As of 2025, Glendale had a Census-estimated population of 187,823[11] making it the 4th-most populous city in Los Angeles County and the24th-most populous city in California.
In 1798, Verdugo retired from the military and began expanding his ranch operations. Soon he had nearly 2,000 head ofcattle, 670horses and 70mules. With the help of his son, Julio, he built severaladobe structures for various uses. Workers grewcrops such asgrains,peppers,oranges,figs,grapes andpomegranates, and also madewine.[15]
When Jose Maria Verdugo died in 1831, his estate was divided between his son, Julio, and his daughter, Catalina.[15]
In 1843, the Mexican government, claiming that the Verdugo family was not using the 5,832-acre portion of Rancho San Rafael situated in theCrescenta Valley to graze his herds, granted that portion toYgnacio Coronel, who named itLa Cañada Atras de Rancho Los Verdugos ("The Canyon Behind the Verdugo Ranch").[17]
In 1861, Julio Verdugo took out amortgage to build a larger house. Unable to make the loan payments, the family was forced intobankruptcy proceedings. In 1871, the court divided the ranch into several parcels to satisfy the many claims against the Verdugos.
The arrival of therailroad in Southern California set off a real estate boom. In 1883, soon afterAtwater Village was settled, theAtwater Tract Office brought train service to the area.[23] On March 11, 1887,Erskine Mayo Ross,Cameron E. Thom, and several others, filed the firstplat for Glendale, described as "Pasadena's first and only rival."[24] It was bounded by First Street (now Lexington Drive) on the north, Fifth Street (now Harvard Street) on the south, Central Avenue on the west, and the Childs Tract on the east.[25]
An important civicbooster of the era wasLeslie Coombs Brand (1859–1925), who partnered withHenry E. Huntington to bring thePacific Electric Railway, or the "Red Cars", to the area. TheGlendale–Burbank Line, which was operational from 1904 to 1955, ran fromDowntown Los Angeles toBurbank via Glendale. At the railroad dedication celebration, Brand spoke of "his early dreams coming true, in which he pictured a country home in close proximity to thecity." Brand also owned Glendale Light & Power Company, the Miradero Water Company, and the Consolidated Water Company.[28][29]
Thearchitecture firm of Anderson and Murdock won a contract to construct a newcity hall in 1910, and it was completed in 1912.[30]
Pioneeringendocrinologist and entrepreneurHenry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 1920, which for many years was the largest business in the city.
TheHotel Glendale, a six-storybeaux-arts building which boasted 160 rooms and two elevators, became Glendale's tallest building when it opened in 1925.[32] Its location, at the intersection of Broadway and Glendale Avenue, was chosen because of its proximity to several transportation lines.[33]
With the proliferation ofjet aircraft, Grand Central Airport's relatively short 3,400-foot runway was unable to accommodate modern aircraft. In 1959, the airport shut down.[49] In 1961,Walt Disney purchased a large portion of the closed airport to establish a creative workshop for employees working on the construction ofDisney theme parks and attractions worldwide. Initially named WED Enterprises, the team came to be known asWalt Disney Imagineering.[50]
Until as late as the 1960s, Glendale was asundown town, which meant that non-white people were required to leave city limits by a certain time each day or risk arrest and possible violence.[51] This was achieved through, among other methods,racist housingcovenants and police intimidation.[52]
In 1964, Glendale was selected byGeorge Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast headquarters of theAmerican Nazi Party. In 1965, an anti-Nazipolitical demonstration co-sponsored by several groups — Christians Against Bigotry, Anti-Nazi Congress of America, and Jewish Survivors of Concentration Camps — featuredactorRonald Reagan as a speaker. TheLos Angeles County Board of Supervisors became involved, amending a law regarding the activities of subversive groups, which was originally drafted in 1941 to control theGerman American Bund.[53] After a legal battle with the city of Glendale, the party moved their headquarters toEl Monte in 1966.[54][55]
The emergence of increasingly visible ethnic groups—includingArmenians,Cubans,Filipinos andKoreans—changed the official discourse in Glendale. In 1972, C.E. Perkins, thencity manager, encouraged theRotary Club of Glendale to prepare itself as the city could no longer remain isolated in an increasingly diverse America.[56] Through the 1970s, concurrent with increasing immigration into Glendale, was the city's rapidurbanization.[57] During this era, theGlendale Freeway and theVentura Freeway were constructed. TheGlendale Galleria shopping mall opened in 1976, and was further expanded in 1982.[58]
