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Bakersfield, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield city logo

City nickname:"California's Country Music Capital"

County Kern County, California

Area

- Total

- Water

296.3 km² (114.4 mi²)

3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) 1.14%

Population

- Total (1/1/2006)

- Density

311,824

843.4/km²

Time zone Pacific: UTC-8

Latitude

Longitude

35°21'26' N

119°1'54' W

Mayor: Harvey Hall

City of Bakersfield Official Website

Downtown Bakersfield with City Hall and Police Headquarters at left and Hall of Records at rightBakersfield is the county seat of Kern County, California, in the United States. As of the 2000 censusGR2, the city population was 247,057. The city's economy thrives on agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refining. It is one of the fastest growing of the larger cities of the United States. As of 2006 the population is estimated to be around 312,000 within the city limits, making it the 11th largest municipality in California, and 59th largest city in the nation (as of latest US Census estimates). The greater Bakersfield area numbers around 451,800 including unincorporated areas, according to local municipal sources. It is California's third largest inland city after Fresno and Sacramento.

Top producing area crops include cotton, carrots, table grapes, almonds, pistachios, citrus, wheat, garlic, and potatoes. Local oil fields include the prolific 100-year old Kern River field, the Midway-Sunset field, the former Naval Petroleum Reserve at Elk Hills, the Kern Front field, and the Belridge field.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Founding

1.2 Government

1.3 Growth

1.4 Education

1.5 Historic buildings

1.6 Famous residents

1.7 Sources

2 Geography

2.1 Highways

3 Demographics

3.1 Housing & development

3.2 Politics & society

4 Local amenities

5 Entertainment

5.1 Cultural activities

5.2 Sports

6 Sister Cities

7 Trivia

8 Notable residents

8.1 Arts & entertainment

8.2 Law & politics

8.3 Science & medicine

8.4 Sports

9 External links

9.1 Government

9.2 Arts & culture

9.3 Entertainment & commerce

9.4 Sports

9.4.1 Professional

9.4.2 Amateur

9.5 Recreation & nature

9.6 Media

9.7 Education

9.7.1 Universities & colleges

9.7.2 Public schools

9.7.3 Private schools

9.8 Service organizations

History

The Yokuts Indians were the first people to settle in the San Joaquin Valley, some 8000 years ago. One source cites the English transliteration of the Yokuts place name for the Bakersfield area as Woy Loo. In 1776, the Spanish missionary Father Francisco Garcés was the first European to reach the area. In 1851, gold was discovered in the Kern River in the southern Sierra mountains, and, in 1865, the first discovery of oil was made in the valley. The Bakersfield area, a tule reed infested malarial swamp, was first known as Kern Island to the handful of pioneers who built log cabins there in 1860. The area was subject to flooding from the Kern River delta, which occupied what is now the downtown area.

Founding

In 1863, Colonel Thomas Baker (formerly of the Iowa militia} moved into the Kern Island area to champion the cause of reclamation. He settled into a log cabin near what is now Truxtun Avenue and R Street. A former California State Senator who had experience as a surveyor, Colonel Baker had been recommended to survey and lay out the town of Visalia in the late 1850's. His reputation as one of the few government officials uncorrupted by big business preceded him and served him well in the Kern Island area. He soon developed a reputation for hospitality.

Colonel Baker had grown a field of alfalfa near the present day Amtrak Station for travelers to feed their horses. The field was well known throughout California and even written about in San Francisco newspapers. The newspapers advised travelers to visit Colonel Baker and use his field of alfalfa to feed their stock. Anyone who came to "Baker's field" was sure to be treated as a long lost friend.

As more families moved to the area, Baker subsidized development out of his own pocket. He constructed public sawmills free of charge, helped other pioneers drain their land, and did surveying. Colonel Baker was asked to plot out a new town after a flood on the Kern River caused the re-routing of the river channel to the north. The town was founded, and at the founding ceremony in 1869, residents surprised Baker by naming the town Bakersfield in his honor. Baker died of Typhoid Fever in 1872 and is buried at Union Cemetery.

Government

The Kern County seat, established in 1866 in the mountain town of Havilah, was moved to Bakersfield in 1874, where it has stayed. Bakersfield has been incorporated twice in its history. It first incorporated in 1874, but disbanded in 1876 with the purpose of firing an unruly City Marshall. The city was incorporated again in 1898. Currently Bakersfield is governed by a City Council and Manager system, with a mayor acting as the presiding officer.

Growth

The town continued to grow, and reached a population of about 300 by 1869,and 800 by 1871. Major floods in 1867 and 1893, and the fires of 1889 and 1919 did not reverse this trend.

In 1874, the Southern Pacific Railroad came into the area, but was unpopular due to the high rate of fares. On May 27, 1898, the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (popularly known as "The People's Railroad"), now the Santa Fe Railroad, arrived in Bakersfield, giving a great boost to the population.

In the 1930s, the Great Plains drought and dust storms (commonly called the Dust Bowl) brought a large influx of refugees from Arkansas and Oklahoma, who went to work mostly in the agriculture and oil industries. The overwhelming number of Dust Bowl refugees was a source of considerable social strife. The city's population grew slowly but steadily after World War II.

Migration from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Southern California brought new residents, who most commonly filled job openings in the oil industry. By 1980, Bakersfield's population was about 105,000. Within the next 20 years, Bakersfield's population exploded, topping 250,000 by 2000. When the price of homes, violence and gangs increased in larger cities nearby, hundreds of families chose the area for its affordability and its relative proximity to Southern California. Bakersfield continues to grow, and is known for its friendliness toward economic expansion, with a highly diversified business community.

