san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Burbank, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Most of Burbank south of Forest Ave is unincorporated Santa Clara County land with San Jose addresses: the blocks from I-880 to Leigh Ave down to I-280, plus city streets around the O'Connor Hospital campus.
Burbank by the numbers
burbank by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Burbank (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in burbank · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Burbank
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Burbank from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Burbank (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Burbank came to be
Most of Burbank south of Forest Ave is not in the City of San Jose. About half of this guide, roughly 235 acres, is unincorporated Santa Clara County land with San Jose mailing addresses (county unincorporated-areas map; Census Burbank CDP, about 266 acres of land in two pieces). There the county handles planning, zoning and building permits. The city's neighborhood-association map draws Burbank from I-880 to Leigh Ave and Forest Ave to I-280; the name is shared by the one-school Luther Burbank School District and the Burbank Sanitary District.
The city side grew around the island in pieces, per city annexation records: the south ends of Clifton Ave and Leigh Ave in 1947, the blocks north of Forest Ave in 1950-1954, O'Connor Dr in 1953 and Revey Ave in 1962. In 2008 'Burbank No. 41' added about 16 acres around Bellerose Dr, Di Salvo Ave, Ciro Ave and west Bailey Ave (effective October 8), and small W. San Carlos St pieces followed in 2014 and June 2023.
About 30 entries in the city's historic inventory come from a 2000 county survey of these blocks: mostly Craftsman bungalows with estimated dates from about 1910 to the early 1940s, plus Tudor, Folk Victorian and Prairie houses, a 1927 bungalow court on Brooklyn Ave and a 1932 Mission Revival court on Boston Ave. They are inventory entries, not landmarks, and private homes with no public access.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
North of Forest Ave, between I-880 and N. Bascom Ave, are city streets around the O'Connor Hospital campus: Laurelei Ave, Emory St, Bel Air Ave, Lynwood Ter, McDaniel Ave, University Ave, McAlister Dr and the north end of Bellerose Dr, crossed by Hedding St. They are R-1-8 single-family blocks, recorded as tracts of 12 to 104 lots, with a median lot of about 7,200 sq ft; office and commercial zoning lines Forest Ave, where the hospital parcel covers about 17.5 acres by I-880.
Between Forest Ave and Stevens Creek Blvd, Bascom Ave splits two grids. West of it, O'Connor Dr, Ciro Ave, Di Salvo Ave, Bellerose Dr, Revey Ave and Clarmar Way are city streets, R-1-8 on Bellerose Dr and west Bailey Ave, with lots of about 7,100 sq ft on Bellerose Dr and Revey Ave. East of it, Topeka, Cleveland, Brooklyn and Boston Aves run from W. San Carlos St to Forest Ave, crossed by Olive Ave: county land zoned R1 with an added '-n2' designation, on lots of about 5,600 sq ft.
South of the boulevard the island covers most of the land to I-280. West of S. Bascom Ave, Bradley, Flagg, Patton, MacArthur, Halsey, Wainwright, Pioneer, Patch and Hodges Aves run toward Scott St and Parkmoor Ave, in tracts of 100 to 160 lots, with lots of about 5,300 to 6,300 sq ft. East of it, Laswell, Vaughn, Arleta, Raymond, Irving, Leland, Rutland and Clifton Aves run closer together, crossed by Elliott St, Scott St and Basile Ave; the median lot on Arleta, Vaughn, Raymond, Irving and Leland Aves is about 4,000 sq ft. County zoning is R1-n2 north of Scott St, R1 south of it, and general commercial (CG) on the county stretch of S. Bascom Ave.