In the 1980s, manysingle-family homes in south Glendale were demolished forapartment andcondominium construction. This construction boom resulted in Glendale's population growing at a rate 60% higher than that of the county at large, turning the city into a denser, younger and more cosmopolitan urban center.[59] In 1983,Larry Zarian was elected as the city's first Armeniancity council member, and in 1986, he became the city's first Armenianmayor.[60] In 1984, the city revived municipal bus service with theGlendale Beeline.[61]
By 1990, Glendale was, proportionately, more immigrant than either thecity orcounty of Los Angeles, with 45% of its residents being foreign-born.[59] By the mid-1990s, Glendale'sAnglo-American population had been surpassed by Armenians andLatinos.[57] Some Anglo-American residents, largely fueled byanti-Armenian sentiment, decried the increased density in South Glendale.[62]
On January 26, 2005, atrain crash occurred when a southboundMetrolinkcommuter train collided with asport utility vehicle that had been abandoned on the tracks immediately south of the Chevy Chase Drivegrade crossing, on the Glendale-Los Angeles border. The trainjackknifed and struck trains on either side of it — one a stationaryUnion Pacific freight train, and the other a northbound Metrolink train traveling in the opposite direction. The collision caused the deaths of 11 individuals and injured 177 more.[63]
By the late 2000s, Glendale had outgrown its "sleepybedroom community" reputation as an urban area of its own, in large part due to theAmericana at Brandlifestyle center and residential community.[64] The new development was opened to the public in 2008, featuring 75 shops, restaurants, apartments, condominiums, and an 18-plexcinema.[65][57][66]
In 2021, theArmenian American Museum broke ground in Central Park.[76] In 2024, theMartial Arts History Museum moved to an 8,000 square foot facility in downtown Glendale,[77] the latest piece in the "new 'museum row' now that Glendale has the Neon Museum, the Armenian Museum and now the Martial Arts History Museum."[78]
Glendale is located in the southeasternSan Fernando Valley, 10 miles (16 km) north ofdowntown Los Angeles.[79] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.6 sq mi (79.212 km2); 30.5 square miles (79 km2) of it is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2) of it (0.43%) is covered by water. Glendale is the fourth largest[80] city within Los Angeles County.
Several known earthquake faults criss-cross the Glendale area and adjacent mountains, as in much of Southern California. Among the more recognized faults are the Sierra Madre and Hollywood faults, situated in the city's northern and southwestern portions, respectively. Additionally, the Verdugo and Raymond faults intersect through the city's central and southeastern areas. The San Gabriel fault, meanwhile, is located northeast of the city. Roughly 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Glendale is a major portion of theSan Andreas Fault known as the "Big Bend", where quake-recurrence tracking shows major activity roughly every 140–160 years. The closest portion of the San Andreas is actually 29 miles (47 km) from Glendale. The last major quake along the southern San Andreas was recorded in 1857.
In the1971 San Fernando earthquake, which took place along the western edge of the Sierra Madre Fault, surface ruptures were nearly 12 miles (19 km) long, including one portion a few miles northwest of Glendale. Most of the damage was in the northern San Fernando Valley, though 31 structures in Glendale suffered major damage and had to be demolished, plus numerous chimneys collapsed. The1994 Northridge earthquake had an epicenter about 18 miles (29 km) from Glendale. The city suffered severe damage to a public parking structure and sections of theGlendale Galleria parking structures and exterior columns incurred damages.[81]
Glendale has aMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification:Csa), with hot summers and mild winters with occasional rainfall. The highest recorded temperature in Glendale was 115 °F (46 °C) on September 6, 2020. The lowest recorded temperature was 17 °F (−8 °C) on February 15, 1990. The warmest month is August and the coolest month is January.
The annual average precipitation is just over 21 inches (530 mm), mostly falling between November and April. Rainfall totals are highly variable from year to year, with the wettest years (sometimes over 30 inches (760 mm) of rainfall) usually associated with warmEl Niño conditions, and the drier years (sometimes under 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall) with coolLa Niña episodes in the Pacific.