In 1899, the Kern River Oil Field was discovered at the Discovery Well by two brothers digging in a pit along the Kern River, about one-mile east of Gordon's Ferry (a ferry that took Overland Stages across the Kern River). Advances in steam-injection of oil wells rejuvenated the oil field. The oilfield is still active today and is one of the nation's highest yielding fields of all time. Oil is still important to the local economy, but the area's oil boom is dwindling.

Education

Two of the earliest schools founded in Kern County were Mrs. Thomas Baker's school, opened in 1863 at the Baker home near present day 19th and N Streets, and a Catholic parochial school opened by Reverend Father Daniel Dade in 1865 in Havilah (then county seat). In 1880, Norris School was established. The land was donated by William Norris, a local farmer. Thirteen to twenty students were taught in one classroom during the 1880s. In 1915, the Norris School was rebuilt to accommodate a growing number of students. The school was torn down and reconstructed in 1950, and once again in 1980. Today the Norris School District is growing very steadily thanks to extremely fast growing home developments in northwest Bakersfield, and is recognized for its quality students and education. However, it is still smaller than the massive Bakersfield City School District (BCSD), the state's largest elementary school district. The BCSD serves most of the schools on the east side of town. Other Bakersfield area elementary school districts include Panama-Buena Vista, Rosedale, and Fruitvale. The first high school in Bakersfield, Kern County Union High School, opened in 1893. It was renamed Bakersfield High School after World War II. The site at California Avenue and F Street is also the first campus of Bakersfield College, which was established in 1913 and relocated in 1956 to its current location overlooking the Panorama Bluffs in northeast Bakersfield. Bakersfield College has a yearly enrollment of between 12,000 and 14,000 students. Since World War II, in order to serve a growing baby-boomer population, the Kern High School District has steadily expanded to its current eighteen campuses today with more than 35,000 students, making it the largest high school district in the state. In 1965, a university in the California State University system was founded in Bakersfield. California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) today has some 7,700 students, with a special focus on business and administration. It is an NCAA Division II sports powerhouse in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with some sports, including wrestling (PAC-10), competing in Division I. CSUB is currently attempting to join the Big West Conference and become a Division I athletic school. Despite the efforts to improve college-going rates in the community, Bakersfield still lags in that area. According to a March 2006 study by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Bakersfield metropolitan area is one of the lowest college-educated communities in the nation. Calculated from 2000 US Census figures, the study shows that only 13.5 percent of adults in the Bakersfield MSA have a bachelor's degree or higher. This contrasts sharply with California and U.S. figures at 28 percent and 24 percent respectively.

Historic buildings

The great earthquake of July 21, 1952 changed the appearance of Bakersfield, promoting the flat, sprawling style of building that dominates the city today. The quake, centered near Bear Mountain, was the second largest quake in California history. It leveled most of downtown Bakersfield's historic Victorian brick businesses and hotels (including the once famous Southern Hotel), historic Chinatown area on the eastern side of downtown, and turn of the century buildings, including the once ornate County Court Building. Very few historic buildings exist today as a result.

Famous residents

Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren was raised in Bakersfield, and would later go on to decide such cases as Brown v. Board of Education and the Miranda decision. Before being appointed Chief Justice he was California Attorney General and then California Governor. Earl Warren Junior High School, and Warren Hall (on the campus of his alma mater, Bakersfield High School) are named in his honor. Bakersfield Panthers superstar offensive lineman James Walters (Football player) is from Bakersfield

President George W. Bush and President George H.W. Bush lived in Bakersfield for a year while George H.W. Bush was selling oil field equipment in 1947 immediately following World War II.

Rock band Korn is from Bakersfield, as is country star Rick Reno Stevens. The 2005 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter resides in Bakersfield. Country legends Merle Haggard, a Bakersfield native, and Buck Owens, who settled there in 1950, are both associated with the city, which also produced major poets Frank Bidart and Robert Duncan, as well as author Gerald Haslam.

Sources

Bailey, Richard C., Kern County Place Names, (Bakersfield, California: Merchant's Printing and Lithography Co., 1967).

Geography

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.

You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.Bakersfield is located at 35°21′26″N, 119°1′54″W (35.357276, -119.031661)GR1, at 120 m (400 ft) in elevation. It lies near the southern "horseshoe" end of the San Joaquin Valley, with the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada's just to the east. The city limits extends to the Sequoia National Forest at the foot of the Greenhorn Mountain Range at the entrance to the Kern Canyon. The Tehachapi Mountains which are to the south feature the historic Tejon Ranch. To the west, the Temblor Range, which features the Carizzo Plain National Monument and the San Andreas Fault, is approximately 35 miles across the valley floor..

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 296.3 km² (114.4 mi²). Of this, 292.9 km² (113.1 mi²) is land and 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is water (1.14%).

Bakersfield lies approximately 160 km (100 mi) north of Los Angeles (about a 1.5-hour drive on I-5 and State Route 99) and about 500 km (300 mi) southeast of the state capital, Sacramento (about a 4.5-hour drive on State Route 99).

Highways

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.

You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations.

Bakersfield is the second largest city in the United States (after Fresno) that is not directly linked to an [[Interstate highway. Recent years have brought increasing interest in extending Interstate 40 to Bakersfield. The original Interstate Highway plans called for I-40 to extend west via the current Highway 58 route all the way to U.S. 101 and the City of San Luis Obispo, but lack of funding prevented this extension. Bakersfield and Fresno would both benefit from a four lane expressway or freeway to connect to the coast, as the Central Coast of San Luis Obispo County is a favorite holiday destination of San Joaquin Valley residents.

