Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was an stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Council City post office was opened on April 30, 1855. The wide brick main street, Santa Fe Avenue, was built wide enough for an oxen team to be able to make a U-turn. The city and post office name was changed from Council City to Burlingame on January 30, 1858, in honor of Anson Burlingame. During the Civil War the townspeople constructed a stone fort in the town center. Burlingame's Fort was torn down after the war.
Geography
Burlingame is located on U.S. Route 56, about south of Topeka. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 934 people, 404 households, and 250 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 501 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 97.1% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 404 households of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,017 people, 428 households, and 267 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,150.1 people per square mile. There were 481 housing units at an average density of 543.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.43% White, 0.29% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.49% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 428 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,845, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $26,711 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,465. About 3.8% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The Burlingame government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 7PM.
