Burbank, Illinois

In 1850, the area which would become the city of Burbank, then largely uninhabited and agrarian, became part of Lyons Township. Over the next hundred years the area remained largely undeveloped, though several times large plans were laid out for the area, never to come to fruition. In the late 19th century a railroad investor named A. B. Stickney planned a large railroad transfer center which included what became the northern part of Burbank, but his ideas were never realized due to an economic depression in 1893.

In the 1920s, the area became an attractive site for real-estate developers who bought up farmland and built subdivisions. However, ongoing drainage problems, practically nonexistent water and sewage systems and the Great Depression kept Burbank largely unbuilt and empty until the 1950s.

In 1952, the area became part of Stickney Township. Though still unincorporated, this led to massive development in the area, and by 1960 the population of the area had reached 20,720, nearly triple the population of a decade earlier. The area was incorporated into a city in 1970, partly to resist annexation by the City of Chicago. The city was named after Luther Burbank Elementary School, an institution which had served the area since the 1930s. The area's population peaked in 1976 at 29,448.[5]

Burbank has been in Illinois' 3rd congressional district since 1983. The city was in the 4th District from 1973 to 1983, prior to which the area had been in the 5th District since the 1940s.

According to the 2010 census, Burbank has a total area of 4.17 square miles (10.80 km²), all land.[6]

At the 2010 census, there were 28,925 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 81.7% White, 1.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 11.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.6% of the population.

At the 2000 census, there were 27,902 people, 9,317 households, and 7,267 families living in the city. The population density was 6,686.7 people per square mile (2,583.5/km²). There were 9,518 housing units at an average density of 2,281.0 per square mile (881.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.67% White, 0.26% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.95% from other races, and 3.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.09% of the population, including 8.8% of Mexican descent.

The top five non-Hispanic ancestries reported in Burbank as of the 2000 census were Polish (30.3%), Irish (18.7%), German (16.1%), Italian (9.3%) and Arab (4.6%).[7] Burbank's 8,427 Polish residents gave it a higher total in that regard than such much larger cities as Charlotte, North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

Of the 10,216 households 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 18.9% of households were one person and 10.3% had someone living alone who were 65 or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.44.

The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median household income was $49,388 and the median family income was $56,279. Males had a median income of $38,994 versus $26,651 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,923. About 4.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.[3]

• Reavis High School
• Queen of Peace High School
• St. Laurence High School

• Official website