Currently there are numerous freeway alignments being planned for the metropolitan Bakersfield area. These include three east-west connections on the north, central, and south parts of town that would link Highways 58, 178, the future downtown "Centennial Corridor," and the future Kern River Westside Parkway to each other and/or Highway 99, with a north-south extension on the western edge of Bakersfield west of Rosedale connecting the southern, central, and northern alignments.

There are long term plans to link the northern east-west alignment (along 7th Standard Road) to I-5 and re-designating it as Highway 58. Congressional funding has been secured for this 25-35 year project and construction is scheduled to begin by 2010. As is often the case with highway development in urbanized areas, political problems have arisen with the planned alignments.

There is also political discussion of re-designating Highway 99 into an Interstate Freeway and re-naming it Interstate 7 or Interstate 9. Currently, Highway 99 through Bakersfield and Kern County is a major Freeway with six-lanes through the county areas and eight-lanes through the metropolitan area. The Bakersfield section of the highway is the busiest part of Highway 99 in the entire state. State Highway 99 currently extends from Mettler south of Bakersfield at the I-5 junction, north to Sacramento whereupon it becomes a two-lane highway (with the exception of the Chico area where it is a freeway) all the way to Red Bluff where it meets up again with I-5. The former US 99 extended from the Imperial Valley at Calexico, through Los Angeles, over the "Ridge Route" into the San Joaquin Valley, north to the Sacramento Valley where it split into two parts (99E and 99W), meeting again at Red Bluff, over the Siskiyous and on into Oregon and Washington to the Canadian border. Many parts of I-5 replaced Highway 99 when it opened in the late 1970's. Highway 99 has been referred to as the Main Street of California and life along it has been glorified in movies such as "The Grapes of Wrath (film)," "Bound for Glory," "American Graffiti," and "The Best of Times (film)."

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 247,057 people, 83,441 households, and 60,995 families residing in the city. The population density was 843.4/km² (2,184.4/mi²). There were 88,262 housing units at an average density of 301.3/km² (780.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.87% White, 9.16% Black or African American, 1.40% Native American, 4.33% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 18.68% from other races, and 4.43% from two or more races. 32.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 83,441 households out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,982, and the median income for a family was $45,556. Males had a median income of $38,834 versus $27,148 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,678. About 14.6% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Housing & development

Currently a "hop-scotch" pattern of housing development is pushing the city limits and zones of future annexation further and further west. It is very possible that within the next 25 years, Bakersfield's limits could stretch from the base of the Sierra Nevada range across the 25-30 mile width of the San Joaquin Valley floor to the Temblor Range . This is creating political issues concerning unnecessary urban sprawl, commuter problems on two-lane country roads, the destruction of valuable farmland, and the actual geographical center of the city being taken away to the west from the traditional downtown core.

Western expansion of the city has some planners considering that a new city be incorporated to govern the area of fast growth to the west. To the north, the City of Shafter, a small farming town, has filed suit to limit the northern expansion of Bakersfield's limits. Shafter has also annexed large pieces of farmland to its east and south to ensure that Bakersfield would not envelope its southern area.

Bakersfield is dominated in the east by a large bluff and plateau. The bluff has been under development for the last 60 years toward the Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon area. The steep north facing edge of the bluff provides spectacular views of the foothills, mountains, and Kern River, and the city is struggling to balance development with preservation in this area. City leaders recognize potential adverse effects of urban sprawl on this unique area, and are especially concerned with development leading to erosion and landslides. Bakersfield residents have expressed a desire to resist becoming a bedroom community to Los Angeles and this pitted its officials against powerful state housing developers.

Politics & society

Bakersfield is a politically conservative city with complicated racial and socio-economic equity issues. Despite conservative "family values," Bakersfield continues to have an above-average teen birth rate and below-average literacy rate. Historically, it has a large population that can trace its family roots to the western exodus of agrarian families from the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. These refugees were commonly called the derogatory term "Okies" because so many of them hailed from Oklahoma, which was hard hit by the Dust Bowl. Many "Okies" also hailed from Texas and Arkansas (""Arkies""). John Steinbeck's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath is an accurate illustration of their plight. A strong sense of family ties among friends and families exists among descendents of these immigrants and is one of the city's strong suits. It is a common reference to say that you will always find someone who knows someone who knows you when you live in Bakersfield.

More recently, Bakersfield and Kern County farm workers and field workers have hailed from Mexico, South America, and Central America. Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers Movement, or UFW, was born just 30 miles north of Bakersfield, in Delano. In addition to a strong work ethic, the worker-founders of Bakersfield, "Okie" or Mexican, have in common a lack of formal education that is rooted in poverty. Bakersfield's farm workers have had to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," leaving little time for "betterment" through college. Despite this, many "Okie" families have overcome economic hardship and successfully settled in the community; the most well-known example of this was country singer and businessman Buck Owens, native of Sherman, TX. Current farm and field workers are striving to establish their families, as well, through hard manual labor.

Drug use, especially methamphetamine, is a big local problem, a bane on older and newer neighborhoods, and tied to problems of poverty, lack of education, illegal street gangs and crime. As the population has increased, so has gang activity and drug-related crime in Bakersfield. Local law enforcement plays a key role in the community's response to these issues and has the strong support of the local voting populace.

Local amenities

Bakersfield is home to California State University, Bakersfield, founded in 1965, a Division II sports powerhouse, especially in basketball, and Bakersfield College, a Junior College football powerhouse with a 19,000 seat on-campus stadium, and one of the nation's oldest junior colleges founded in 1913.

Bakersfield's main airport is Meadows Field Airport. In 2005, the airport opened a new "William M. Thomas" passenger terminal (named after the retiring Republican congressional representative), replacing the long outdated facility with modern design and comfort. The increasing number of metropolitan amenities is due to the city's fast paced growth.

