Bakersfield, California#History

{{For timeline}}

File:Yawelmani map closeup.svg territory at the time of the arrival of the Spanish|alt=]]

Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of Native American settlements dating back thousands of years. Upon Spanish arrival, present-day Bakersfield was inhabited by the Yowlumne, a Yokuts people.{{Cite journal |last=Kroeber |first=Alfred L. |date=1963 |title=Yokuts Dialect Survey |journal=University of California Anthropological Records |volume=11 |pages=234}} Yowlumne accounts indicate that the village of Woilu was situated in the bounds of the present city.{{Cite journal |last=Arkush |first=Brooke S. |date=1993 |title=Yokuts Trade Networks and Native Culture Change in Central and Eastern California |journal=Ethnohistory |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=619–640 |doi=10.2307/482590 |issn=0014-1801 |jstor=482590}}

The Yokuts of the region lived in lodges[http://www.bsahighadventure.org/indian_lore/yokuts_dwellings.html Yokuts Dwellings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110014524/http://bsahighadventure.org/indian_lore/yokuts_dwellings.html |date=November 10, 2010 }} from bsahighadventure.org along the branches of the Kern River delta and hunted antelope, tule elk, deer, bear, fish, and game birds.

File:Francisco Garcés.jpg arrived in the Bakersfield area in 1776.]]

In 1776, Spanish missionary Francisco Garcés became the first European to explore the area. Recording his May 1 arrival to a Yokuts village along the Kern River, immediately northeast of present Bakersfield, Garcés wrote,

{{Blockquote|text=The people of the rancheria had a great feast over my arrival, and having regaled me well I reciprocated to them all with tobacco and glass beads, congratulating myself on seeing the people so affable and affectionate.|sign=|source=}}

Given the remoteness and inaccessibility of the region, the Yokuts remained largely isolated from further contact until after the Mexican War of Independence, when Mexican settlers began to migrate to the area. Following the discovery of gold in California in 1848, settlers flooded into the San Joaquin Valley. In 1851, gold was discovered along the Kern River in the southern Sierra Nevada, and in 1865, oil was discovered in the valley.{{cite web |url=http://www.oceanpark.ws/1860-1870test.htm |title=History on gold & oil |work=oceanpark.ws |date=2009 |access-date=November 24, 2009 |archive-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102101532/http://oceanpark.ws/1860-1870test.htm |url-status=live }} The Bakersfield area, once a tule reed-covered marshland, was first known as Kern Island to the handful of pioneers, who built log cabins there in 1860. The area was subject to periodic flooding from the Kern River, which occupied what is now the downtown area, and experienced outbreaks of malaria.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/up5californiawater20178calirich/up5californiawater20178calirich_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "California water" |work=CONTROLLING THE KERN RIVER Problems |year=1979 |access-date=April 7, 2009}}

Bakersfield is the fifth-largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States, with 53% of its population being Hispanic in 2020.{{cite web |title=P2:: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=P2%3A%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO,%20AND%20NOT%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO%20BY%20RACE&g=0100000US%24160000_0400000US72%240500000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2&hidePreview=true |website=2020 Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016235910/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=P2:%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO,%20AND%20NOT%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO%20BY%20RACE&g=0100000US$160000_0400000US72$0500000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2&hidePreview=true |archive-date=October 16, 2021}}

File:ColonelThomasBaker1850.jpg

In 1861, disastrous floods swept away the original settlement founded in 1860 by the German-born Christian Bohna. Among those attracted to the area by the California gold rush was Thomas Baker, a lawyer and former colonel in the militia of Ohio, his home state.{{Cite book |author=Mildred Brooke Hoover, Douglas E. Kyle |title=Historic Spots in California |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-1734-2 |year=1990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2WrAAAAIAAJ |page=128}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldmagazine.net/arts/kern-history/456-kern-county-shapers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115233731/http://bakersfieldmagazine.net/arts/kern-history/456-kern-county-shapers |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |title=Kern County Shapers |publisher=Bakersfield Magazine |first=Gordon F. |last=Lull |access-date=January 17, 2013 |quote=Baker ...was admitted to the Ohio bar at age 19 and later appointed a colonel in his home state's militia.}} Baker moved to the banks of the Kern River in 1863, at what became known as Baker's Field, which became a stopover for travelers.Gavin, Camille. Leverett, Kathy. Kern's Movers & Shakers. Jostens. Visalia, California: 1987. {{ISBN|0-9618770-0-6}}. Page 13. By 1870, with a population of 600, what is now known as Bakersfield was becoming the principal town in Kern County.

In 1873, Bakersfield was officially incorporated as a city, and by 1874, it officially replaced the town of Havilah as the county seat. Alexander Mills was hired as the city marshal, a man one historian would describe as "... an old man by the time he became Marshal of Bakersfield, and he walked with a cane. But he was a Kentuckian, a handy man with a gun, and not lacking in initiative and resource when the mood moved him."Baily, Richard. Heart of the Golden Empire. Windsor Publications Inc, Woodland Hills, CA:1984. {{ISBN|0-89781-065-1}}. Page 51. Businessmen and others began to resent Mills, who was cantankerous and high-handed in his treatment of them. Wanting to fire him but fearing reprisals, they devised a scheme to disincorporate, effectively leaving him without an employer. According to local historian Gilbert Gia{{Cite web |url=https://www.historicbakersfieldandkerncounty.com/ |title=Historic Bakersfield & Kern County |access-date=May 27, 2017 |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729100507/https://www.historicbakersfieldandkerncounty.com/ |url-status=live }} the city was also failing to collect the taxes it needed for services."Disincorporation: Bakersfield ended soon after it began," Dianne Hardisty, Bakersfield Californian, July 9, 2011, {{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x1928174425/When-is-it-time-for-a-city-to-throw-in-the-towel |title=DIANNE HARDISTY: When is it time for a city to 'throw in the ... - BakersfieldCalifornian.com |access-date=March 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416194147/http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x1928174425/When-is-it-time-for-a-city-to-throw-in-the-towel |archive-date=April 16, 2014}} In 1876,Maynard, John. Bakersfield – A Centennial Portrait. Cherbo Publishing Group. Encino, California: 1997. {{ISBN|1-882933-19-2}}. Page 19. The city voted to disincorporate. For the next 22 years, a citizen's council managed the community."Marshall Alex Mills and Bakersfield's Disincorporation of 1876," ver 2, by Gilbert P Gia. Bakersfield, California: 2011. https://www.historicbakersfieldandkerncounty.com/crime {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729092446/https://www.historicbakersfieldandkerncounty.com/crime |date=July 29, 2017 }}

By 1880, Bakersfield had a population of 801, with 250 of Chinese descent.{{cite web |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/kerns-vibrant-chinese-past-comes-to-life/article_a70369b3-bcbd-5b78-9747-7be8074aa739.html |title=Kern's vibrant Chinese past comes to life |website=bakersfield.com |date=February 10, 2006 |access-date=July 8, 2020 |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228162113/https://www.bakersfield.com/news/kerns-vibrant-chinese-past-comes-to-life/article_a70369b3-bcbd-5b78-9747-7be8074aa739.html |url-status=live }}

By 1890, it had a population of 2,626. Migration from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Southern California brought new residents, who were mostly employed by the oil industry.{{Cite web |url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/bakersfield-population/ |title=Bakersfield California Population |access-date=February 22, 2019 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223074135/http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/bakersfield-population/ |url-status=live }}

The city reincorporated on January 11, 1898.Baily, Richard. Heart of the Golden Empire. Windsor Publications Inc, Woodland Hills, CA:1984. {{ISBN|0-89781-065-1}}. Page 71.

File:California - Bakersfield - NARA - 23934085 (cropped).jpg

In 1874, the Southern Pacific Railroad first arrived in Kern County. However, the train depot was placed nearly three miles east of Bakersfield due to a land dispute between the railroad and the town.{{Cite book |last=Bergman |first=John |title=The Southern San Joaquin Valley: A Railroad History. |publisher=Jostens Printing and Publishing Company |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-615-25105-9 |pages=139–140}}

Desperate to get their own station, Bakersfield residents, sugar magnate Clause Spreckels, and small investors from all over the state ended up raising around $3,500,000 by January 17, 1895, to fund a second railroad to Bakersfield. By January 29, 1895, the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad was born. Dubbed the "People's Railroad," the project was completed and warmly welcomed by the town with a parade attended by thousands on May 27, 1898, amidst the Spanish-American War and over 20 years after the completion of Southern Pacific's line. Competition from the new railroad caused Southern Pacific to lower its fares from $9.10 ($347.22 in 2023) to $6.90 ($263.27 in 2023) to match the new railroad's fare.{{Cite web |last=Hooper |first=Ken |date=December 26, 2014 |title=History: Bakersfield freed from railroad tyranny |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield_life/history-bakersfield-freed-from-railroad-tyranny/article_dc1bc867-d6d8-53c1-9e11-984b83d8b897.html |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224072045/https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield_life/history-bakersfield-freed-from-railroad-tyranny/article_dc1bc867-d6d8-53c1-9e11-984b83d8b897.html |url-status=live }}

Eventually, a streetcar line would connect the Santa Fe station to the Southern Pacific station in Sumner (now East Bakersfield).

However, while the track had reached Bakersfield in 1898, a station would not be constructed until 1899 due to the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad being purchased by Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. The new station was located at the intersection of 15th Street and F Street and was demolished in 1972.{{Cite web |title=PCAD - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), Depot, Bakersfield, CA |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/17148/ |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=pcad.lib.washington.edu |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224072042/https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/17148/ |url-status=live }} It was replaced with the present day Bakersfield Station built in 2000, near Truxtun Avenue and S Street.{{Cite web |title=Bakersfield, CA (BFD) – Great American Stations |url=https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/bakersfield-ca-bfd/ |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224072040/https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/bakersfield-ca-bfd/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|1952 Kern County earthquake}}

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-1stBaptist (cropped).jpg, built in 1931 in a Spanish Colonial Revival style is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]

On July 21, 1952, an earthquake struck at 4:52 am Pacific Daylight Time.[http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/kern1952.html Kern County Earthquake (1952)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208111405/http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/kern1952.html |date=December 8, 2015 }}, Southern California Earthquake Data Center The earthquake, which measured 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and was felt from San Francisco to the Mexican border, destroyed the nearby communities of Tehachapi and Arvin. The earthquake's destructive force bent cotton fields into U shapes, slid a shoulder of the Tehachapi Mountains across all four lanes of the Ridge Route, collapsed a water tower, creating a flash flood, and destroyed the railroad tunnels in the mountain chain.{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}} Bakersfield was somewhat spared, experiencing minor architectural damage without loss of life.

A large aftershock occurred on July 29, causing minor architectural damage but raising fears that the flow of the Friant-Kern Canal could be dangerously altered, potentially flooding the city and surrounding areas.