The hills and mountains of northern Glendale very rarely have snow, owing to its warmer temperatures during the winter. Frost sometimes occurs at night from late November to early March. Heavy rains and thunderstorms are also common during the winter. The spring brings temperate weather, with little rain. The summer is usually fairly warm, with highs from 85 °F (29 °C), to the low 100s (40 °C). Summer is usually very dry, but thunderstorms can come from Arizona, bringing high humidity into the area. These rare days cause heat indices over 120 °F (49 °C). Fall often brings clear and dry weather, but can be gusty due to the Santa Ana winds, blowing in once or twice a year from October to December. Santa Ana winds can reach up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), with gusts up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in mountain passes and canyons. Thunderstorms occur very rarely and they are accompanied by gusty winds and hail.[82]
As of 2024, Glendale hosts a Census-estimated population of 187,823, down 8,720 (–4.4%) from the2020 United States census count of 196,543.[7] At the 2020 census, the age distribution was 22.9% under 18, 58.7% from 18 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 or older.[102]
Glendale, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns. them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Armenian families have lived in the city since the 1920s, but the surge in immigration accelerated in the 1970s. Armenian Americans are well integrated into the city, with many businesses, several Armenian schools, and ethnic/cultural organizations serving this ethnic group. Beginning in the late 1970s, as a result of theLebanese Civil War and theIranian Revolution, a dramatic influx ofLebanese Armenians andIranian Armenians began to arrive in Glendale.[107]
Beginning in the late 1980s, with assistance from family and friends already there, Armenians from the former Soviet Union began arriving.[79] In theGlendale Unified School District, by 1988, along with students from the Middle East, they had become the largest ethnic group in the public schools, now having a larger number than Latinos.[108]
By 1999, about 25% of the population spoke Armenian and there were many Armenian businesses.[109]
According to theUnited States 2000 Census, Glendale is home to 65,343 Armenian Americans[110] (making up 34.1% of the total population), increasing from 1990 when there were 31,402 Armenian Americans in the city.[111] As of 2005, one-third of Los Angeles' estimated 153,000 Armenians (or 51,000, around a quarter of Glendale's 205,000 residents) lived in Glendale. At that time, Armenians held a majority on the Glendale city council,[112] and it had done so since that year.[113] By 2005, the Armenian population was 40% of the total population.[113]
In 2014, a Glendale Police Department spokesperson, stated, "In five to eight years, the [Armenian] community went from a few thousand to about 40,000."[79] Levon Marashlian, an instructor ofArmenian history atGlendale College, stated that in the early 1990s Glendale's Armenian community became the largest in theLos Angeles metropolitan area, surpassing the Armenian community of Hollywood.[79] Alice Petrossian, the GUSD director of intercultural education, stated that Burbank lies within the middle of other Armenian communities, so it attracted Armenians.[108] There are also a great number of Armenian immigrants from Iran who, due to the religious restrictions and lifestyle limitations of theIslamic government, immigrated to the US, many to Glendale since it was where their relatives resided.
Homenetmen, a non-alignedsport andscouting organization, started its Glendale Ararat chapter in 1983. Since 1996, the chapter has been located in neighboringGlassell Park.[118]
The Mexican American community was established in Glendale by the 1960s. The late 1980s and early 1990s also saw increases in Mexican American population as Glendale offers higher-quality education in a safer suburban environment away from the city.[79]
Several Korean cities have sought to create business and cultural relationships with Glendale.[119] Central Park has a monument to commemorate Koreancomfort women ofWorld War II. It was the only such monument on the West Coast until the opening of theSan Francisco Comfort Women Memorial in 2017.[120]
As of 2012[update],Filipino Americans were the third largest minority group in Glendale, making up seven percent of the city's total population, overtakingKorean Americans.[121]In 2022, the Filipino American Friendship Monument was unveiled in Central Park.[122]
After theIranian Revolution, manyPersians migrated to the cities seeking a suburban city with lower crime and quality education.[123]
Grand Central Airport was a municipal airport developed from 1923 which became the largest employer in Glendale for many years, and contributed to the development of aviation in the United States in many important ways. The main terminal building still stands as part of theWalt Disney Imagineering campus, and includes both Art Deco and Spanish-style architectural elements. The facility was the first official terminal for the Los Angeles area, as well as the departure point for the first commercial west-to-east transcontinental flight flown byCharles Lindbergh. DuringWorld War II, the Grand Central Air Terminal building was camouflaged to protect it from enemy targeting. It was closed down in 1959, and made way for the Grand Central Business Centre, anindustrial park.