Entertainment

Bakersfield has a large Basque population in and around the city, and many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque. These include Woolgrowers, Maitia's, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Sandrini's (located in a 110 year-old basement), Benji's, Narducci's, and Italian Restaurant Luigi's. Hollywood celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Annette Funicello, Beau Bridges, and sports star Wayne Gretzky have been spotted in these eateries.

Bakersfield also has an influential Chinese community and a growing Mexican population that makes up a large portion of the population.

Bakersfield hosts the largest Scottish Games and Clan Gathering in California the first weekend of every April.

Bakersfield is home to one of the nation's largest and oldest farming co-ops, the California Cotton Cooperative Association, commonly called CalCot, founded in 1927.

Bakersfield is home to the largest carrot producing operations in the world, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms.

As is true of many cities in the Central Valley of California, a substantial number of Bakersfield residents have ancestors who migrated to the area from the Great Plains, Arkansas and Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. In John Steinbeck's historical novel The Grapes of Wrath, Bakersfield is one of the locations that the protagonists pass through. Jack Kerouac's On the Road deals with the conditions of migrant workers in this part of California.

Bakersfield has four movie theaters: Edwards Cinemas Stadium 14 and United Artists East Hills 10 (Regal Entertainment Group), Valley Plaza Stadium 16 (Pacific Theatres), and Movies 6, a second-run theatre (Starplex Cinemas).

Cultural activities

In the 1950s, local country musicians such as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart helped invent a rock and roll-influenced country music style called the Bakersfield sound. Their influence was so great that Bakersfield is second only to Nashville, Tennessee, in country music fame. Bakersfield continues to produce famous country music artists.

Despite its country music fame, Bakersfield has also turned out its fair share of hard rock, most notably KoЯn, Burning Image and Adema.

The Christian community can also enjoy national performing Gospel artists, such as Flicker Records recording artist Royal Ruckus and Southern Gospel artist The Lighthouse Boys.

Off-road recreation is one of the more popular recreational activities among residents. Bakersfield has always been home to a large population of Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts. The California Department of Motor Vehicles reports as of May 2001, there are over 18,000 OHVs registered in Kern County Kern Off Highway Vehicle Association. On May 26, 2005, the City of Bakersfield and the State of California Parks department obtained an assignable option using a grant from the OHV Trust funds to purchase a prospective 11,000 acre (45 km²) site for an OHV park. Site Located for State Vehicular Recreation Area"Ruth Coleman, Director of California State Parks State remarked, This project responds to the needs of the Bakersfield community for increased recreation opportunities and will provide a cornerstone for the Central Valley Strategy". Friends of Kern Open Space state that there are several educational programs available to train youth in proper OHV operation, including National 4-H and the California Off-Road PALS program. Friends of Kern Open Space.

The Kern County Museum, which boasts an extensive collection of regional artifacts, is located on Chester Avenue, just north of Downtown Bakersfield. The Museum includes the "Black Gold: The Oil Experience" oil exhibit, a hands on modern approach at showing how oil is mined, The Lori Brock Children's Discovery Museum, a hand's on children's museum, and a country music display on the influential "Bakersfield Sound" style of country music.

Sports

Sports has been, and continues to be a large part of the Bakersfield lifestyle and culture. Bakersfield is home to the Bakersfield Blaze, a minor league baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers that plays in the Single-A level California League and who play at the historical Sam Lynn Ballpark, built in 1941.

In downtown Bakersfield there is the major civic center, the Rabobank Arena, originally known as Bakersfield Centennial Garden built in 1998. This 10,000 seat double-decked arena with luxury suites hosts, an af2 team, the Bakersfield Blitz, and an ECHL AA-level hockey team, the Bakersfield Condors, originally known as the Bakersfield Fog when the team joined the West Coast Hockey League in the mid-1990s. The WCHL later joined the East Coast Hockey League. Rabobank Arena also hosts the men's and women's basketball teams of CSU Bakersfield, who compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in Division II of the NCAA. The arena also currently hosts the California State High School Wrestling Championships every March and will be the new home of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League in the Fall of 2006. The arena has also hosted the prestigious and now defunct "Bakersfield Business Conference," as well as the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Basketball Championships, televised WWE pro wrestling, L.A. Lakers pre-season basketball, L.A. Kings pre-season hockey, and other notable events and concerts with major performers have been hosted at the arena. Adjacent to the arena is the Rabobank Convention Center, formerly known as the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, built in the early 1960's. The 3,000 seat convention center is home to the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra and is known for having one of the largest stages in the world. It hosted hockey games on the stage until the arena was built in 1998. Adjacent to the convention center is the Holiday Inn Select Hotel, a modern hotel that offers further event hosting capabilities with accessibility to the convention center and arena. The city is also home to the Premier Development League soccer team the Bakersfield Brigade who play at Bakersfield Christian High School Stadium.

Football is easily the city's biggest passion from the youth levels, to Friday Night High School football, to a prolific junior college program, and even producing NFL stars (Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker, Joey Porter is from Bakersfield). Bakersfield follows and supports football with a passion. The most notable football teams are the Bakersfield High School team (originally called Kern County Union High School) which started competing in 1893, and Bakersfield Junior College, which plays at 19,000 seat Memorial Stadium, built in 1955. Bakersfield High has won more section (33) and state (7) titles than any other California school and has more total wins than any other California school. It has produced numerous NFL players, most notably Hall of Famer and New York Giants legend and Monday Night Football announcer Frank Gifford (who played college ball at Bakersfield College and U.S.C.).

