Which California city was named after a horticulturist who developed hundreds of varieties of flowers, fruits and vegetables?

While he is perhaps most famous today for developing the Russet Burbank potato—the primary variety used for french fries—the American botanist Luther Burbank was a titan of horticulture in his time. Over his long career, he developed more than 800 new strains of plants, including the Shasta daisy and countless varieties of plums, prunes, and other fruits. His celebrity was so great that when a group of speculators purchased a large ranch in Southern California in 1887, they named their new town after him to capitalize on his fame and evoke the state's agricultural promise.

Interestingly, the renowned plant breeder never actually lived in the city that bears his name. His famous experimental gardens were located in Santa Rosa, over 400 miles to the north. The town's founder was a dentist and real estate developer named Dr. David Burbank, who was of no relation to the famous horticulturist. Naming the community after the celebrated botanist was a strategic move to attract people to the new development.

The choice of name has become somewhat ironic over time. The community once named to celebrate fertile land and agricultural innovation is now known globally as the "Media Capital of the World," home to major motion picture and television studios like Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.