City line, street by street (county unincorporated-areas map, county road records and the city's annexation records). Unincorporated Santa Clara County: Cleveland Ave and Olive Ave; Topeka, Brooklyn and Boston Aves except the first lots off W. San Carlos St; the west side of Wabash Ave from W. San Carlos St to Olive Ave; Bailey Ave between Revey Ave and Bascom Ave and most of Cecil Ave; Forest Ave from about Brooklyn Ave to Topeka Ave; Bradley, Flagg, Patton, MacArthur, Halsey, Wainwright, Pioneer, Patch and Hodges Aves and Los Coches Ave, behind the Stevens Creek Blvd frontage; S. Bascom Ave from Parkmoor Ave to Elliott St; Laswell (except a short city piece near Elliott St), Vaughn, Arleta, Raymond, Irving, Leland and Rutland Aves from the W. San Carlos St frontage to Parkmoor Ave; Elliott St except between S. Bascom Ave and Laswell Ave; Scott St from its west end to Clifton Ave; Basile Ave; Parkmoor Ave from S. Bascom Ave to Rutland Ave and at its west end; and Clifton Ave and the west side of Leigh Ave between Scott St and the W. San Carlos St frontage. City of San Jose: every street north of Forest Ave; O'Connor Dr, Ciro Ave, Di Salvo Ave, Bellerose Dr, Revey Ave, Clarmar Way and west Bailey Ave; most of the Stevens Creek Blvd, W. San Carlos St and N. Bascom Ave frontage; S. Bascom Ave north of Elliott St; Parkmoor Ave between MacArthur Ave and S. Bascom Ave and east of Clifton Ave; and Clifton Ave and Leigh Ave south of Scott St. The line often runs behind lots or down the middle of a street, so check the county parcel record for the address.
streets in burbank
- Forest Ave
- Laurelei Ave
- Emory St
- Bel Air Ave
- McDaniel Ave
- Hedding St
- Stevens Creek Blvd
- W. San Carlos St
- S. Bascom Ave
- N. Bascom Ave
- Topeka Ave
- Cleveland Ave
- Brooklyn Ave
- Boston Ave
- Olive Ave
- Bellerose Dr
- Revey Ave
- O'Connor Dr
- Bradley Ave
- MacArthur Ave
- Halsey Ave
- Patton Ave
- Scott St
- Elliott St
- Laswell Ave
- Arleta Ave
- Irving Ave
- Leland Ave
- Rutland Ave
- Clifton Ave
- Parkmoor Ave
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Burbank
- park
Buena Vista Park
A 0.4-acre city park just east of Leigh Ave, about 0.15 mile straight-line from Leigh Ave at Scott St (city parks layer).
- park
Frank M. Santana Park
A 6.07-acre city park on S. Monroe St across I-880, about 0.3 mile straight-line from the west end of Parkmoor Ave.
- park
Municipal Rose Garden
The city's 10.64-acre rose garden at Naglee Ave and Dana Ave, about 0.35 mile straight-line from Forest Ave at Wabash Ave.
- shopping
Stevens Creek Blvd, W. San Carlos St and S. Bascom Ave
Commercial frontage on all three; the city's growth-area map shows the W. San Carlos St (West) urban village with an approved plan, and the S. Bascom Ave frontage between Parkmoor Ave and Elliott St is county land zoned general commercial.
- landmark
O'Connor Hospital campus
The hospital campus at 2105 Forest Ave fills the corner of Forest Ave and I-880 (county maps).
- landmark
Burbank Theater building
The closed late-1940s Art Moderne theater at S. Bascom Ave and Parkmoor Ave is flagged in the city's historic inventory as eligible for the National and California registers.
- landmark
Valley Medical Center and Santana Row
Across I-280, the Valley Medical Center campus (751 S. Bascom Ave) is about 0.3 mile straight-line from S. Bascom Ave at Parkmoor Ave; across I-880, Santana Row is about 0.5 mile from Stevens Creek Blvd at O'Connor Dr.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Census district maps split the elementary grades three ways. The Luther Burbank School District (one K-8 school, Luther Burbank Elementary at 4 Wabash Ave, just across Wabash Ave) covers the blocks north of Scott St from S. Bascom Ave to Leigh Ave and the Topeka-to-Boston, Revey Ave and Cecil Ave blocks. The Campbell Union School District covers the rest of the land west of Bascom Ave, the blocks south of Scott St to Rutland Ave, and Forest Ave, O'Connor Dr and McDaniel Ave. Both sit inside the Campbell Union High School District (Del Mar High, 1224 Del Mar Ave, is about 1 mile straight-line from S. Bascom Ave at Parkmoor Ave). San Jose Unified covers the Hedding St blocks north of Forest Ave and the south ends of Clifton Ave and Leigh Ave; Abraham Lincoln High (555 Dana Ave) is about 0.7 mile straight-line from Laurelei Ave. Check the exact address with the district.