File:Fox Theater, Bakersfield, California LCCN2013633103 (cropped).tif, built in 1930]]

Aftershocks continued for the next month, and on August 22 at 3:42 pm, another earthquake, measured at 5.8, struck directly under the city's center in the most densely populated area of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Four people died in the aftershock, and many of the town's historic structures sustained heavy damage.

Between 1970 and 2010, Bakersfield grew 400% (from 70,000 to 347,483),[http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center/historical_census_1850-2010/documents/2010-1850_STCO_IncCities-FINAL.xls Historical Census Populations of Counties and Incorporated Cities in California, 1850–2010] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308091125/http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center/historical_census_1850-2010/documents/2010-1850_STCO_IncCities-FINAL.xls |date=March 8, 2013 }}. California Department of Finance. Retrieved March 14, 2012. making it one of the fastest-growing cities in California.[http://www.visitbakersfield.com/media/facts/ Facts and Information] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105457/http://www.visitbakersfield.com/media/facts/ |date=April 2, 2015 }}. Bakersfield Visitor and Convention Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2012.

Bakersfield's close proximity to mountain passes, primarily the Tejon Pass on Interstate 5 between the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Joaquin Valley, has made the city a regional transportation hub.Brewer, Chris. Historic Kern County. Historic Publishing Network. San Antonio: 2001. {{ISBN|1-893619-14-1}}. Page 15.

In 1990, Bakersfield was one of 10 U.S. communities to receive the All-America City Award from the National Civic League.

In 2010, the Bakersfield MSA had a gross metropolitan product of $29.466 billion, making it the 73rd-largest metropolitan economy in the United States.[https://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7001=2200&7002=2&7003=200&7004=NAICS&7005=1&7006=XX&7007=2010 Regional Data – GDP and Personal Income] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814233827/https://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7001=2200&7002=2&7003=200&7004=NAICS&7005=1&7006=XX&7007=2010 |date=August 14, 2018 }}. US Department of Commerce – Bureau of Economic Analyst. 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2012.

{{Main|Bakersfield Register of Historic Places and Areas of Historic Interest}}

Bakersfield has several buildings and locations designated as historic sites at the national, state, and city levels. Five buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), including the First Baptist Church (NRHP 1/2/79); Baker Street Library (NRHP 4/1/81) and Bakersfield Californian Building (NRHP 3/10/83). Four sites have been designated as California Historical Landmarks, including Garces Memorial Circle (designated in 1937) and the Colonel Thomas Baker Memorial (designated in 1944). In addition, 16 sites have been locally designated on the Bakersfield Register of Historic Places, including the Fox Theater (designated 8/24/94) and Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building (designated 3/12/08). With only 16 sites on its local register (compared to more than 300 sites designated by the City of Fresno), Bakersfield has been criticized for its lack of focus on historic preservation.{{cite news |title=Downtown building may be fostering changes |newspaper=The Bakersfield Californian |author=Steven Mayer |date=May 10, 2014 |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/downtown-building-may-be-fostering-changes/article_e781b184-77b5-5afd-85c4-6c2fe7bf8fe9.html |access-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708202213/https://www.bakersfield.com/news/downtown-building-may-be-fostering-changes/article_e781b184-77b5-5afd-85c4-6c2fe7bf8fe9.html |url-status=live }}

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-TruxtonTower.jpg

Bakersfield is located near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, with the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada just to the east. The city limits extend to the Sequoia National Forest, at the foot of the Greenhorn Mountain Range and the entrance to the Kern Canyon.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldhelpwanted.org/ |title=Bakersfield Geography |work=source |date=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011234406/http://www.bakersfieldhelpwanted.org/ |archive-date=October 11, 2010 |url-status=dead}} To the south, the Tehachapi Mountains, rising more than a vertical mile, feature the historic Tejon Ranch. To the west is the Temblor Range, behind which is the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the San Andreas Fault. The Temblor Range is about {{cvt|35|mi|km}} from Bakersfield across the valley floor.{{cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq3/ |title=The San Andreas Fault |work=USGS General Interest Publications |date=2010 |access-date=January 25, 2010 |archive-date=February 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206042439/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq3/ |url-status=live }}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{cvt|143.6|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{cvt|142.2|sqmi}} are land (98.99%) and {{cvt|1.4|sqmi}} are covered by water (1.01%).

At the 2000 census, the city had a total area of {{cvt|114.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{cvt|113.1|sqmi}} were land (98.86%) and {{cvt|1.3|sqmi}} were water-covered (1.14%).

Bakersfield is located about {{cvt|100|mi}} north of Los Angeles (about a 1-hour, 45-minute drive on I-5 and State Route 99) and about {{cvt|280|mi}} southeast of the state capital, Sacramento (about a 4-hour drive on State Route 99).

Hart Memorial Park is located in northeast Bakersfield along Alfred Harrell Highway.

{{See also|List of neighborhoods in Bakersfield}}

Bakersfield has historically referred to its regions by directional names. They include North Bakersfield, Northeast, Southeast, South Bakersfield, Southwest, and Northwest. East Bakersfield generally refers to the former town of Sumner (later renamed East Bakersfield). As a result, the Northeast wraps around East Bakersfield.[http://www.kerncog.org/docs/studies/Rt_178_Corridor_Study.pdf Route 178 Corridor Study] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107123903/http://www.kerncog.org/docs/studies/Rt_178_Corridor_Study.pdf |date=January 7, 2011 }}. KernCOG. December 1986. Page 42.

Bakersfield has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh),Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., and McMahon, T. A.: [//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Americas_K%C3%B6ppen_Map_original_colors.png Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification], Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 1633–1644, 200 7. with sweltering, dry summers and winters that consist of mild days with chilly/cold nights. Rainfall is low in the city, averaging only {{convert|6.36|in|mm|1}} annually, with most of it falling in the winter. Bakersfield averages about 191 clear days a year.Ozborn, Liz. [http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/sunniest.php Sunniest Places in United States] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802073530/http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/sunniest.php |date=August 2, 2013 }}. Current Results. Retrieved March 13, 2012. Bakersfield's climate makes the region suitable for growing crops ranging from carrots to citrus and almonds.

Bakersfield summers are sweltering, with extended stretches of hot weather and 112 days per year with high temperatures of {{convert|90|°F|°C|1}}+ (on average between April 18 and October 13); in addition, there are 36 days with highs of {{convert|100|°F|°C|1}}+ (on average between June 2 and September 19), and 0.9 days with highs of {{convert|110|°F|1}}+. The frequency of {{convert|110|°F|1}} readings can significantly vary each year, with the record being 17 days in 1931. The most recent year to have more than five days of {{convert|110|°F|1}}+ temperature readings was 2017, with seven days reaching or exceeding {{convert|110|°F|1}}. Temperatures can be highly variable throughout the spring, summer and fall months every year, with triple digit temperature readings in May, and on rare occasion April and October, in addition to occasional high temperatures below {{convert|80|°F|1}} in June and September not being uncommon. The warmest month on record was July 2024, with an average temperature of {{convert|90.8|°F|1}}. Except for occasional monsoons, which may bring light rain, typically no rain or almost no rain will fall from May to September.

Winters feature mild daytime temperatures and chilly/cold nights. Frost and/or dense fog usually occurs in winter with accompanying low visibility, causing many schools to have fog delays. Winters will usually produce a very dense layer of fog occasionally. Due to years of prolonged drought and the rapid development of many new neighborhoods around Bakersfield, the density of the fog and the number of "fog days" has steadily decreased. At the same time, areas outside the city still experience thick fog. The official time frame for tule fog to form is about five months long – various days from November 1 to March 31. Most noticeable in summer and winter, the urban heat island phenomenon can be observed throughout various neighborhoods in Bakersfield. Areas closer to downtown and along the 99 freeway corridor can experience warmer temperatures at night than neighborhoods on the edge of the city limits and rural Kern County areas, with temperature differences up to {{convert|7|°F-change|0}} between these areas at any given time.{{cite web |url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/newslet/winter00/fogseason.htm |title=About tule fog |work=noaa.gov |access-date=September 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230053005/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/newslet/winter00/fogseason.htm |archive-date=December 30, 2010 |url-status=dead}} On average, ten mornings have freezing lows (on average between December 14 and January 24) annually, and the coldest night of the year typically bottoms out below {{convert|30|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}. On January 2, 2012, Bakersfield reached a record high of {{convert|82|°F|1}} for that year's winter.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Spring and fall typically feature mild to warm daytime high temperatures with cool nighttime low temperatures, but temperatures and precipitation can vary significantly depending on the year. There can be hot days in excess of {{convert|90|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} as early as April. More than 50 percent of Bakersfield's annual precipitation falls between January and March, with the remainder falling during late fall and early winter.

Snow is rare on the valley floor, although frost may occur.{{cite web |url=http://www.sjgs.com/bakersfield.html |title=Bakersfield Climate |work=San Joaquin Geological Society |access-date=September 25, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716080542/http://www.sjgs.com/bakersfield.html |url-status=dead}} The last snow fell on January 25, 1999, when the city received up to {{convert|6|in|cm}},{{cite web |url=http://ggweather.com |title=Golden Gate Weather Services |publisher=GGWeather.com |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219224844/http://ggweather.com/ |archive-date=December 19, 2008 |url-status=live}} with {{convert|3|in|cm}} at the airport. The record maximum temperature was {{convert|118|°F|°C|1}} on July 28, 1908, and the record minimum temperature was {{convert|12|°F|°C|1}} on January 3, 1908.{{cite web |url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/techMemos/TM-281.pdf |title=The Climate of Bakersfield, California |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=February 8, 2010 |author=Chris Stachelski |author2=Gary Sanger |year=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624125728/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/techMemos/TM-281.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}} The most rainfall in one month was {{convert|5.82|in|mm|1}} in December 2010,{{cite web |title=Bakersfield Monthly Rainfall By Year |url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/bfl/normals/bflrnyr.pdf |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717231340/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/bfl/normals/bflrnyr.pdf |url-status=live }} and the maximum 24-hour rainfall was {{convert|2.29|in|mm|1}} on February 9, 1978. The wettest "rain year" has been from July 1997 to June 1998 with {{convert|14.73|in|mm|1}} and the driest from July 1933 to June 1934 with {{convert|2.26|in|mm|1}}.