Bakersfield College is part of the Western States Conference and has been a football power for over 50 years. It has won four J.C. national championships (the last in 1988), plays in the largest on-campus J.C. stadium in the nation, and is regarded for its integrity and ability to produce players who advance to the next level. The Bakersfield area has 17 high schools, many of which have also produced college and NFL stars. Current NFL stars David Carr of the Houston Texans graduated from Stockdale High School, and Joey Porter of the Pittsburgh Steelers graduated from Foothill High School.

Motor Sports is Bakersfield's second-biggest following with many past and current racers learning their fare on the streets of Bakersfield. These include four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, his brother famous off-road racer Roger Mears, and Roger's son, Casey Mears of NASCAR fame all call Bakersfield their home town. Casey actually played football at Stockdale High with David Carr. NASCAR Busch Series Champion and Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick grew up in Oildale where he won a section wrestling championship at North High before he became a track champ at the now torn down Mesa Marin Raceway in northeast Bakersfield. NHRA champion Bruce Sarver called Bakersfield home before his suicide in 2005. There are several Bakersfield racers in the lower level of NASCAR's developmental circuits, most notably in the West Series and the Grand National.

Bakersfield was also home to one of the most important events in the history of drag racing. The famous March Meets are held at the Famoso Drag Strip (officially known as the Auto Club Famoso Raceway), formerly a World War II training auxiliary air strip, and was started by the car club "The Bakersfield Smokers." The historical event at the March Meets included the legendary Swamp Rat machine with driver "Big Daddy" Don Garlits coming out west from Florida to prove himself to the west coasters who claim to have invented drag racing. This event in the 1950's cast legitimacy on the fledgling NHRA. Today, the March Meets is a nostalgic car drag racing event held every March (weather pending).

Mesa Marin Raceway was located in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield at the intersection of Highway 178 and 184. It opened in 1977 to over 10,000 plus fans and closed to become a housing development in the Fall of 2005. It was a high-banked 1/2 mile oval aspahlt speedway that featured NASCAR racing events, most notably the West series and the Grand National. It was also the very first track to host a NASCAR Craftsman Super Trucks race, a nationally televised race in 1995. This honor was given to the track because track owner Marion Collins invented the Super Truck for racing that NASCAR adopted. The track has hosted numerous current NASCAR stars that include and are not limited to Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Casey Mears. With the track's demise in 2005 comes hope for a greater track to surpass Mesa Marin. Currently plans for a 1/2 mile high-banked tri-oval is in the works. This track will feature luxury suites, modern facilities, SAFER barriers, and Nextel Cup quality surfacing and lighting. It will be located west of Bakersfield on an almond orchard owned by famous airplane racer Bill DeStefani at the intersection of I-5 and Highway 43 (Enos Lane) near the Kern River. Marion Collins and his family is set to oversee and run the facility with the DeStefanis putting up most of the capital. Plans call for it to be the best short-track on the west coast and best track in all of California, second only to the two-mile long California Speedway in Fontana.

The Bakersfield Speedway is a 1/3-mile banked clay oval track in Oildale. It hosts weekly Saturday Night racing, most notably the World of Outlaws. This speedway is the inspiration to a Buck Owens song titled "Beer Can Hill." Several hundred dirt fans attend every week. The Bakersfield Speedway is currently trying to expand as a nationally significant track by hosting races that feature out-of-state drivers. Some notable NASCAR drivers have raced at this track.

Bakersfield has been a stop for the Ben Hogan and Nike Golf Tours. It also hosts PGA qualifying events and NCAA Division II regionals and tournaments. Top quality courses include the private Seven Oaks Country Club, the Bakersfield Country Club, the Rio Bravo Country Club, and the public River Lakes Golf Club.

Bakersfield also hosts a large amount of amateur sporting events of many different kinds. Shooting competitions are held at the Five Dogs Creek Range. The Race Across America (RAAM) has been won numerous times by Bakersfield bicyclists. The southern Sierra's offer whitewater, rock climbing, mountain biking, and snow skiing opportunities. The first ever boat drags were held at Lake Ming and gave rise to the National Hot Boat Association (NHBA). The Kern County Rugby Club plays against numerous amateur rugby clubs in California. National water ski competitions are held in the area. Numerous amateur boxers come from Bakersfield with former champion Reuban Castillo being a town favorite. AYSO soccer is well established in the area and offers leagues throughout the town. The Southwest and Northwest Baseball Associations each offer competitive summer league baseball for youth up to high school. These teams have advanced and won state and world series titles. The Bakersfield Racquet Club hosts the Kern County Amateur Tennis Tournament and was once home to the Davis Cup. The Bakersfield Shoe Crew hosts several nationally acclaimed horse shoe tournaments at Beach Park. The McMurtrey Aquatics Center is an Olympic quality sized pool that hosts high school events. Numerous volleyball clubs have won several national championships in different age groups. The Kern County Soccer Park is the largest soccer facility in California and hosts several tournaments.

Club Sport League Venue

Bakersfield Blaze Baseball California League; North Division Sam Lynn Ballpark

Bakersfield Condors Ice Hockey ECHL; Pacific Division Rabobank Arena

Bakersfield Blitz Indoor football af2; National Conference Rabobank Arena

Bakersfield Jam Basketball NBA Development League Rabobank Arena

Bakersfield Brigade Soccer USL Premier Development League Bakersfield Christian High School

Bakersfield Panthers Indoor football LCFL West Bakersfield College

Sister Cities

Bakersfield has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Minsk, Belarus

Wakayama, Japan

Cixi, China

Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

Trivia

The Punk Rock band NOFX mentions burning down Bakersfield in their song Leaving Jesusland and also in their song Instant Crassic

The Grammy winning metal band, Korn is from Bakersfield.