Campbell Union guide · Campbell Union High guide · San Jose school districts
Getting around
- VTA 23 runs on Stevens Creek Blvd and W. San Carlos St with stops at Bascom Ave and Leigh Ave among others, and Rapid 523 stops at San Carlos St and Bascom Ave; VTA 61 runs on Bascom Ave with stops at Olive Ave, San Carlos St and Scott St (VTA route pages).
- Light rail (Green Line): Fruitdale station is about 0.9 mile straight-line from S. Bascom Ave at Parkmoor Ave, across I-280; Race station is about 0.8 mile from Leigh Ave at W. San Carlos St.
- I-880 has ramps at Stevens Creek Blvd; I-280 ramps run along Parkmoor Ave (county road records).
- Bikes: Scott St is a marked bike boulevard, Parkmoor Ave and Hedding St have buffered bike lanes, Stevens Creek Blvd and Forest Ave have bike lanes, and MacArthur Ave and Bellerose Dr have shared-lane markings (city bikeways map).
- San Jose Diridon station is about 1.8 miles straight-line from the middle of the area.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Burbank: what we check
Buying here
- City or county first: on unincorporated parcels the county handles planning, zoning and building permits, the Burbank Sanitary District is the sewer district, and the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District and county lighting and library service areas cover the land (county district maps). Confirm the jurisdiction and tax rate area on the county parcel record, and ask which agency maintains the street.
- Boundaries still move parcel by parcel (the latest city annexation here was June 2023), and the county's online boundary map was last noted as updated in 2018, so check both the county parcel record and the city for any address near the line.
- Zoning: county blocks are R1, many with the county's '-n2' designation, so ask county planning about setbacks, floor area, ADUs and SB 9 for the lot. City blocks are mostly R-1-8; ask the city.
- Hazards: the city's FEMA-based flood layer shows about 99.5% of the outline as Zone D (possible but undetermined hazard), with thin Zone AO strips (1 foot) along the I-880 edge near Forest Ave and Hedding St. The state liquefaction zone (San Jose West quadrangle, released 2002) covers about a quarter of the outline: all of the blocks north of Forest Ave and a band just south of it (O'Connor Dr, Ciro Ave, Di Salvo Ave, Bellerose Dr and the north ends of Topeka, Cleveland, Brooklyn and Boston Aves). Read the natural hazard disclosure.
- Older houses: many surveyed homes date from about 1910 to the 1940s, so ask about foundations, wiring, permits for past additions and the sewer lateral; on county parcels, look up permit history with the county.
- Freeway edges: Parkmoor Ave runs beside I-280 and the west blocks back onto I-880. Visit at different times of day if a lot backs onto either.
Selling here
- Say plainly whether the parcel is unincorporated county or City of San Jose, and have county or city permit records ready for any addition, garage conversion or ADU.
- Lot sizes vary block to block (about 4,000 sq ft on the narrow streets east of S. Bascom Ave, about 7,200 sq ft on the city blocks north of Forest Ave), so give the exact county figure.
- State the school district from the Census map for the address (Luther Burbank, Campbell Union or San Jose Unified for elementary grades) and tell buyers to confirm with the district.
- Have the hazard answers ready: Zone D for nearly every address, and the liquefaction zone for the blocks north of Forest Ave and the band just south of it.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Burbank questions, answered
Is Burbank part of San Jose?
Mostly not, south of Forest Ave. About half of this guide, roughly 235 acres, is unincorporated Santa Clara County land with San Jose mailing addresses, so the county handles planning, zoning and building permits. The streets north of Forest Ave, the boulevard frontage and the blocks listed in the city-line paragraph are City of San Jose. Check the county parcel record.
Did San Jose annex part of Burbank recently?
In pieces. The city's annexation records show 'Burbank No. 41' (about 16 acres north of Stevens Creek Blvd, October 8, 2008) and small W. San Carlos St pieces in February 2014 and June 2023 ('Burbank No. 44', about 0.9 acre at Boston Ave). The rest of the island is still county land.
Which school district serves Burbank?
It depends on the block: Luther Burbank or Campbell Union for elementary grades, both inside the Campbell Union High School District, or San Jose Unified on the Hedding St blocks and the south ends of Clifton Ave and Leigh Ave (Census maps). Check the exact address with the district.
Is Burbank in a flood or liquefaction zone?
On the city's FEMA-based map nearly all of it is Zone D, with thin Zone AO strips along I-880. About a quarter of the outline, including everything north of Forest Ave, is in the state liquefaction zone. Check the address.
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