{{Weather box

|location=Bakersfield, California, 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean maxima and minima (i.e., the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at the said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1893–present{{efn|Official records for Bakersfield kept at Santa Fe Railway Station (at 14th and F Streets) from 1893 to September 1937, and Meadows Field since October 1937. For more information, see [http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ Threadex]}}

|single line=Y

|Jan high F=58.5

|Feb high F=64.3

|Mar high F=70.2

|Apr high F=75.9

|May high F=84.1

|Jun high F=92.3

|Jul high F=98.3

|Aug high F=96.9

|Sep high F=91.4

|Oct high F=80.2

|Nov high F=67.1

|Dec high F=58.8

|year high F= 78.2

|Jan mean F=49.5

|Feb mean F=53.8

|Mar mean F=58.6

|Apr mean F=63.3

|May mean F=71.1

|Jun mean F=78.7

|Jul mean F=84.8

|Aug mean F=83.4

|Sep mean F=78.2

|Oct mean F=67.7

|Nov mean F=56.3

|Dec mean F=49.2

|year mean F=66.2

|Jan low F=40.5

|Feb low F=43.2

|Mar low F=47.0

|Apr low F=50.7

|May low F=58.0

|Jun low F=65.1

|Jul low F=71.3

|Aug low F=70.0

|Sep low F=65.0

|Oct low F=55.2

|Nov low F=45.4

|Dec low F=39.6

|year low F= 54.2

|Jan avg record high F=72.1

|Feb avg record high F=77.0

|Mar avg record high F=84.4

|Apr avg record high F=92.2

|May avg record high F=99.0

|Jun avg record high F =105.4

|Jul avg record high F =107.2

|Aug avg record high F =106.9

|Sep avg record high F =103.0

|Oct avg record high F=94.5

|Nov avg record high F=82.1

|Dec avg record high F=71.5

|year avg record high F=109.0

|Jan avg record low F=30.5

|Feb avg record low F=33.7

|Mar avg record low F=36.8

|Apr avg record low F=39.8

|May avg record low F=47.4

|Jun avg record low F=53.0

|Jul avg record low F=61.9

|Aug avg record low F=60.7

|Sep avg record low F=54.5

|Oct avg record low F=44.7

|Nov avg record low F=34.8

|Dec avg record low F=29.6

|year avg record low F= 28.4

|Jan record high F=82

|Feb record high F=88

|Mar record high F=94

|Apr record high F=101

|May record high F=110

|Jun record high F=114

|Jul record high F=118

|Aug record high F=117

|Sep record high F=115

|Oct record high F=104

|Nov record high F=95

|Dec record high F=87

|year record high F= 118

|Jan record low F=12

|Feb record low F=20

|Mar record low F=20

|Apr record low F=28

|May record low F=34

|Jun record low F=38

|Jul record low F=45

|Aug record low F=44

|Sep record low F=30

|Oct record low F=29

|Nov record low F=22

|Dec record low F=13

|year record low F= 12

|precipitation colour=green

|Jan precipitation inch=1.19

|Feb precipitation inch=1.18

|Mar precipitation inch=1.15

|Apr precipitation inch=0.60

|May precipitation inch=0.25

|Jun precipitation inch=0.05

|Jul precipitation inch=0.00

|Aug precipitation inch=0.00

|Sep precipitation inch=0.05

|Oct precipitation inch=0.28

|Nov precipitation inch=0.51

|Dec precipitation inch=1.10

|year precipitation inch= 6.36

|unit precipitation days=0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days=6.3

|Feb precipitation days=6.8

|Mar precipitation days=6.0

|Apr precipitation days=3.9

|May precipitation days=2.1

|Jun precipitation days=0.4

|Jul precipitation days=0.2

|Aug precipitation days=0.1

|Sep precipitation days=0.6

|Oct precipitation days=1.6

|Nov precipitation days=3.6

|Dec precipitation days=6.0

|year precipitation days=37.6

|Jan snow inch=0.1

|Feb snow inch=0.0

|Mar snow inch=0.0

|Apr snow inch=0.0

|May snow inch=0.0

|Jun snow inch=0.0

|Jul snow inch=0.0

|Aug snow inch=0.0

|Sep snow inch=0.0

|Oct snow inch=0.0

|Nov snow inch=0.0

|Dec snow inch=0.0

|year snow inch=0.1

|unit snow days=0.1 in

|Jan snow days=0.0

|Feb snow days=0.0

|Mar snow days=0.0

|Apr snow days=0.0

|May snow days=0.0

|Jun snow days=0.0

|Jul snow days=0.0

|Aug snow days=0.0

|Sep snow days=0.0

|Oct snow days=0.0

|Nov snow days=0.0

|Dec snow days=0.0

|year snow days=0.0

|Jan sun=186

|Feb sun=197.8

|Mar sun=279

|Apr sun=300

|May sun=341

|Jun sun=360

|Jul sun=372

|Aug sun=341

|Sep sun=300

|Oct sun=279

|Nov sun=210

|Dec sun=155

|year sun=

|Jand sun=6

|Febd sun=7

|Mard sun=9

|Aprd sun=10

|Mayd sun=11

|Jund sun=12

|Juld sun=12

|Augd sun=11

|Sepd sun=10

|Octd sun=9

|Novd sun=7

|Decd sun=5

|yeard sun=

|Jan percentsun=59

|Feb percentsun=64

|Mar percentsun=75

|Apr percentsun=76

|May percentsun=79

|Jun percentsun=83

|Jul percentsun=84

|Aug percentsun=82

|Sep percentsun=81

|Oct percentsun=80

|Nov percentsun=68

|Dec percentsun=51

|year percentsun=

|Jan uv=3

|Feb uv=4

|Mar uv=6

|Apr uv=8

|May uv=9

|Jun uv=10

|Jul uv=10

|Aug uv=10

|Sep uv=8

|Oct uv=5

|Nov uv=4

|Dec uv=2

|year uv=

|source 1=NOAA{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hnx |title=NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511112537/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hnx |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00023155&format=pdf |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515025934/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00023155&format=pdf |url-status=live }}

|source 2=Climate Atlas (sun and uv){{cite web |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/california-usa/bakersfield-climate |title=Monthly weather forecast and climate – Bakersfield, CA |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328220426/https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/california-usa/bakersfield-climate |url-status=live }}

|date=March 2020

}}

{{further|Air pollution in the United States}}

Air quality is generally at its worst in fall and winter due to the California wildfire season and colder temperatures forming an inversion layer, respectively.{{Cite news |last=Mayer |first=Steven |date=November 3, 2020 |title=Please don't burn wood at home, air officials beseech residents in 'worst wildfire season' |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/delano-record/please-dont-burn-wood-at-home-air-officials-beseech-residents-in-worst-wildfire-season-copy/article_e35e9c7c-23ad-11eb-8cd8-0f1e2cf08802.html |access-date=December 11, 2021 |work=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211230820/https://www.bakersfield.com/delano-record/please-dont-burn-wood-at-home-air-officials-beseech-residents-in-worst-wildfire-season-copy/article_e35e9c7c-23ad-11eb-8cd8-0f1e2cf08802.html |url-status=live }} It is common for an inversion layer to form in the valley in the winter, in which temperatures can be warmer in the foothills above the valley with the valley itself being cooler. This can trap air pollution in Bakersfield and the surrounding valley areas for days or even weeks. This can typically be mediated by rain or strong winds.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-air-pollution-report-20160420-story.html |title=Los Angeles and Bakersfield top list of worst air pollution in the nation |date=April 20, 2016 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |agency=Associated Press |access-date=December 31, 2018 |archive-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502041412/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-air-pollution-report-20160420-story.html |url-status=live }} Emissions from agriculture, industry, rail freight and road traffic together create significant concentrations of air pollution.{{Cite web |last=Berg |first=Nate |date=February 14, 2017 |title=Breathless in Bakersfield: is the worst air pollution in the US about to get worse? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/14/bakersfield-california-bad-air-pollution-us |url-status=live |access-date=December 11, 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214175747/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/14/bakersfield-california-bad-air-pollution-us |archive-date=February 14, 2017}} The extraction of oil and gas, a historic industry in the area, contributes to the poor air quality.{{Cite news |last=Cowan |first=Jill |date=December 11, 2021 |title=In Bakersfield, Many Find a California They Can Afford |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/11/us/california-housing-bakersfield.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/11/us/california-housing-bakersfield.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |access-date=December 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}} Returning flowing water to the Kern River and along with trees is promoted as a way to improve air quality and enhance recreation in the city.{{Cite web |last=James |first=Ian |date=December 9, 2021 |title=In Bakersfield, many push for bringing back the flow of the long-dry Kern River |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-12-09/in-bakersfield-many-push-for-bringing-back-the-flow-of-the-long-dry-kern-river |url-status=live |access-date=December 12, 2021 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209131908/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-12-09/in-bakersfield-many-push-for-bringing-back-the-flow-of-the-long-dry-kern-river |archive-date=December 9, 2021}}

{{US Census population

|1880= 801

|1890= 2626

|1900= 4836

|1910= 12727

|1920= 18638

|1930= 26015

|1940= 29252

|1950= 34784

|1960= 56848

|1970= 69515

|1980= 105611

|1990= 174820

|2000= 247057

|2010= 347483

|2020= 403455

|estimate= 413381

|estyear=2023

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2015 |archive-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701194652/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |url-status=live }}

}}

File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Bakersfield (5559863569).png

The 2010 United States Census{{USCensus2010CA}} reported that Bakersfield had a population of 347,483. The population density was {{convert|2,419.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The ethnic makeup of Bakersfield was 197,389 (56.8%) White, 28,238 (8.1%) African American, 5,102 (1.5%) Native American, 21,432 (6.2%) Asian (2.1% Indian, 2.0% Filipino, 0.5% Chinese, 0.4% Korean, 0.2% Japanese, 478 (0.1%) Pacific Islander), 77,686 (22.4%) from other races, and 17,068 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 158,205 persons (45.5%). Among the general population, 39.5% are Mexican, 1.3% Salvadoran, 0.5% Guatemalan, and 0.10% Colombian. Non-Hispanic Whites were 37.8% of the population in 2010,{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0603526.html |title=Bakersfield (city), California |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817092557/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0603526.html |archive-date=August 17, 2012}} compared to 71% in 1980.{{cite web |title=California – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=April 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}

The census reported 344,088 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 2,094 (0.6%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 1,301 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

Of the 111,132 households, 51,995 (46.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 57,276 (51.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 18,049 (16.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 7,829 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 8,159 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 845 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 21,800 households (19.6%) were made up of individuals, and 7,354 (6.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10. There were 83,154 families (74.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.56.

