Aerospace Industry San Fernando Valley

Hollywood gave the San Fernando Valley its worldwide renown, but it was the aerospace industry that, until recently, supplied the economic backbone. In 1942, when Bing Crosby was singing his hit "San Fernando Valley," Lockheed put the Valley on the aviation map with its massive wartime buildup at its Burbank plant, turning out the legendary Lightning, Harpoon and Flying Fortress warplanes.

A decade after the end of the Cold War sent weapons-systems makers into a tailspin, the Valley remains flush with aerospace businesses--nearly 150 by one recent count. The big hitters, such as Lockheed and Hughes, have closed shop here. Others were sold to distant owners--notably Rocketdyne, sold by Rockwell to Seattle-based Boeing.

A decade after the end of the Cold War sent weapons-systems makers into a tailspin, the Valley remains flush with aerospace businesses--nearly 150 by one recent count. The big hitters, such as Lockheed and Hughes, have closed shop here. Others were sold to distant owners--notably Rocketdyne, sold by Rockwell to Seattle-based Boeing.

Hollywood gave the San Fernando Valley its worldwide renown, but it was the aerospace industry that, until recently, supplied the economic backbone. In 1942, when Bing Crosby was singing his hit "San Fernando Valley," Lockheed put the Valley on the aviation map with its massive wartime buildup at its Burbank plant, turning out the legendary Lightning, Harpoon and Flying Fortress warplanes.