Glendale sits north of Downtown Los Angeles, between Burbank and Pasadena, with the Verdugo Mountains rising behind it. Brand Boulevard is the main street, lined with the Alex Theatre, the Museum of Neon Art and two large shopping centers. Away from downtown, the city's historic districts hold Period Revival homes from the 1920s through the 1940s, including Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Craftsman houses, and the hillside streets climb toward wilderness parks and trails.
Getting around
Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line and Ventura County Line stop at the Larry Zarian Transportation Center, 400 W. Cerritos Ave., which also connects to Metro buses, the city's Glendale Beeline buses and Amtrak, and has free station parking. Metro Line 92 runs along Glendale Boulevard, Brand Boulevard and Glenoaks Boulevard between Downtown Los Angeles and Sylmar. The 5 and the 134 freeways both serve the city, with Brand Boulevard and Central Avenue exits off the 134 for downtown. For flights, Hollywood Burbank Airport is on Hollywood Way in Burbank.
Neighborhoods to know
Downtown Glendale and Brand Boulevard. The city's commercial core, with the Alex Theatre, the Museum of Neon Art, The Americana at Brand and the Glendale Galleria within a few blocks. The city promotes Brand Boulevard as an 18-hour street, with restaurants, bakeries and cafes open from morning into the evening.
Montrose. The Montrose Shopping Park runs along the 2200 to 2400 blocks of Honolulu Avenue, a walkable stretch of shops and restaurants that hosts the Sunday Harvest Market and seasonal street events. The Montrose branch library is at 2465 Honolulu Ave.
Rossmoyne Historic District. Glendale's largest historic district, with 503 homes developed from 1923 and mostly built by 1950. The houses are Period Revival designs, mainly Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and French-inspired styles, and Nibley Park sits inside the district.
Royal Boulevard Historic District. A 30-home district within Rossmoyne on a curving, palm-lined section of Royal Boulevard, built mostly between 1927 and 1948 in the same Period Revival styles.
Cleveland Knoll. A proposed historic district of 238 properties between Bruce Avenue and Graynold Avenue, with Craftsman, Monterey Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Ranch houses. The city lists it as proposed, not yet adopted.
Things to do in Glendale
Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St. The city's arts library, housed in Miradero, a 1904 mansion with Saracenic-style domes and arches, restored between 2012 and 2014. It opens Tuesday through Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, with shorter hours later in the week, and parking in the park is free.
Brand Park, at the north end of Grandview Avenue. A 30-acre park around the library with hiking and biking trails, the Whispering Pine Tea House and Friendship Garden, and the Doctors House Museum, a restored Queen Anne and Eastlake style house from about 1888 that opens Sunday afternoons.
Deukmejian Wilderness Park and Stone Barn Nature Center, 3429 Markridge Rd. Trails into the hills above the city, with a nature center in a historic stone barn that opens on weekends and Friday afternoons.
Catalina Verdugo Adobe, 2211 Bonita Dr. Glendale's oldest structure, traditionally dated to 1828, and a California Historical Landmark.
Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. The historic Brand Boulevard theatre returned to first-run movies in July 2026 with new 35mm and 70mm projection, and it also hosts concerts, comedy and dance.
Museum of Neon Art, 216 S. Brand Blvd. Restored signs and neon art, open Thursday through Sunday from noon, with general admission at $10 and 90 minutes of free parking in the structure at 120 Artsakh Ave.
The Americana at Brand, 889 Americana Way. An open-air shopping and dining center built around a lawn with a fountain water show every hour and a free electric trolley in the afternoons and evenings.
Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St. The main city library, open Monday through Thursday 10 AM to 8 PM and Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM.
Events and markets
Montrose Harvest Market. When: Sundays, 8 AM to 1 PM, rain or shine (closed Easter Sunday). Where: Montrose Shopping Park on Honolulu Avenue. A certified farmers market with produce, baked goods and flowers.
Montrose Holiday Wine Walk. When: Saturday, November 14, 2026. Where: Montrose Shopping Park. A seasonal holiday event in the Montrose shopping district.
Montrose-Glendale Christmas Parade. When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6:10 PM. Where: Honolulu Avenue in Montrose. The 48th annual parade.