The population was distributed as 109,479 people (31.5%) under the age of 18, 37,368 (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 97,024 (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 74,276 (21.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 29,336 (8.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The 120,725 housing units averaged 840.6 per square mile (324.6/km²), of which 66,323 (59.7%) were owner-occupied, and 44,809 (40.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%. About 206,492 people (59.4%) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 137,596 (39.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Bakersfield has consistently ranked as one of the least educated metropolitan areas in the United States.Joshua Zumbrun, [https://www.forbes.com/2008/11/24/economics-education-colorado-biz-beltway-cx_jz_1124educated.html America's Best- And Worst-Educated Cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122105035/http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/24/economics-education-colorado-biz-beltway-cx_jz_1124educated.html |date=November 22, 2012 }}, Forbes, November 28, 2008, Retrieved July 20, 2010.[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/19/the-least-educated-cities_n_650677.html#s115390 The LEAST Educated Cities In America (PHOTOS)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721152100/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/19/the-least-educated-cities_n_650677.html#s115390 |date=July 21, 2010 }}, The Huffington Post, July 19, 2010, Retrieved July 20, 2010. A study by the Brookings Institution using 2008 data found that the proportion of Bakersfield metro adults age 25 and over with a bachelor's degree was the lowest (14.7%) of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States; that 100th-place finish was down from being ranked 95th in 1990.[http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/Metro/state_of_metro_america/metro_america_chapters/metro_america_education.pdf Educational Attainment] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530113919/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/Metro/state_of_metro_america/metro_america_chapters/metro_america_education.pdf |date=May 30, 2010 }}, The State of Metropolitan America, The Brookings Institution, Retrieved May 19, 2011.

According to a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Bakersfield ranks as one of the ten most obese metro areas in America. Of its residents, 33.6% were obese, compared to the national average of 26.5%.Elizabeth Mendes, [http://www.gallup.com/poll/126242/america-obese-metro-areas-common.aspx What America's Most Obese Metro Areas Have in Common] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519012211/http://www.gallup.com/poll/126242/America-Obese-Metro-Areas-Common.aspx |date=May 19, 2011 }}, Gallup, March 2, 2010, Retrieved May 19, 2011. The same study found that 21.2% were smokers, 12.7% had diabetes, 27.9% had high blood pressure, 22.8% had high cholesterol, 3.3% have suffered a heart attack, 75.2% felt they had enough money to buy food and 75.5% had health insurance.

Bakersfield saw its population grow from about 105,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 in 2020. Although the city is still growing, its growth rate has slowed in recent years due to the economic recession and high home foreclosure rates. However, in October 2013, Bakersfield was found to be the number two city in the nation for the rental market."Worth noting in business: Kern's rental market ranks second in [the] U.S." The Bakersfield Californian. October 3, 2013. Apartment vacancies have become a large issue, with only one percent of potential apartments being open to new renters as of April 2021. The average cost of rent and housing has dramatically increased in the last few years, with some apartments having their monthly rent nearly double in cost. Most new apartments being built are catering to commuting workers from Southern California and the Bay Area, with local residents being priced out.{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=John |date=July 4, 2021 |title=Bakersfield's apartment market sets two new records |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bakersfields-apartment-market-sets-two-new-records/article_31412e10-db81-11eb-86f3-5fcc16fd4439.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704225114/https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bakersfields-apartment-market-sets-two-new-records/article_31412e10-db81-11eb-86f3-5fcc16fd4439.html |archive-date=July 4, 2021}}

The city of Shafter, a small farming town north of Bakersfield, previously filed a suit to attempt to limit the northern expansion of Bakersfield's city limits. Shafter has also annexed large pieces of farmland to its east and south to ensure that Bakersfield does not annex this area.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x995110583/Firm-pulls-out-of-housing-project |title=Firm pulls out of housing project |last1=Wenner |first1=Gretchen |date=October 3, 2007 |publisher=The Bakersfield Californian |access-date=June 28, 2011 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923181822/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x995110583/Firm-pulls-out-of-housing-project |url-status=live }} Bakersfield, in addition, filed a lawsuit against Shafter in 2007 regarding water rights Shafter planned to use but Bakersfield stated it had purchased in 1976. As a result, the city of Bakersfield threatened to annex the city of Shafter.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The large bluff and plateau east of Bakersfield—toward the Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon area—has been under development for the last 60 years. Because the steep, north-facing edge of the bluff provides a view of the foothills, mountains, oil fields, and Kern River, the city government has attempted to balance development and preservation in this area.

Bakersfield's historic and primary industries are related to Kern County's two main industries: oil and agriculture. Kern County in 2013 was the most oil productive county in the US.{{Cite news |url=https://info.drillinginfo.com/half-us-oil-production-comes-20-counties/ |title=Half of US Oil Production Comes from These 20 Counties |date=April 3, 2014 |work=Drillinginfo |access-date=August 18, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818215402/https://info.drillinginfo.com/half-us-oil-production-comes-20-counties/ |url-status=live }}[http://www.bakersfieldbiz.us/bakersfield_facts.html About Bakersfield] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518163414/http://www.bakersfieldbiz.us/bakersfield_facts.html |date=May 18, 2011 }}. City of Bakersfield Economic & Community Development. Retrieved May 26, 2010. Kern County is a part of the highly productive San Joaquin Valley and ranks in the top five most productive agricultural counties in the nation. Major crops for Kern County include grapes, citrus, almonds, carrots, alfalfa, cotton, and roses.[http://www.kernag.com/caap/crop-reports/crop00_09/crop2008.pdf 2008 Kern County Agricultural Crop Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328061242/http://www.kernag.com/caap/crop-reports/crop00_09/crop2008.pdf |date=March 28, 2012 }}. County of Kern: Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards. 2008. Page 1. The city is home to the corporate and regional headquarters of companies engaged in these industries.

Bakersfield has a growing manufacturing and distribution sector. Several companies have moved to Bakersfield because of its inexpensive land, as well as proximity to international ports in both Los Angeles and Oakland.[http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x1961385219/Building-the-economy-Kern-works-to-attract-distribution-centers Building the economy: Kern works to attract distribution centers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320061927/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x1961385219/Building-the-economy-Kern-works-to-attract-distribution-centers |date=March 20, 2012 }}. The Bakersfield Californian. November 7, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2010. Other companies have opened regional offices and non-oil/agricultural businesses because of Bakersfield's and Kern County's business-friendly policies, such as having no local utility or inventory taxes. Products manufactured in the city include ice cream (the world's largest ice cream plant), central vacuums, highway paint, and stock racing cars.[http://www.bakersfieldbiz.us/employers.html Some companies that call Bakersfield home] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523163634/http://www.bakersfieldbiz.us/employers.html |date=May 23, 2010 }}. City of Bakersfield Economic & Community Development. Retrieved May 26, 2010.

Sales tax in Bakersfield is 8.25%.{{Cite web |title=Bakersfield, California Sales Tax Rate (2023) - Avalara |url=https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/california/cities/bakersfield.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Avalara, Inc. |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304035226/https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/california/cities/bakersfield.html |url-status=live }}

{{Update|part=section|date=November 2023|reason=List dates to 2011}}

According to the Bakersfield Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, as of 2022, the top employers in the county based in Bakersfield were:https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/cc16897f-aba8-44f2-98ea-fba17c81be5d?cache=1800

{{Main|Arts and culture of Bakersfield, California}}

Many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque,{{cite web |url=http://www.nabasque.org/Astero/A1-13-bakerfield-symposium.htm |title=Bakersfield Basque Symposium |access-date=November 18, 2006 |date=May 31, 2006 |publisher=John M. Ysursa |archive-date=May 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519104443/http://www.nabasque.org/Astero/A1-13-bakerfield-symposium.htm |url-status=dead}} including Wool Growers, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Benji's, and Narducci's.

The Kern County Museum on Chester Avenue just north of downtown Bakersfield holds a collection of regional artifacts. Permanent exhibits include {{citation needed|date=January 2013}} "Black Gold: The Oil Experience", a hands-on modern approach to showing how oil is extracted; and "The Lori Brock Children's Discovery Museum", a hands-on children's museum and a display on the influential "Bakersfield Sound" style of country music. Bakersfield is also home to the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History, which has a collection of Miocene era marine fossils collected from the region as well as other displays.

The city gained fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the Bakersfield Sound, an electric guitar-driven subgenre of country music that commercially dominated the industry for over a decade. Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, and Merle Haggard were its best-known stars.

Bakersfield hosts year-round horse shows, including local, 4-H and breed shows.

Every spring, Bakersfield hosts one of California's Scottish Games and Clan Gatherings.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernscot.com |title=Kern County Scottish Society |publisher=Kernscot.com |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019192506/http://www.kernscot.com/ |archive-date=October 19, 2008 |url-status=live}} In the late summer, St. George's Greek Orthodox Church hosts an annual Greek Festival.

Every year during the summer, Bakersfield hosts the Lowrider National at the Kern County Fairgrounds.

Memorial Day weekend features the Kern County Basque Festival, sponsored by the Kern County Basque Club.{{cite web |url=http://www.kcbasqueclub.com |title=Kern County Basque Club |publisher=KCBasqueClub.com |date=March 20, 1944 |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228095155/http://www.kcbasqueclub.com/ |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |url-status=live}} This three-day festival features food, music, dance, and handball games.

In March, Famoso Raceway holds the annual March Meet nostalgia drag racing event. The event dates back to the U.S. Fuel and Gas Finals, held in March 1959.

Twice a year, the CSUB Indigenous Native American Club hosts a Native Gathering on the California State University Bakersfield campus at Runner Park.{{cite web |url=http://horse.robinson.googlepages.com/home |title=horse.robinson — Red Bear Circle Native Gathering |publisher=Horse.robinson.googlepages.com |date=April 28, 2007 |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725082048/http://horse.robinson.googlepages.com/home |url-status=live }}

In mid-to late September, Bakersfield holds the annual Kern County Fair, which showcases the area's agricultural produce and animal husbandry. The fair also includes a rodeo, concerts, and a traditional carnival.

Previously every year and now every five years,{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x746310032/Bakersfield-Business-Conference-to-return-in-2010 |title=Bakersfield Business Conference to Return in 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2009 |archive-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923103514/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x746310032/Bakersfield-Business-Conference-to-return-in-2010 |url-status=live }} Bakersfield hosts a political conference known as the Bakersfield Business Conference. Since 1985, this conference has grown in attendance; as of 2007, the attendance numbered over 9,000. The Conference has had several notable political speakers to include Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Neil Armstrong, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Paul Harvey.{{cite web |url=http://www.bpcbakbusconf.com/new/index.php?Page=Conference |title=Bakersfield Business Conference 2008 |publisher=Borton Petrini Conron |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629074813/http://www.bpcbakbusconf.com/new/index.php?Page=Conference |archive-date=June 29, 2009 |url-status=dead}}

Writers of Kern hosts their Spring Writers Conference{{cite web |url=https://writersofkern.com/writers-conference/ |title=Spring Writers Conference |publisher=Writers of Kern |access-date=July 20, 2018 |archive-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721014343/https://writersofkern.com/writers-conference/ |url-status=live }} in March or April each year. Edgar Award winner and internationally bestselling author Anne Perry was a notable speaker at one of these writer's conferences.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/writers-of-kern-create-ideas/article_2f32b9a4-1367-56b7-ac5a-307dd5ae19b8.html |title=Writers of Kern Create Ideas |date=March 30, 2016 |publisher=Bakersfield Californian |access-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041410/http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/writers-of-kern-create-ideas/article_2f32b9a4-1367-56b7-ac5a-307dd5ae19b8.html |url-status=live }}

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-FoxTheater.jpg]]

Bakersfield has five movie multi-screen theaters: Edwards Bakersfield Stadium 14, Reading Cinemas Valley Plaza 16, Maya Cinemas Bakersfield 16, AMC Bakersfield 6, and a Studio Movie Grill. The historic downtown Fox Theater has been renovated and is now a venue for concerts, musicians, comedians, and movies. The Bakersfield Community Theatre is the oldest "live" community theater in California. Others include "The Empty Space" (which offers some free performances).

