Burlingame Trees Take Their Place in History

Burlingame residents often refer to their town as the City of Trees, and now history is on their side. The El Camino Real trees have earned a spot on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. 

“Late on [last] Friday, I received congratulations,” said Burlingame Historical Society President Jennifer Pfaff. “Washington has listed our resource—the trees—in the national register.”

The honored area is a 2.2-mile stretch between Peninsula Avenue and Ray Drive and is officially known as the Howard-Ralston Eucalyptus Tree Rows. There are 557 trees in the expanse, Pfaff said.

Burlingame has a long history of respecting and cultivating tree growth. In 1908, an ordinance was enacted against cutting or injuring trees in Burlingame, and a 1930 ordinance created zoning laws against commercial development on El Camino Real to protect the trees, said Pfaff.

According to the Burlingame Voice, John McLaren was responsible for turning a somewhat barren expanse of land into an oasis of trees beginning in the 1870s, intended to attract newcomers and land buyers to the area. You can read more history of the tree rows on the Burlingame Voice page.

The National Register of Historic Places finds and protects historic places across the country deserving of preservation. There are 87,309 total listings.

“True to its original purpose, Burlingame’s character-defining tree-lined boulevard continues to attract generations of visitors and new residents to our city,” Pfaff said. This is a great honor.”

A correction was made from an earlier version, which stated a 1930 zoning law protected against development on El Camino Real. This version has been changed to clarify the zoning law was specific to commercial development.

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