Montrose Arts & Crafts Festival. When: June 5 and 6, 2027 (Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM). Where: Montrose Shopping Park. A two-day arts and crafts festival on Honolulu Avenue.
Glendale Cruise Night. When: Each July (the 2026 event ran July 18; the 2027 date isn't posted yet). Where: Brand Boulevard. A free evening car show with live music that ends with fireworks.
Summer Concerts Series. When: Summers (the 2027 schedule isn't posted yet). Where: Verdugo Park and Brand Park. The city's outdoor concert series in two of its larger parks.
Coffee in Glendale
Regent Coffee Roasters and Brew Bar, 249 N. Brand Blvd. A roaster's cafe on Brand Boulevard pouring its own beans, including a barrel-aged cold brew. Open daily from 8 AM into the mid-afternoon.
Coffee Commissary, 1419 W. Kenneth Rd. A small Los Angeles roaster with several cafes, open daily 7 AM to 9 PM.
Esso Caffé, 207 1/2 W. Wilson Ave. An espresso bar a block off Brand with specialty lattes, including a Basque latte, open from early morning to 6:30 PM.
Café Montrose, 3459 N. Verdugo Rd. A coffee and brunch cafe on Verdugo Road, with a crème brûlée French toast on the menu, open Wednesday through Sunday 8 AM to 3 PM.
Places to eat
Porto's Bakery & Cafe, 315 N. Brand Blvd. ($). A Cuban-style bakery and cafe known for cheese rolls and potato balls, with pressed Cubano sandwiches. Open daily from 6:30 AM.
Raffi's Place, 211 E. Broadway ($$). Persian kabob plates over basmati rice, served here since 1993.
Carousel, 304 N. Brand Blvd. ($$). Middle Eastern mezze and charbroiled kebab plates, with lunch pricing on weekdays. Closed Mondays.
Mini Kabob, 313 1/2 Vine St. ($$). Shish kabob plates made with grass-fed beef, open Thursday through Sunday from 11 AM.
Damon's Steakhouse, 317 N. Brand Blvd. ($$$). A tiki-themed steakhouse dating to 1937 and on Brand since 1980, with steaks, mai tais and prime rib on weekends. Open daily from 3 PM.
Hours, prices and event details checked October 2026.
Glendale questions
Where is the Brand Library in Glendale?
The Brand Library & Art Center is at 1601 W. Mountain St., inside Brand Park at the north end of Grandview Avenue. Parking in the park is free, and the library is open Tuesday through Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, with shorter hours later in the week.
When is the Montrose farmers market?
The Montrose Harvest Market runs every Sunday from 8 AM to 1 PM, rain or shine, in the Montrose Shopping Park on Honolulu Avenue. It is closed on Easter Sunday.
Does Glendale have a city transfer tax?
Glendale has a Real Property Transfer Tax in its municipal code, but it is the conforming city share of the county tax, so a Glendale sale pays the Los Angeles County rate of $1.10 per $1,000 of value in total, with no extra city tax on top.
Escrow notes for Glendale
Transfer tax. As of October 2026, Glendale is county tax only: the Los Angeles County documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of value ($0.55 per $500). Glendale Municipal Code Chapter 4.24 sets a city tax of 27.5 cents per $500, which is the conforming city share credited against the county tax under state law, so the total stays $1.10 per $1,000. Glendale is not one of the five Los Angeles County cities the Registrar-Recorder lists with an added city rate. Source: official page.
Our transfer tax calculator runs the county and city tax for any Los Angeles County price, and the free 2026-27 LA Transfer Tax and Measure ULA Cheat Sheet has every city rate on one page.
Buying or selling in Glendale? Send Iris the fully executed contract at iris@calwestescrow.com or call (323) 300-6122.
About this guide. Cal West Escrow wrote this guide to share general local information. No business paid to be included, and we do not accept free goods or services for mentions. A mention is not an endorsement, and hours, prices and events change, so check with each business before you go. Business names and trademarks belong to their owners. Transfer tax and other escrow notes are general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Cal West Escrow is committed to fair housing: this guide describes places, not people, and is not meant to suggest who should live anywhere.