The Rolling Stones sing of Bakersfield in Far Away Eyes.

John Hiatt mentions the town in Tennessee Plates.

The punk artist Henry Rollins mentions Bakersfield in The Virtues of Black Sabbath and Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag.

Martina McBride's song Cry on the Shoulder of the Road opens with the line "I'm rolling out of Bakersfield."

Buck Owens' famous Streets of Bakersfield, later performed with Dwight Yoakam, is about a songwriter being rejected in Bakersfield. Owens saved the letters of the old Bakersfield sign and put them on display at his Crystal Palace.

Merle Haggard's house in Oildale that was made from a converted boxcar is still being used as a residence today.

Hank Snow mentions Bakersfield in his signature song I've Been Everywhere.

The 1973 book The Onion Field, by Joseph Wambaugh, is a true story about a pair of Los Angeles Police Department officers abducted with one being murdered and the other escaping in an onion field south of Bakersfield. The Onion Field starring Ted Danson was made into a movie in 1979. The surviving officer, Karl Hettinger, later became a Kern County Supervisor.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a book about the fictional Joad family who migrated to California in search of work during the Dust Bowl. Much of the movie was shot in Kern County. They settle in the "Hoovervilles" along the Kern River in Oildale and later in the Sunset Labor Camp near Arvin (Weedpatch in the movie). In fact, over half the book is set in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Country music legend Buck Owens lived in Bakersfield until his death, and his Crystal Palace nightclub is located on Buck Owens Blvd. One of his former homes is on Panorama Drive on the bluffs. His ranch was along Poso Creek north of Bakersfield.

Clint Eastwood filmed his movie Every Which Way But Loose throughout Bakersfield. The old Bakersfield sign that spanned across Union Avenue just south of California Avenue and connected parts of the once famous Bakersfield Inn is the backdrop to a number of scenes. The Weinerschnitzel in the movie is still in business.

Johnny Carson once flopped as a magician in an act performed at a local lounge before he became a big T.V. personality and legendary host of the Tonight Show. This resulted in numerous Bakersfield jokes by Carson at Bakersfield's expense.

Daniel Amos has a song called Bakersfield on their Bibleland album. It deals with the death of Terry Taylor's grandfather.

Former heavyweight boxer Jerry Quarry was from the nearby town of Shafter. Known for being one of boxing's hardest hitters, he was famous for his bouts with Muhammad Ali in the 1970's.

The Fox Network broadcast Bakersfield P.D. (1993), a sitcom about police officers in Bakersfield (one an African-American transplant from Washington, D.C., the other a local white officer) and also starred Bryan Doyle-Murray (of Caddyshack fame), comedian Bill Murray's brother, which was critically acclaimed but only lasted 17 episodes.

The movie The Running Man opens with the Bakersfield Food Riots, where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character is framed as "The Butcher of Bakersfield."

One film shot in Bakersfield is The Cell. This blockbuster is about a serial killer that videotapes his victims before drowning them. The equipment used in the victims' demise has a plate stamped "Made in Bakersfield".

Other films shot in and around Bakersfield include:

The X-Files (1998)

K-PAX (2001)

North by Northwest (1959)

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Wag the Dog (1997)

The Break Up (1998)

Prime Target (1989)

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Psycho (1960).

Fight in the Field (1997 Documentary)

Trekkies (1997 Documentary)

Best Laid Plans (1998)

Infinite Round (1999 Documentary)

Road Kill (1999)

Tick Tock (2000)

The Stoneman (2003)

Keith (2006)

Joe Joe Angel and the Dead Guy (1997)

Odd Couple II (1998)

Joy Ride (2001)

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Frailty (2002)

Aimee Semple McPherson (2004)

Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

Lucky You (2005)

Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (2005)

In the movie Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, the porta-potty outhouse that washes up on the island has "Bakersfield" written on its wall.

In the movie Where the Heart Is, the characters in the beginning are en route to Bakersfield before stopping at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma.

The 1993 film Fearless opens with the aftermath of an airline crash in a corn field outside of Bakersfield and features the now defunct Golden Empire Ambulance service.

Any reference to Bakersfield by the writer Stephen King usually does not end up in a positive light.

James Chapman's novel Daughter! I Forbid Your Recurring Dream! includes a chapter on Bakersfield, featuring the 70's and 80's teen hangout area known as Comanche and The Pits.

Bakersfield is notorious for some of the worst wintertime tule (radiation) fog in the entire West Coast region, with visibility sometimes dropping to 3 m (10 ft) or less.

Bakersfield has the 2nd worst air quality in North America (April, 2006) due to dust-borne particulate matter (much of it from agricultural operations) and smog drifting from Bay Area cities and cities to the north of Bakersfield in the valley.

In the CRPG Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, the ruins of Bakersfield are called Necropolis and are inhabited with ghouls, human beings mutated horribly by radiation.

Four-time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears began his racing career as a resident of Bakersfield, racing in area competitions including motorcycles, off-road 4x4 and stock cars.

In 2005, Garth Brooks proposed to country star girlfriend Trisha Yearwood at a Buck Owens event at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield and Bakersfield Country Idol Jimmy Laurent was in attendance along with former Southern University football player, Matt Alvarez.

In the Dreamcast and PS2 game Headhunter, the city makes an appearance (figuratively speaking) as the fictional city of "Quakersfield."

In The Simpsons's episode Take My Wife, Sleaze the fictional biker group, Hell's Satans, are from Bakersfield.

The TV series Clueless featured a storyline with two episodes in Season 3 (Bakersfield Blues and Back From Bakersfield) where the main character, Cher, and her father move to Bakersfield, which is portrayed as a backward town of farmers and cowboys.