Due to the Dust Bowl, Buck Owens and his family migrated west where they would travel from Phoenix to the San Joaquin Valley to pick crops, including cotton.{{Cite news |url=https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A95001712/OVIC?xid=6144bc2b |title=The Sound of Bakersfield: While picking carrots, peaches, potatoes, and cotton as a teenager, Buck Owens got the idea that picking a guitar might be more fun. |last=Will |first=George F. |date=December 9, 2002 |work=Newsweek |access-date=March 2, 2018 |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330094216/https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DOVIC%26u%3D%26id%3DGALE%7CA95001712%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26asid%3D6144bc2b&prodId=OVIC |url-status=live }} At 16, Owens moved to Bakersfield in 1951, where he and other musicians began to create what is now known as the Bakersfield sound. In 1996, Buck Owens opened the Crystal Palace, a music hall, nightclub, bar, restaurant, and museum, in Bakersfield.

Musician Merle Haggard was born and raised in Oildale. In 1962, Haggard completed his first single, "Skid Row," on Bakersfield's Tally label. In 1965, he went on to sign with Capitol Records.{{Cite encyclopedia |chapter-url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002241384 |chapter=Haggard, Merle |last=LaChapelle |first=P. |title=Grove Music Online |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=March 2, 2018 |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2241384 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 |archive-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309120428/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002241384 |url-status=live }} Most of Haggard's early songs reflect his time spent in prison, farming, and working blue-collar jobs in Southern California, including Bakersfield.

Bakersfield is often considered to be the birthplace of a unique strand of country music{{Cite news |url=https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A283293291/OVIC?xid=5f5654ea |title=Origin of country |last=Hauser |first=Ethan |date=March 18, 2012 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2018 |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330094215/https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DOVIC%26u%3D%26id%3DGALE%7CA283293291%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26asid%3D5f5654ea&prodId=OVIC |url-status=live }} that has inspired many country artists, such as Dwight Yoakam and The Strangers. Yoakam, alongside Owens, paid tribute to Owens by covering his 1973 recording of "Streets of Bakersfield." The cover reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1988.{{Cite journal |url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002263385 |title=Yoakam, Dwight |last=Stimeling |first=T. |date=July 1, 2014 |website=Grove Music Online |access-date=March 2, 2018 |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2263385 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 |archive-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309182810/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002263385 |url-status=live }}

Sacred music composer, pianist and singer Gloria Roe was born in Bakersfield in 1935.{{Cite web |title=Arkansas Democrat Gazette |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/obituaries/2017/jan/26/gloria-roe-2017-01-26/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.arkansasonline.com |language=en}}

The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra has been performing since 1932.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.bsonow.org/about |access-date=July 10, 2022 |website=Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra |language=en-US |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213104751/https://www.bsonow.org/about |url-status=live }}

Bakersfield is known for the Bakersfield sound, "a twangy style of Fender Telecaster and pedal steel guitar music made popular by hometown country crooners Buck Owens and Merle Haggard" as well as The Strangers.[http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/01/3119253/bakersfield-finds-itself-booming.html Tracie Cone," Associated Press, "Bakersfield Enjoys Economic Vitality," Fresno Bee, January 1, 2013]

Bakersfield is also known for Doo-wop music dating back from the early-to-mid 1950s to the early-to-late 1960s, consisting of Doo-wop vocal groups such as The Paradons, The Colts, The Rev-Lons, and more.[http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2010/05/the-rev-lonsboy-trouble.html "THE REV-LONS ¬- BOY TROUBLE" THE REV-LONS (2010). White Doowop Collectors p.1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007204338/http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2010/05/the-rev-lonsboy-trouble.html |date=October 7, 2015 }} http:// whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com Retrieved January 29, 2016[http://www.discogs.com/artist/884102-Paradons-The "The Paradons" Discography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622065127/http://www.discogs.com/artist/884102-Paradons-The |date=June 22, 2015 }} discog.com May 26, 2015, May 25, 2015[http://www.mtv.com/artists/the-colts-1/ The Colts, MTV Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717134351/http://www.mtv.com/artists/the-colts-1/ |date=July 17, 2015 }} mtv.com May 16, 2015, Retrieved May 18, 2015

In 1972, Bob Weir released the song "Mexicali Blues" on his first solo album, Ace. Not only does the sound of the song pay tribute to the Bakersfield sound, but the name of the city is referenced in the lyrics.

In the early 1990s, a group of friends from the lower and middle-class parts of Northeast and East Bakersfield formed the nu metal band Korn. The members of the band attended Highland High School (Jonathan Davis and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu), East High School (James "Munky" Shaffer and lead guitarist Brian "Head" Welch) and South High School (David Silveria). Korn has sold over 34 million albums worldwide and were given the keys to the city. Bakersfield is also the home of fellow metal groups Cradle of Thorns and Adema (The band formed in 2000 with members vocalist Mark Chavez (half brother to Korn frontman Davis), guitarist Tim Fluckey, guitarist Mike Ransom, bassist Dave DeRoo, and drummer Kris Kohls). On February 24, 2006, Bakersfield mayor Harvey Hall declared February 24 "Korn Day". On the same day, the back road to the Rabobank Arena was named Korn Row.{{Cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1524956/korn-rock-hometown-have-street-named-after-them-on-official-korn-day/ |title=Korn Rock Hometown, Have Street Named After Them on 'Official Korn Day.' |last=Moss |first=Corey |date=2006 |work=MTV News |access-date=March 2, 2018 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722095901/http://www.mtv.com/news/1524956/korn-rock-hometown-have-street-named-after-them-on-official-korn-day/ |url-status=dead }}

Bakersfield is also the home of Deathrock group Burning Image, one of the original bands of the early '80s Californian Deathrock scene.{{cite news |url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-la-deathrock-starter-guide-2406832 |title=The LA Deathrock Starter Guide |date=November 4, 2009 |access-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703051959/http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-la-deathrock-starter-guide-2406832 |url-status=live }}

{{Further|Bakersfield Rock & Country Music & Art Festival}}

{{Main|Sports in Bakersfield}}

File:Bakersfield vs Las Vegas.jpg]]

Bakersfield is not represented in any of the five major sports leagues: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, or MLS. The closest major sports teams are in Los Angeles, and they have many fans in Bakersfield. The city is home to two minor league professional sports teams: the Bakersfield Condors (American Hockey League) and the Bakersfield Train Robbers baseball club (Pecos League). It was previously home to two versions of the af2's Bakersfield Blitz (the first played from 2002 to 2004 before relocating to Fresno and becoming the Central Valley Coyotes and the second played from 2004 to 2006), the California League's Bakersfield Blaze baseball team, which ceased operations after the 2016 season. A third minor league team, the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League (basketball), was relocated to Prescott Valley, Arizona, in 2016. The Bakersfield Majestics is an expansion team in The Basketball League that began play in 2022.

In addition, Bakersfield has two colleges with strong athletics programs. The Bakersfield Renegades represent Bakersfield College, a community college with 19 varsity sports, the most notable being football.[http://www.bc.cc.ca.us/athletics/ Athletics] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529004752/http://www.bc.cc.ca.us/athletics/ |date=May 29, 2010 }}. Bakersfield College. Retrieved May 25, 2010. It competes in the Western State Conference, which is a part of the California Community College Athletic Association. The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners represent California State University, Bakersfield and sponsor 15 varsity sports, the most notable being basketball.[http://www.gorunners.com/ Home Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219032247/http://www.gorunners.com/ |date=February 19, 2015 }}. California State University, Bakersfield. Retrieved May 25, 2010. It competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big West Conference{{cite web |title=CSUB To Western Athletic Conference in 2013 |date=October 9, 2012 |url=http://www.gorunners.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13300&ATCLID=205705381 |publisher=Cal State University-Bakersfield |access-date=October 9, 2012 |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113113129/http://www.gorunners.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13300&ATCLID=205705381 |url-status=live }}

Bakersfield is home to Colby Lewis from the MLB team, the Texas Rangers, Stephen Neal from the Super Bowl Champions, New England Patriots. NFL players Joey Porter, David and Derek Carr also have called Bakersfield home, and still have some connection to Bakersfield.

File:Herrick 1911 Tevis Cup Bakersfield.jpg and his mechanician in Bakersfield during the 1911 Tevis Cup]]

Bakersfield is also located near a variety of motor racing venues. Current racing sports include drag strip (at Famoso Raceway), dirt (at Bakersfield Speedway), road course (at Buttonwillow Raceway), and a paved 1/2 mile oval (at Kern County Raceway Park), which replaced Mesa Marin Raceway, a NASCAR associated oval track, that was demolished in 2004. A 1/3 mile dirt track has also opened on the Kern County Raceway Park property. The National Jet Boat Association holds drag boat races at Lake Ming. Bakersfield is also the hometown of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time American National Champion Rick Mears; as well as the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, and 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick. The town also hosted an Indy car event during the 1911 season, won by Harvey Herrick.

Bakersfield has many venues for a variety of different sports. One of the most notable and versatile is the Dignity Health Arena (formerly the Centennial Garden, Rabobank Arena, and Mechanics Bank Arena), which hosts concerts, shows, and sporting events. In addition, Bakersfield has facilities that can host tournament games. The Kern County Soccer Field has 24 full-size light soccer fields.[http://kerncountysoccerpark.com/1.html Home Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205085315/http://kerncountysoccerpark.com/1.html |date=February 5, 2010 }}. Kern County Soccer Park. Retrieved May 25, 2010. Also currently under construction is the Bakersfield Sports Village. When completed, it will have 16 baseball fields, six football fields, and 16 soccer fields.[http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/cityhighlights/bakersfield_sports_village/index.htm Bakersfield Sports Village] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014045519/http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/cityhighlights/Bakersfield_Sports_Village/index.htm |date=October 14, 2007 }}. City of Bakersfield. Retrieved May 25, 2010.

