airport closed in 1959.

Glendale’s largest point of interest area-wise is Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Cemetery, which covers about 300 acres. Dating to 1906, Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Cemetery serves as the final resting place for a dizzying array of major figures from the entertainment industry, including Clark Gable, Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, and Michael Jackson.

The northernmost edge of Glendale is home to the rugged 709-acre Deukmejian Wilderness Park. Elevations range from 2,159 feet to 4,775 feet. While mainly scrubland, the canyons contain riparian woodland.

Situated on a north-facing slope of the Verdugo Mountains, the 244-acre Verdugo Mountains Open Space Preserve contains more than 2,300 mature indigenous trees as well as springs. The preserve is bordered by a 4,000 acre tract of contiguous open space.

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