The webcam videos at the center of the Justin Berry story were first produced by Berry in his bedroom in suburban Bakersfield.

The TV series Friends episode The one with Chandler's Dad mentions Bakersfield as a sorry place to live.

Brooke Thomspon, also known as "Pumkin" from Flavor of Love lives here.

Tom Waits mentions Bakersfield in his song Spare Parts (A Nocturnal Emission) on his album Nighthawks at the Diner. The song, about a drunken man wandering the streets and reflecting on his life, ends with him saying "Let's take it to Bakersfield and get a little apartment somewhere."

Notable residents

Arts & entertainment

James Anchordoquy - musician, lead singer of Eden Hall

Moe Adame - guitarist/singer for the musical group Burning Image

Noah Beery - actor, played numerous roles in Hollywood Golden Era films. Most notably was Rocky on the Rockford Files T.V. show in the 1970's.

Justin Berry - Teen who operated webcam sites, originally from his Bakersfield bedroom, later alleging molestation by his customers.

Martin Bertram - author of the medieval fiction novel Vanity of Vanities

James Chapman, avant-garde novelist and publisher. Attended Bakersfield High School.

Brandon Cruz - child actor (The Courtship of Eddie's Father) and singer (Dr. Know)

Jonathan Davis - Lead Singer of the Band KOЯN, attended Highland High.

Jeff Duran- radio personality/comedian briefly lived in Bakersfield.

Merle Haggard - Country-Western Hall of Fame singer and legend.

Gerald Haslam - author and poet. Raised in Oildale.

Karshner triplets - Craig, Nick, and Ryan Karshner, identical triplets known for their commercials for Cingular Wireless.

Jake Lloyd - actor, played little Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I.

Buck Owens - Country-Western Singer and Legend.

David Silveria - drummer for the musical group KOЯN

Red Simpson - Country Western singer, wrote songs for Buck Owens. Played with Buck and Merle Haggard in the early days of the Bakersfield Sound. Hits included "Highway Patrol", "Roll, Truck Roll", and "Hello, I'm a Truck".

Rick Reno Stevens - Country-Western singer. Hits included "I Didn't See the Angel".

Jessica Swan - novelist.

Lawrence Tibbett - A famous Baritone singer at the New York Metropolitan Opera who made his Met debut in 1923. Honed his skills at the Bakersfield Opera House, now the Nile Theatre.

Dwight Yoakam - Country-Western singer (an honorary resident).

Law & politics

Earl Warren - Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and California Governor, attended Kern County High (now Bakersfield High).

Edward Beale - Established Tejon Ranch. Was a former U.S. Ambassador. Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California and Nevada in 1852. The Beale Library is named after him. His son Truxtun Beale has Truxtun Avenue named after him. Truxtun also built the Beale Memorial Clock Tower in 1904 that now stands at the Kern County Museum for his mother that used to stand downtown but was destroyed in the 1952 earthquake.

Harvey Hall - current mayor and owner of Hall Ambulance Company

Science & medicine

Dr. Hans Einstein - The foremost authority on the lung disease Valley Fever. Related to the other famous Einstein, Albert.

Sports

Devine Calloway - professional skateboarder

David Carr - NFL Football player #1 overall draft pick (Houston Texans), attended Stockdale High.

Chris Childs - NBA guard for the NJ Nets, NY Knicks, and Toronto Raptors, attended Foothill High.

Frank Gifford - NFL Hall of Fame, New York Giants All-Pro back, attended Bakersfield High.

Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, attended North High.

Jack Johnson - Boxing's first black heavyweight champion (See the movie "The Great White Hope")

Brock Marion - NFL Football player and Super Bowl winner, West High School Graduate.

William "Buckshot" May - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, the only Major League Baseball player who not only was born in Bakersfield (1899) but also died here (1984).

Brent McClanahan - NFL running back with the famous Minnesota Vikings teams of the 1970's.

Casey Mears - NASCAR driver, attended Stockdale High.

Rick Mears - 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner. Attended South High.

Roger Mears - Famous off-road racer and winner of the Baja 1000. Father of Casey and brother to Rick. Attended South High.

Brandon Miller - NASCAR driver

Stephen Neal - NFL Football player, Super Bowl champion (New England Patriots), and an undefeated NCAA and World champion in amateur wrestling at CSUB.

Hank Pfister - former tennis player who won 2 titles and reached 5 ATP finals

Joey Porter - NFL All-Pro Football player and Super Bowl champion (Pittsburgh Steelers), attended Foothill High.

James Walters (Football player) - Plays for the Semi pro football team the Bakersfield Panthers.

Robert Swift - NBA Center for the Seattle Supersonics. Played at Garces and Bakersfield High.

Cory Hall- NFL Player played for Cincinati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons attended Stockdale High School and South High School.