{{For|current elected officials and representative districts (all levels of government)|List of elected officials in Bakersfield}}

File:2011 Bakersfield City Hall.JPG is the seat of government for the city. Both the mayor's office and city council chambers are located inside.]]

Bakersfield uses the Council-Manager form of government, in which the City Council is the primary governing authority.[http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/administration/mayor_council/history.htm History of Bakersfield] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109153835/http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/administration/mayor_council/history.htm |date=January 9, 2012 }}. City of Bakersfield. Retrieved March 17, 2012. The City Council consists of seven members elected from seven wards (or districts). The Mayor is elected at large and is the presiding member of the City Council, although she does not cast a vote except in a few instances.Bakersfield City Charter. Article III, Section 14. The City Council appoints and confirms (which the mayor does cast a vote) both the City Attorney and the City Manager.Bakersfield City Chater. Article IV, Section 34. The City Manager, in turn, appoints (does not require confirmation from the City Council) the Finance Director, City Clerk, and Deputy City Clerk.Bakersfield City Charter. Article IV, Section 38, 40, 40 1/2. In addition to these positions, Bakersfield has several departments that provide the services necessary to the city. They are: Department of Development Services, Department of Economic and Community Development, Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Public Works, Department of Recreation and Parks, and Department of Water Resources.

The framework for the city government is defined in the City Charter. As of 2011, it contained 11 articles and four addendums.[http://www.qcode.us/codes/bakersfield/view.php?topic=charter_of_the_city_of_bakersfield_state&frames=on Charter of the City of Bakersfield] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702010008/http://www.qcode.us/codes/bakersfield/view.php?topic=charter_of_the_city_of_bakersfield_state&frames=on |date=July 2, 2014 }}. Quality Code Publishing. Retrieved March 17, 2012. The current version was adopted on January 23, 1915.[http://www.qcode.us/codes/bakersfield/view.php?topic=charter_of_the_city_of_bakersfield_state-charter_history&frames=on Charter History] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701235739/http://www.qcode.us/codes/bakersfield/view.php?topic=charter_of_the_city_of_bakersfield_state-charter_history&frames=on |date=July 1, 2014 }}. Quality Code Publishing. Retrieved March 17, 2012. Little information is known about the City Charter adopted in 1873 or 1898, when the city was incorporated. The City Charter has been amended several times since it was adopted. One of the more definitive amendments was to change the Mayor from an appointed position (by the City Council) to an elected position in 1956, which was done as a result of the 1952 Kern County earthquake.Bailey, Richard (1984). Heart of the Golden Empire: An Illustrated History of Bakersfield. Woodland Hills, CA: Windsor Publications. {{ISBN|0-89781-065-1}}. p. 98.

The City Manager of Bakersfield is the appointed head of the executive branch. The position was created after 1957 when the role of mayor (which was the previous head) was split into two new positions. Under the council-manager form of government, the City Manager is responsible for executing ordinances passed by the city council and running the departments that make up the city. His office is currently located in City Hall North.[http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/administration/citymanager/index.htm City Manager's Office] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120220445/http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/administration/citymanager/index.htm |date=November 20, 2010 }}. City of Bakersfield. Retrieved May 15, 2010.

The city council appoints the city manager. His service can end in one of two ways. Either he resigns or by a vote of removal by the city council. The vote to appoint and remove is one of the few votes the mayor can cast.

For a list of past and present mayors, see List of mayors of Bakersfield.

Federally, Bakersfield is split between California's 20th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Vince Fong, and California's 22nd congressional district, which is represented by Republican David Valadao.

An August 2005 article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer listed Bakersfield as the eighth-most-conservative city in the United States and the most conservative city in California.{{cite news |title=Where have Seattle's lefties gone? |first=Neil |last=Modie |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/236320_liberal12.html |newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=August 11, 2005 |access-date=June 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514224718/http://seattlepi.com/local/236320_liberal12.html |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=live}} In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 55.6% of the city's votes to Democrat Barack Obama's 42.9%.[http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/5-pres-by-political-districts.pdf California 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Results by Political Districts] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612063423/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/5-pres-by-political-districts.pdf |date=June 12, 2009 }} The same year, Bakersfield cast 75.2% of its votes in favor of Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.[http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/11-ballot-measures-by-political-districts.pdf California 2008 Ballot Measures by Political Districts] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018060504/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/11-ballot-measures-by-political-districts.pdf |date=October 18, 2012 }} In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump received 50.4% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 44.0%.{{cite web |url=http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2016-general/ssov/ssov-complete.pdf#page20 |title=Supplement to the Statement of Vote |first=Alex |last=Padilla |publisher=California Secretary of State |date=November 8, 2016 |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416081028/https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2016-general/ssov/ssov-complete.pdf#page20 |url-status=live }} In 2020, Trump's vote share remained at 50.4%, while Joe Biden increased the Democratic showing to 47.2%.{{cite web |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/ssov/complete-ssov.pdf#page20 |title=Supplement to the Statement of Vote |first=Shirley |last=Weber |publisher=California Secretary of State |date=November 3, 2020 |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/ssov/complete-ssov.pdf#page20 |url-status=live }}

Law enforcement within the city limits is provided by the Bakersfield Police Department. Fire protection within the city is provided jointly by the Bakersfield Fire Department and by the Kern County Fire Department, which protects the county as a whole.

Bakersfield is traditionally acknowledged as the frontier delineating Sureño and Norteño gang territories.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

{{Main|Bakersfield Police Department}}

The Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) is the agency responsible for law enforcement. It has over 363 officers and 100 professional staff, covering an area of {{convert|145|sqmi|km2}}, serving an urban population of more than 800,000. The current chief of the department is Greg Terry.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/lyle-martin-selected-as-new-bakersfield-police-chief/article_b069bde9-6688-592d-8efc-2348767d1e9d.html |title=Lyle Martin selected as new Bakersfield Police chief |last=Kotowski |first=Jason |date=December 6, 2016 |website=Bakersfield.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208124431/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/lyle-martin-selected-as-new-bakersfield-police-chief/article_b069bde9-6688-592d-8efc-2348767d1e9d.html |archive-date=December 8, 2016 |url-status=live}} The department protects the city, split between two areas: West area and East area, with police headquarters in the east and the west substation serving west Bakersfield. The department administration comprises the police chief, one assistant chief, four captains, and eleven lieutenants.[http://www.ci.bakersfield.ca.us/POLICE/index.htm Home Page] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218074913/http://www.ci.bakersfield.ca.us/police/index.htm |date=December 18, 2009 }}. Bakersfield Police Department. Retrieved March 13, 2012.

The department headquarters are located at 1601 Truxtun Avenue. The West Substation is located at 1301 Buena Vista Road. Satellite offices are located on E. 11th Street and E. White Lane. The department pistol range is located on Truxtun Avenue, with the K-9 training grounds next door to the range. The department training academy is located on Norris Road and is in conjunction with the Kern County Sheriff's Department.

The 2015 Mapping Police Violence study calculated that Bakersfield police killed civilians at the highest rate in the U.S., logging 13.6 killings per million people, compared to the U.S. average of 3.6.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38309192 |title=Bakersfield police shoot pensioner carrying crucifix |work=BBC News |date=December 14, 2016 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |archive-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214235022/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38309192 |url-status=live }} In all, 13 people were killed in 2015 by BPD Officers and 27 people were killed by law enforcement officers in Kern County, which has a population of approximately 900,000.{{cite web |title=2015 Police Violence Report |url=https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/2015/ |website=Mapping Police Violence |access-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606174622/https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/2015/ |url-status=live }} The Guardian reported that law enforcement officers in Kern County, California, killed more people per capita than in any other American county in 2015.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/01/the-county-kern-county-deadliest-police-killings |title=The County: the story of America's deadliest police |author=Jon Swaine |newspaper=the Guardian |date=December 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214042954/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/01/the-county-kern-county-deadliest-police-killings |url-status=live }}

The Bakersfield Fire Department has 14 stations spread across the city.{{cite web |title=Bakersfield Fire Department |url=http://www.cafirefighters.com/bakersfield.htm |website=California Firefighters |access-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-date=February 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205052637/http://cafirefighters.com/bakersfield.htm |url-status=live }}

The Bakersfield Fire Department's communications division, known as ECC (Emergency Communications Center), is located in the Whiting Communications Center in Northeast Bakersfield. ECC is a joint dispatch center for the Kern County, Bakersfield City, and California City Fire Departments. Built in 1988, ECC is responsible for dispatching resources over approximately {{convert|8100|sqmi|km2}}, including 65 fire stations. ECC's approximate call volume is 82,000 calls annually, and it processes emergency and non-emergency fire and medical 911 calls for the entire county of Kern.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/fire/fireprevent/emergecomm.htm |title=Emergency Communications Center |work=Bakersfield Fire Department |access-date=February 2, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060305025301/http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/fire/fireprevent/emergecomm.htm |archive-date=March 5, 2006}}

The Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the county of Kern, California, USA. With over 625 permanent employees and 100 extra help employees protecting an area spanning over {{convert|8000|sqmi|}}. KCFD provides fire protection services for over 500,000 citizens living in the unincorporated areas of Kern County and the cities of Arvin, Delano, Maricopa, McFarland, Ridgecrest, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi and Wasco. This agency is contracted to provide dispatch services for the California City Fire Department, Kern Ambulance based in Wasco, and Care Ambulance based in Lake Isabella. Over 546 uniformed firefighters are stationed in 46 fire stations throughout the county.

Due to the vast number of county islands and jagged city limit lines in the south part of Bakersfield, the closest fire station is dispatched to incidents. This often results in city resources being dispatched to county locations and vice versa.

{{further|Bakersfield Police Department}}

The number of violent crimes recorded by the Bakersfield Police Department in its 2008 Crime Reports was 5,961.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/police/crime_stats_app/index.html |title=Crime Statistics for Bakersfield |work=Bakersfield Police Department |date=2009 |access-date=December 5, 2009 |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012012425/http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/police/crime_stats_app/index.html |url-status=live }} 27 of those were murders and homicides.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/images/maps/other/homicide/x801452993/Homicides-up-for-2008 |title=Homicides up for 2008 |publisher=The Bakersfield Californian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163805/http://www.bakersfield.com/archive/x801452993/Homicides-up-for-2008 |archive-date=April 2, 2015}} Data collected by Bakersfield Police Department, an anti-gang program under the city of Bakersfield, shows that the city of Bakersfield has experienced an increase in gang membership and gang activity since the early 2000s.

