Noise Levels in City Center, Glendale, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across City Center
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
6,717
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
68% of City Center residents
80 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across City Center at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 6,717 City Center residents, or 68.3%, live above that level. By land area, 65.8% of City Center is above 55 dBA.
34.2% below 55 dBA
65.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in City Center compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of City Center
Average noise levels for City Center residents, grouped by direction from the center of City Center. The highest population-weighted average is in northern City Center; the lowest is in central City Center, where just 55% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northern City Center
75.3 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Northeastern City Center
72.5 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Northwestern City Center
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern City Center
57.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central City Center
56.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northern City Center sounds about 263% louder than in central City Center, a 18.6 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from State Rte 134 do you need to be?
State Rte 134 produces an estimated 79 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 1% of City Center sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 81% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
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Airport Noise
Bob Hope (BUR) sits northwest of City Center. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of City Center, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across City Center
The bar chart below shows the share of City Center residents in each noise band. About 22% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 34% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How City Center Compares
City Center sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how City Center's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Vineyard-Los Angeles, Verdugo Viejo, North Arroyo, and Pacific Edison.
Average noise level (dBA)
City Center's 57.9 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than City Center because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 68.3% of City Center residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 65.8% of City Center's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a California average of 36.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to City Center
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from State Rte 134 and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 1% of City Center is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is high-intensity developed land. Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. Bob Hope's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