Matt Alvarez - Former Southern University punter who transferred to the University of Arizona to pursue his Broadcasting career. (Also attended Foothill High School)

External links

Government

City of Bakersfield Official Website

Convention & Visitors Bureau

Kern County Voter Registration

Used Motor Cycle Recycling Centers

Kern County Health Department

Kern County Veterans Service Department

Kern County Library System Website

Arts & culture

Arts Council of Kern

Foreign Language International Cinema Society

Bakersfield Museum of Art

California Living Museum Zoo

The Kern County Museum

Kern River Valley Historical Society and Museum

World War II warbirds Museum at Shafter's Minter Field

Ridge Route Communities Museum and Historical Society

Kern County Film Commission

Bakotopia.com

The Kern County Scottish Society

Bakersfield College Planetarium

Entertainment & commerce

Buck Owens and Crystal Palace website

Bakersfield Country Singer Merle Haggard

The Kern County Fair Website

Tickets to Premier Events in Bakersfield

Chamber of Commerce

Bakersfield Association of Realtors

Sports

Professional

Bakersfield Blitz afl2 Football

Condors ECHL Hockey

Blaze Cal League Baseball

NASCAR Driver Kevin Harvick's Website

NASCAR Driver Casey Mears' Website

Bakerfield Panthers Website

Amateur

Rabobank Arena events with team links

CSUB sports

Jack Frost League Youth Football

Golden Empire Youth League Football

The Kern Wheelmen Cycling Club

The Southern Sierra Fat Tire Association

Action Sports Advanced Long Distance Bicycling

The Auto Club Famoso Raceway Drag Strip

The Bakersfield Ice Sports Center Hockey and Figure Skating Rink

2nd Amendment Sports Indoor Shooting Range

Five Dogs Outdoor Shooting Range

American Academy of Gymnastics

Stars Gymnastics Training Center

Sierra South Mountain Sports Rock Climbing

Kern County Rugby Club

Spinout Sports Windsurfing and Sailboating Organization

Shirley Meadows Ski Resort on Greenhorn Summit

The Kern County Soccer Park

AYSO Soccer Region 73 for Southwest Bakersfield

AYSO Soccer Region 359 for Northwest Bakersfield

Bakersfield Racquet Club Tennis

Laurel Glen Tennis Club

Bakersfield Swim Club

Bakersfield Country Club Golf and Tennis

Seven Oaks Country Club Golf and Tennis

Stockdale Country Club Golf and Tennis

Team Jamba Volleyball Club

Kern River Volleyball Club

Bakersfield Volleyball Club

North of the River Recreation and Parks District

Kern Astronomical Society

Recreation & nature

The Nuooah Indian Nature Trail

Sequoia National Forest Bakersfield Region

Lake Isabella Recreational

Captain Frog Scuba Classes and Expeditions

Media

Bakersfield Talk -- Discussion Forums

The Bakersfield Californian Newspaper

KERN-1410 AM NewsTalk Radio

KGET-TV Channel 17 NBC Affiliate

Bakersfield Online News

KERO-TV Channel 23 ABC Affiliate

KNZR-1560 AM Talk Radio

KBAK-TV Channel 29 CBS Affiliate & KBFX-TV Channel 58 Fox Affiliate

KUZZ-107.9 FM & AM-550 Country Music and Local News

Newcomer Information on Bakersfield

Education

Universities & colleges

Bakersfield College

California State University, Bakersfield

UC Merced- Bakersfield Center

Fresno Pacific University- Bakersfield Center

Point Loma Nazarene University- Bakersfield Center

University of La Verne- Bakersfield Center

National University- Bakersfield Center

University of Phoenix- Bakersfield Center

Public schools

Bakersfield City School District

Beardsley School District

Fruitvale School District

General Shafter School District

Greenfield Union School District

Norris School District

Panama-Buena Vista Union School District

Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District

Rosedale Union School District

Standard School District

Kern High School District

Kern County Superintendent of Schools

Private schools

Garces Memorial High School Private Catholic School

Bakersfield Adventist Academy (K-12)

Bakersfield Christian High School -- Private Protestant Christian School

Harmony Road Music School

Bethel Christian School

Harvest Christian Academy

Service organizations

Kern County Red Cross

American Lung Association of California Kern Branch

Bakersfield AIDS Project

Bakersfield Pregnancy Center

Epilepsy Society of Kern County

Hoffman Non-profit Hospice for Terminally Ill

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Kern Autism Network

Links for Life Breast Cancer Awareness

National Alliance on Mental Illness Kern Chapter

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Houchin Community Blood Bank

Optimal Health Services Home Health Care

Bakersfield Office of the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness

Bakersfield Association for Retarded Citizens

Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Kern County Chapter

Independent Living Center of Kern County

Kern Regional Center

Bakersfield Meditation Society

Stockdale Private Learning Disability Center

Al-Anon and Alateen Family Groups of Kern County

Kern County Alcoholics Anonymous

Jason's Retreat Sober Living Environment for Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Overeaters Anonymous- Overeating, Bulimia, and Anorexia Treatment

Bakersfield Salvation Army

Kern Child Development and Family Services

Haven Counseling Center Against Child Abuse and Neglect

Henrietta Weill Memorial Child Guidance Clinic

Kern County Aging and Adult Services

Kern County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

Volunteer Center of Kern County Placement Service

Facility for Animal Care and Treatment

Golden Empire Gleaners Non-Profit Food Aid

v • d • eKern County, California

Incorporated places

Bakersfield (County seat) • Arvin • California City • Delano • Maricopa • McFarland • Ridgecrest • Shafter • Taft • Tehachapi • Wasco

Census-designated places

Bear Valley Springs • Bodfish • Boron • Buttonwillow • China Lake Acres • Ford City • Derby Acres • Dustin Acres • Fellows • Frazier Park • Golden Hills • Inyokern • Johannesburg • Keene • Kernville • Lake Isabella • Lake of the Woods • Lamont • Lebec • Lost Hills • McKittrick • Mettler • Mojave • Mountain Mesa • North Edwards • Oildale • Onyx • Pine Mountain Club • Randsburg • Rosamond • Rosedale • South Taft • Squirrel Mountain Valley • Stallion Springs • Taft Heights • Tupman • Valley Acres • Weedpatch • Weldon • Wofford Heights

Other unincorporated communities

Famoso • Grapevine • Walker Basin • Wheeler Ridge

End of Wikipedia content, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakersfield%2C_California

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