The Bakersfield Police Department has a holding area, but inmates are transported to the Kern County Central Receiving Facility in Bakersfield. Sentenced criminals are held outside the city's limits at the Lerdo Detention Facility.{{cite web |url=http://www.jailinfo.org/index.php/Kern_County |title=Jails In Bakersfield / Kern County |work=source |date=2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428120535/http://www.jailinfo.org/index.php/Kern_County |archive-date=April 28, 2009 |url-status=dead}} The Kern County Sheriff's Office, Detentions Bureau has an average daily inmate population of approximately 2,500 inmates.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Pages/default.aspx |title=Inmate population |work=Kern County Sheriff's – Detentions |date=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927042654/http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=September 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}

The primary facility for receiving inmates arrested in the Bakersfield area is the Central Receiving Facility.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/CRF/Pages/default.aspx |title=Kern Sheriff – Central Receiving Facility |date=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924004918/http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/CRF/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}} In addition, there is the Lerdo Complex, which consists of three facilities:

1. The Lerdo Minimum Security Facility holds inmates of lower security levels.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/Minimum/Pages/default.aspx |title=Kern Sheriff – Minimum Security |date=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927073841/http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/Minimum/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=September 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}
2. The Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility holds inmates of higher security levels.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/PreTrial/Pages/default.aspx |title=Kern Sheriff – Pre-Trial Facility |date=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219025823/http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/PreTrial/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=December 19, 2016}}
3. The Lerdo Max/Med Security Facility holds overflow inmates from the Pre-Trial Facility.{{cite web |url=http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/MaxMed/Pages/default.aspx |title=Kern Sheriff – Max-Med Security |date=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927073836/http://www.kernsheriff.com/Detentions/Lerdo/MaxMed/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=September 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}

File:Walter Stiern Library, CSUB.jpg

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 the county seat). In 1880, Norris School was established. The land for this school was donated by William Norris, a local farmer. Thirteen to twenty students were taught in its one classroom during the 1880s. Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) is the state's largest elementary school district. The first high school in Bakersfield, Kern County Union High School, opened in 1893. It was renamed Bakersfield High School after World War II.

File:01-2007-BakersfieldCollege.jpg

The site at California Avenue and F Street is the location of 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 an enrollment of 16,000 students. To serve a growing baby-boomer population after World War II, the Kern High School District has steadily expanded to nineteen campuses and 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) has approximately 10,000 students. It was 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 has become a Division I athletic school and will join the Big West Conference in 2020. In 1982, the Bakersfield campus for Santa Barbara Business College was founded.

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-BakerLib.jpg, part of the Kern County Library system, is among the Bakersfield structures listed on the NRHP.]]

Bakersfield is part of the Kern High School District (KHSD), California's largest high school district,{{Cite news |author=William D. Fillmore |title=Shake up plans for high schools in Kern County |work=Bakersfield Californian |date=August 4, 2004 |pages=B7}} comprising 28 schools and educating about 35,000 students. There are 17 high schools within the KHSD in Bakersfield:

{{colbegin|colwidth=50%}}

• Arvin High School
• Bakersfield High School
• Centennial High School
• Del Oro High School
• East Bakersfield High School
• Foothill High School
• Frontier High School
• Golden Valley High School
• Highland High School
• Independence High School
• Liberty High School
• Mira Monte High School
• North High School
• Ridgeview High School
• Shafter High School
• South High School
• Stockdale High School
• West High School

{{Colend}}

Private high schools include Garces Memorial High School, Bakersfield Christian High School, and Bakersfield Adventist Academy.

{{Main|California State University, Bakersfield}}

California State University, Bakersfield ("CSUB," "CSU Bakersfield," or "Cal State Bakersfield") is a public university founded in Bakersfield in 1965. CSUB opened in 1970 on a campus of {{convert|375|acre|km2}}, becoming the 19th school in the California State University system. The university offers 31 bachelor's and 22 master's degree programs. As of fall 2017, over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students attended CSUB at either the main campus in Bakersfield or the satellite campus, Antelope Valley Center in Lancaster, California.

{{Main|Bakersfield College}}

Bakersfield College ("BC") is a public community college located in Bakersfield, California. Its main campus is on a {{convert|153|acre|km2|adj=on}} campus in northeast Bakersfield, with two satellite campuses: the Weill Institute in downtown Bakersfield, and the Delano Center in Delano, California, approximately {{convert|35|mi|km}} north of Bakersfield. BC serves more than 18,000 students each semester and is part of the Kern Community College District. Currently, there are 184 Associate's degree and certificate programs for students to choose from. BC is a part of the California Community Colleges system.

National University and University of Phoenix maintains a campus in Bakersfield, while the University of LaVerne, Fresno Pacific University, and Point Loma Nazarene University all have branch campuses located in Bakersfield. San Joaquin Valley College and Santa Barbara Business College also have campuses in Bakersfield.

{{expand section|Radio|date=January 2013}}

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-Californian.jpg is also listed on the NRHP.]]

Bakersfield is served by several media outlets. The primary newspaper is The Bakersfield Californian, which is a direct descendant of the first paper published in the region, The Daily Courier in 1866.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The city has several television stations and network affiliates, including KERO-TV (ABC), KBAK-TV (CBS), KGET-TV (NBC), KBFX-CD (Fox), KABE-CD (Univision), KKEY-LP (Telemundo), KNXT-LD (MyNetworkTV), KGET-DT2 (CW+), and is served by PBS member station KVPT in Fresno via translator station K18HD-D. Bakersfield is also home to Spanish-language broadcaster Univision's only English-language station, KUVI-DT.

The city also has several different radio stations, including KVPR,{{Cite web |title=KVPR - NPR for Central California |url=https://www.kvpr.org/ |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=KVPR {{!}} Valley Public Radio |language=en |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410200505/https://www.kvpr.org/ |url-status=live }} Kiwi Radio LOBO{{Cite web |title=Home2 |url=https://radiolobo.com/ |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=KIWI RadioLobo.com |language=en-US |archive-date=July 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715145212/https://radiolobo.com/ |url-status=live }} FM Regional Mexican, KBFP SUNNY Bakersfield's Feel Good Station,{{Cite web |title=Sunny 105.3 - Bakersfield's Feel Good Station |url=https://sunny1053.iheart.com/ |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=Sunny 105.3 |language=en |archive-date=April 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411084427/https://sunny1053.iheart.com/ |url-status=live }} and KRAB ALT Bakersfield's Alternative.{{Cite web |title=ALT 106.1 KRAB Radio - Bakersfield's Alternative |url=https://krab.iheart.com/ |access-date=April 11, 2023 |website=ALT 106.1 KRAB Radio |language=en |archive-date=April 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411084427/https://krab.iheart.com/ |url-status=live }}

{{See also|Transportation in Kern County}}

File:CA SR178 Bakersfield CA.JPG at M Street near downtown Bakersfield on a foggy day]]

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-GarcesCircle.jpg

File:2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-OldTStation.jpg, currently the crew change depot for north and southbound Union Pacific Railroad trains. Old Town Kern is located primarily around Baker Street, near the former town of Sumner. It competed to be the commercial downtown, eventually losing to the present location west of Old Town.]]

Bakersfield is serviced by an extensive highway network which includes three freeways. State Route 99 bisects Bakersfield from north to south. At the same time, State Route 58 exists as a freeway east of SR 99, serving the southeast part of the city and extending over the Tehachapi mountains to Tehachapi, Mojave, and Barstow. State Route 178 consists of a short segment of freeway that runs from a point near downtown to the northeastern part of the city, although there is currently no direct freeway connection between SR 99 and SR 178. Interstate 5 bypasses the city several miles to the west.

Bakersfield is also served by a short, unsigned, four-lane freeway called Alfred Harrell Highway. It was constructed between 1956 and 1958 and extends from China Grade Loop to Hart Park (a large recreation park in northeast Bakersfield). There is also a two-lane expressway to the east of the park. This section was initially reserved to be converted to a four-lane freeway similar to the constructed western portion.{{cite web |url=http://www.scvresources.com/highways/alfred_harrell_hwy/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411185135/http://www.scvresources.com/highways/alfred_harrell_hwy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |title=Alfred Harrell Highway-Bakersfield |publisher=Los Angeles Rocks 'n Roads |access-date=August 6, 2009}} If it were ever constructed, it would have two interchanges (at Morning Drive and Lake Ming Road) and would terminate at the SR 178 adopted alignment (not built).

Both SR 58 and SR 178 have planned extensions. The western extension of SR 58 is known as the Centennial Corridor, which will extend the freeway west to I-5.{{cite web |url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist6/environmental/projects/centennial/projectdescription.html |title=Centennial Corridor Project Description |publisher=TRIP (Thomas Roads Improvement Program) |access-date=September 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001134240/http://dot.ca.gov/dist6/environmental/projects/centennial/projectdescription.html |archive-date=October 1, 2009 |url-status=live}} Included in the Centennial Corridor is the Westside Parkway (sometimes referred to by its formal name, the Kern River Freeway).{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldfreeways.us/project_westside_parkway.html |title=Westside Parkway |publisher=TRIP (Thomas Roads Improvement Program) |access-date=September 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020160148/http://www.bakersfieldfreeways.us/project_westside_parkway.html |archive-date=October 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}} This is a newer freeway which runs through western Bakersfield, on a route parallel to the Kern River and Stockdale Highway. The western extension of SR 178 is known as the Crosstown Freeway/SR 178 Connection, although it was formerly known as the Centennial Corridor before that name was moved to SR 58. It is planned to connect SR 178 to the Westside Parkway.Progress Report 2008/2009. TRIP (Thomas Roads Improvement Program). Page 7.

In addition to these freeway extensions, there is also a proposed network of beltways. Currently, two beltways are being considered in Bakersfield. The West Beltway would run north–south from Seventh Standard Road to Taft Highway. It will run parallel to Heath Road to the north and parallel to South Allen Road to the south.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfieldfreeways.us/project_west_beltway.html |title=West Beltway |publisher=TRIP (Thomas Roads Improvement Program) |access-date=September 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020160126/http://www.bakersfieldfreeways.us/project_west_beltway.html |archive-date=October 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}} A future extension would connect the West Beltway to SR 99 and I-5, providing a bypass to Bakersfield. The South Beltway would run east–west from SR 58 to I-5. From SR 58, it would run south, parallel to Comanche Drive until Taft Highway. From there, the freeway would turn west and run parallel to Taft Highway until terminating at I-5.