In 1994,Steven Spielberg,Jeffrey Katzenberg, andDavid Geffen formedDreamWorks SKG, a diversified entertainment company.DreamWorks Animation remains located in the city's Grand Central Business Centre on land formerly occupied by a helicopter landing base next to the old airfield (and next to KABC-TV). Following the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation byComcast and itsNBCUniversal subsidiary in 2016, Katzenberg said that "We will absolutely continue to make animated films here."[147]
In October 2024, MayorElen Asatryan travelled toSouth Korea, where she struck anentertainment partnership deal with theIncheon Free Economic Zone. The agreement includes a new government-to-government platform jointly built by the governments ofIncheon and Glendale and sharing it with entertainment companies in both cities.[150]
In 2016, theMuseum of Neon Art (MONA), which focuses on historicalneon signs, moved to downtown Glendale, with the City committed to funding the museum's new site and construction.[159] The museum has featured exhibitions dedicated to the local community, includingArmenians[160] andLGBTQ+ people.[161]
By 2024, the Martial Arts History Museum, the Museum of Neon Art, and theArmenian American Museum were considered to be part of a new "museum row."[78]
TheAlex Theatre is a performing arts center featuring live performances and film screenings.[165]
The City sponsors severalconcert series: the Brand Summer Music Series, at the Brand Library;[166] the Jewel City Concert Series, at the Artsakh Paseo;[167] and the Summer Concert Series, at Verdugo Park.[168]
According to the city's most recent annual comprehensive financial report, the city's various funds had $576 million in revenues, $543 million in expenditures, $2,090 million in total assets, $481 million in total liabilities, and $460 million in cash and investments.[173]Glendale elects its City Council members at large, to a four-year term. Elections are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in April of odd-numbered years along with theGlendale Unified School District Board of Education and the Glendale Community College District Board of Trustees.
In 1977 and 1978, 10 murdered women were found in and around Glendale in what became known as the case of theHillside Strangler. The murders were the work ofKenneth Bianchi andAngelo Buono, the latter of whom resided at 703 East Colorado Street, where most of the murders took place.[178]
In 2014, Glendale was named the ninth-safest city in America in a report published by 24/7 Wall Street based on violent crime rates in cities with more than 100,000 people.[179] Also in 2014, real estate company Movoto used FBI data crime data from 2013 to conduct a study of 100 U.S. cities with populations between 126,047 and 210,309 residents and concluded that Glendale was the safest mid-sized city in America.[180]
Glendale USD operates a foreign language (FLAG) program that allows students to study in dual immersion in one of seven languages (Armenian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish) from kindergarten level, with Western Armenian and Filipino/Tagalog being considered for addition.[183] The FLAG program has been recognized for its successes at state level[184]
The city operates the Glendale Police Department, which employs 450 personnel including 300 sworn officers[195] and operates helicopter operations in conjunction with Burbank Police Department in the form of a Joint Air Support Unit.[196]
The Glendale Fire Department responds to about 17,000 calls for service annually.[197] The department has nine stations, with mutual aid provided other local departments.[198] The Verdugo Fire Communications Center in Glendale was established in 1979 to consolidate fire dispatching and telecommunications between 13 local fire departments.[199]
A 2021 Metro staff report for the Metro Board's Planning and Programming Committee has recommended corridors where the transportation agency could pursue new bus rapid transit lines, including one between downtown Glendale andEast Los Angeles College, a 13.64-mile (21.95 km) corridor passing throughLos Feliz,Silver Lake, andEcho Park.[203]
Since 2016, Metro and Eco-Rapid Transit have been studying the feasibility of adding more frequent service and infill stations along the corridor. Also studied has been the creation of alight rail line along the Burbank-Glendale-Union Station corridor, potentially allowing trains to leave the existing right-of-way to travel through the commercial core of Glendale.[205]
Using a grant from theSouthern California Association of Governments, the City of Glendale is now in the midst of a feasibility study for astreetcar project. The city is considering two alignments for the proposed system, both of which would feature 16 stops running approximately 2.88 miles (4.63 km) between Stocker Street in the north and the Glendale Transportation Center in the south, where it would connect with Metrolink and Amtrak trains.[206]
The closest airport that serves Glendale is theHollywood Burbank Airport. The airport is owned by the Burbank–Glendale–Pasadena Airport Authority, a joint powers agreement between the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena.[207]
^Kleinbaum, Josh (May 12, 2004)."Bringing magic to San Fernando".Glendale News Press. Tribume Publishing. Archived fromthe original on December 29, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2025.
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