A future extension would extend the freeway north to SR 178 and terminate at Alfred Harrell Highway. Bakersfield also envisioned Caltrans building a North Beltway as the western extension of SR 58, but this has been withdrawn in favor of the Centennial Corridor.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}}

Most of Bakersfield's major streets are six-lane divided roads with bike lanes, with most streets in the city having proper lane signage for bicycle traffic but little to no protection from vehicle traffic. Despite the city's relatively flat topography and grid-like street system, only around 2,782 bike commuters exist, as estimated in 2013, around 0.7% of its total population then.{{Cite web |date=November 2013 |title=City of Bakersfield Bicycle Transportation Plan |url=https://www.kerncog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2013_BakersfieldBikePlan.pdf |access-date=December 23, 2023 |website=Kern County Council of Government |page=38 |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224080119/https://www.kerncog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2013_BakersfieldBikePlan.pdf |url-status=live }}

Newer neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city, previously surrounded by two-lane farm roads, are prompting more large, divided roads to be built to help ease the increase in traffic that has resulted from the rise in population. Many developers choose to widen the roads that connect these neighborhoods at their own discretion, which can cause a major road to widen and narrow repeatedly over a short distance (Allen Road and Panama Lane are prime examples). Since the Bakersfield city limit boundaries are not uniform, this can cause Kern County "islands" to exist within Bakersfield. The county of Kern may choose not to upgrade a road while the city of Bakersfield does improve a road, which can cause traffic congestion to increase (Calloway Drive from the Westside Parkway north to Rosedale Highway best exemplifies this disparity).{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Bakersfield is currently one of the largest cities in the U.S. that is not directly linked to an Interstate highway.{{cite web |url=http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-005.html |title=Interstate 5 @ Interstate-Guide.com |publisher=Interstate-guide.com |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220135850/http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-005.html |archive-date=December 20, 2008 |url-status=live}} However, SR 99 and SR 58 have been considered for conversion to Interstates. SR 99 would be a new Interstate signed either as Interstate 7 or Interstate 9, while SR 58 would be an extension of I-40, which currently terminates in Barstow. In 2005, SR 99 was added to the FHWA list of high-priority corridors as "California farm to market route" and designated a Future Interstate.{{cite web |url=http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-009.html |title=Interstate 9 |publisher=AARoads Interstate Guide |access-date=September 29, 2009 |archive-date=April 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405073713/http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-009.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.cahighways.org/057-064.html |title=State Route 58 |publisher=California Highways |access-date=September 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002011343/http://www.cahighways.org/057-064.html |archive-date=October 2, 2009 |url-status=live}}

Garces Memorial Traffic Circle, informally known as Garces Circle or just "the Circle," is a traffic circle in Bakersfield. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Chester Avenue, Golden State Avenue (State Route 204), and 30th Street. The Circle was built circa 1932 as a part of US 99. A large sculpture of Francisco Garces was erected inside the circle in 1939.{{Cite web |title=Garces Circle Statue – Bakersfield CA |url=https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/garces-circle-statue-bakersfield-ca/ |access-date=July 27, 2020 |website=Living New Deal |language=en-US |archive-date=December 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222083455/https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/garces-circle-statue-bakersfield-ca/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Golden Empire Transit}}

Bakersfield is served by Golden Empire Transit.{{cite web |url=http://www.getbus.org/ |title=Welcome to Golden Empire transit District – the GET bus! |access-date=May 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504222559/http://www.getbus.org/ |archive-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=live}} Eighteen routes are operated, the majority of which serve the urbanized portion of the county which includes the city of Bakersfield. Bakersfield is also served by Kern Transit, which connects Bakersfield with other communities in Kern County. Intercity bus providers in Bakersfield include Amtrak Thruway, Greyhound, Flixbus, Orange Belt Stages, National Charter Bus, Intercalifornias, TUFESA, and Fronteras del Norte.{{Cite web |title=AIBRA – Find a Station |access-date=May 2, 2015 |url=http://www.kfhgroup.com/aibra/Tables/tables.htm |archive-date=April 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426091154/http://www.kfhgroup.com/aibra/Tables/tables.htm |url-status=live }}

The privately owned Airport Valet Express used to offer daily service between Bakersfield and LAX via a connection at the Van Nuys FlyAway bus station. However, they suspended service during the 2020 pandemic and have not yet announced a reopening date.{{Cite web |url=http://www.airportvaletexpress.com/ |title=Airport Valet Express |access-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512193528/http://airportvaletexpress.com/ |url-status=live }}

File:Bakersfield Amtrak Station.jpg]]

For freight, Bakersfield is served directly by two class-1 railroads, Union Pacific, and BNSF. North of the city, each railroad uses its own rail lines; south of the city, they share a line owned by Union Pacific.[http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/carload_map.pdf System Map] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505231824/http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/carload_map.pdf |date=May 5, 2012 }}. BNSF. Retrieved March 21, 2012. The route travels over Tehachapi Pass (and through the Tehachapi Loop).[http://www.tehachapionline.com/history-of-the-tehachapi-loop History of the Tehachapi Loop] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118132404/http://www.tehachapionline.com/history-of-the-tehachapi-loop |date=November 18, 2011 }}. Tehachapi Online. Retrieved March 22, 2012. There are several spur lines in and around Bakersfield. The majority are operated by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, owned by Genesee & Wyoming.[http://www.railamerica.com/RailServices/SJVR.aspx San Joaquin Valley Railroad] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305015226/http://www.railamerica.com/RailServices/SJVR.aspx |date=March 5, 2012 }}. Rail America. Retrieved March 22, 2012.

Passenger service is provided by the San Joaquins service, operated by Amtrak California. The Bakersfield Amtrak station is located downtown, at the intersection of S Street and Truxtun Avenue. The city is the route's southern terminus; passenger trains are normally prohibited from traveling through the Tehachapi Loop to Los Angeles.{{cite web |url=https://interestingengineering.com/going-round-the-bend-with-the-tehachapi-loop |title=Going Round the Bend with the Tehachapi Loop |author1=Christopher McFadden |date=February 11, 2017 |access-date=March 10, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521034719/https://interestingengineering.com/going-round-the-bend-with-the-tehachapi-loop |url-status=live }} There are five Amtrak Thruway routes, which connect passengers to destinations west, south, and east.[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249237330428&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_W33a.pdf San Joaquin Route Timetable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420041304/http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249237330428&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_W33a.pdf |date=April 20, 2012 }}. Amtrak. Effective: January 9, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012. Kern Transit also uses the station as one of its hubs, connecting passengers to regions throughout Kern County.[http://www.co.kern.ca.us/roads/kernregionaltransit.asp Transit Schedule] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513004431/http://www.co.kern.ca.us/roads/kernregionaltransit.asp |date=May 13, 2012 }}. Kern Regional Transit. Retrieved March 22, 2012. A station for Bakersfield is planned as part of the California High-Speed Rail system.{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Robert |date=July 4, 2020 |title=Vision 2050, interrupted: City tries to map its future in the midst of historic uncertainty |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/robert-price/robert-price-vision-2050-interrupted-city-tries-to-map-its-future-in-the-midst-of/article_5249347e-be1b-11ea-95e5-1b1373fa9f56.html |access-date=July 27, 2020 |work=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805081701/https://www.bakersfield.com/columnists/robert-price/robert-price-vision-2050-interrupted-city-tries-to-map-its-future-in-the-midst-of/article_5249347e-be1b-11ea-95e5-1b1373fa9f56.html |url-status=live }}

File:Meadows Field Arport.jpg

Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield was rebuilt and dedicated as the William M. Thomas Terminal in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.meadowsfield.com/aboutus.asp |title=Bakersfield Meadows Field Website |access-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825003527/http://www.meadowsfield.com/aboutus.asp |archive-date=August 25, 2012}}

Also located at the Airport are the Hall Medivac Helicopter, International Flight Training Academy (a subsidiary of Japan's ANA Airlines), SRT Helicopter Flight School, and numerous other aviation mechanics and technicians. However, IFTA has suspended operations in March 2014.

The following is a list of sites of interest in and around Bakersfield:

• Bakersfield Sign (Central)
• Beale Memorial Clock Tower (Central)
• Buck Owens Crystal Palace (Central)
• Fox Theater (Downtown)
• Kern County Museum (Central)
• Kern Veterans Memorial (Downtown)
• Padre Hotel (Downtown)
• Mill Creek (Downtown)
• The Park at River Walk (Southwest)

{{Main|List of people from Bakersfield, California}}

Bakersfield appears in the 1997 role-playing video game Fallout under the name of Necropolis. The city was destroyed and abandoned after being hit by nuclear bombs. Later, ghouls, humans whose flesh had been destroyed and ravaged by radiation, moved into the city and resided there in isolation for several decades before it was invaded by the Unity.

In their song "Far Away Eyes" (off the 1978 Some Girls album), the Rolling Stones briefly reference Bakersfield.{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/a-song-about-driving-alone-listening-to-the-radio-the-story-behind-far-away-eyes-by-the-rolling-stones/|url-status=live|website=American Songwriter|title=A Song About "Driving Alone, Listening to the Radio": The Story Behind "Far Away Eyes" by The Rolling Stones|first1=Jay|last1=McDowell|date=9 October 2024|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-date=17 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217172838/https://americansongwriter.com/a-song-about-driving-alone-listening-to-the-radio-the-story-behind-far-away-eyes-by-the-rolling-stones/}} Lead singer Mick Jagger, emulating a quasi-spoken Southern drawl, narrates:

I was driving home, early Sunday morning, through Bakersfield

Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station

And the preacher said, "You know, you always have the Lord by your side"

Well, I was so pleased to be informed of this

That I ran twenty red lights, in his honor

Thank you Jesus . . . Thank you, Lord

It was the setting for the short-lived, early 1990s sitcom Bakersfield P.D.

{{SisterCities|Bakersfield|6}}{{Cite web |url=http://bakersfieldsistercity.org/ |title=Bakersfield Sister City Project Corporation {{!}} People Helping People |website=bakersfieldsistercity.org |language=en-US |access-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719082301/https://bakersfieldsistercity.org/ |url-status=live }}

• Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea {{Cite web |url=https://asiamattersforamerica.org/asia/data/sister-partnerships |title=Data Visualizations – Asia – Sister Partnerships – Asia – Asia Matters for America |access-date=January 13, 2020 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423180922/https://asiamattersforamerica.org/asia/data/sister-partnerships |url-status=live }}
• Minsk, Belarus (Inactive since June 1999)[http://bakersfieldsistercity.org/?page_id=12 Partisan District of Minsk, Belarus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911003220/http://bakersfieldsistercity.org/?page_id=12 |date=September 11, 2016 }}. Bakersfield Sister City Project. Copyright 2009–2010. Accessed: September 9, 2011.
• Wakayama, Japan (July 14, 1961){{Cite web |url=https://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/e_m07_06_01.html |title=Northern and Central California Sister Cities in Japan |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026210709/https://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/e_m07_06_01.html |url-status=live }}
• Cixi, Zhejiang, China
• Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
• Amritsar, Punjab, India

• Kern Power Plant
• List of U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations

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{{Sister project links|voy=Bakersfield|v=no|n=no|f=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|q=no|s=no|b=no|wikt=Bakersfield}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.visitbakersfield.com/ Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau]
• {{cite web |title=Bakersfield |url=https://www.c-span.org/series/?citiesTour&city=392 |publisher=C-SPAN Cities Tour |date=July 2013}}

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