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Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield city logo
Image:Seal of Bakersfield, California.gif
City nickname:"California's Country Music Capital"
County	Kern County, California
Area  - Total  - Water	296.3 km² (114.4 mi²) 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) 1.14%
Population  - Total (1/1/2006)  - Density	311,824 843.4/km²
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8
Latitude Longitude	35°21'26' N 119°1'54' W
Mayor:	Harvey Hall
City of Bakersfield Official Website

Image:06-16-03c.jpg

Bakersfield, California is the county seat of Kern County, California. According to the 2000 census^GR2, the city's population was 247,057. The city's economy relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refinement industries. It is one of the fastest growing cities with large populations in the United States. As of 2006, the population was estimated to be around 312,000 within the city limits, making it the 11th largest municipality in California and 59th largest city in the nation (as of latest US Census estimates). The greater Bakersfield area has a population of around 451,800, including unincorporated areas, according to local municipal sources. It is California's third largest inland city, after Fresno and Sacramento.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Founding 1.2 Government 1.3 Growth 1.4 Education 1.5 Historic buildings 2 Geography 3 Highways 4 Climate 5 Commodities 6 Demographics 7 Housing and development 8 Politics and society 9 Local amenities 10 Entertainment 10.1 Cultural activities 10.2 Sports 11 Sister Cities 12 Media references 12.1 Literature 12.2 Music 12.3 Film and television 12.4 Video games 13 Notable residents 13.1 Arts & entertainment 13.2 Law & politics 13.3 Science & medicine 13.4 Sports 14 References 15 External links 15.1 Government

[edit] History

The Yokuts Indians were the first people to settle in the San Joaquin Valley, roughly 8,000 years ago. In 1776, the Spanish missionary Father Francisco Garcés became the first European to explore the area. In 1851, gold was discovered in the Kern River in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, and in 1865, oil was discovered in the valley. The Bakersfield area, a tule reed infested malarial swamp, was first known as Kern Island to the handful of pioneers who built log cabins there in 1860. The area was subject to flooding from the Kern River delta, which occupied what is now the downtown area.

[edit] Founding

In 1863, former Iowa militia member, Colonel Thomas Baker, moved into the Kern Island area to champion the cause of reclamation. He settled into a log cabin near present day Truxtun Avenue and R Street. A former California state senator, who had experience as a surveyor and reputed to be one of the few government officials not corrupted by big business, Colonel Baker was recommended to survey and lay out the town of Visalia in the late 1850s. He was also known for his hospitality.^{[citation needed]}

Colonel Baker had grown a field of alfalfa, near the present day Amtrak Station, for travelers to feed their horses. The newspapers advised travelers to visit Colonel Baker and use his field of alfalfa to feed their stock.

As more families moved to the area, Baker subsidized development out of his own pocket.^{[citation needed]} He constructed public sawmills, helped other pioneers drain their land, and surveyed the land. Colonel Baker was asked to plot out a new town after a flood of the Kern River re-routed the river channel to the north. At the founding ceremony in 1869, residents surprised Baker by naming the town, Bakersfield, in his honor.

Baker died of typhoid fever in 1872, and is buried at Union Cemetery.

[edit] Government

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

[edit] Growth

The town continued to grow, reaching a population of about 801 by 1880, and 2,626 by 1890.<ref>Historical Population Data for California (XLS). City of Sunnyvale, California. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.</ref> In 1900, its population was approximately 4,836. Its population still increased despite major floods in 1867 and 1893, and fires in 1889 and 1919.

In 1874, the Southern Pacific Railroad established itself in the area, but was unpopular because of its high fare rate. On May 27, 1898, the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (popularly known as "The People's Railroad"), now the Santa Fe Railroad, arrived in Bakersfield, resulting in a great boost of the population.

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

Migration from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Southern California brought new residents, who were mostly employed by the oil industry. By 1980, Bakersfield's population was about 105,000. For the next 20 years, Bakersfield's population exploded and eclipsed 250,000 by 2000. When the price of homes, violence, and gangs increased in the larger cities nearby, hundreds of families chose the area for its affordability and its relative proximity to Southern California.

Bakersfield continues to grow, and is known for its friendliness toward economic expansion with a highly diversified business community.

In 1899, the Kern River Oil Field was discovered at the Discovery Well by two brothers digging in a pit along the Kern River, about one-mile east of Gordon's Ferry (where, in the 1850s, the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoaches had once crossed the Kern River). Advances in steam-injection of oil wells rejuvenated the oil field in the early 1960s. The oilfield is still active today and is one of the nation's highest yielding fields of all time. Oil is still important to the local economy, but the area's oil economy is dwindling.

[edit] Education

Two of the earliest schools founded in Kern County were Mrs. Thomas Baker's school, opened in 1863 at the Baker home, near present day 19th and N Streets; and a Catholic parochial school opened by Reverend Father Daniel Dade in 1865 in Havilah (then 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 one classroom during the 1880s. In 1915, the Norris School was rebuilt to accommodate a growing number of students. It was torn down and reconstructed in 1950, and once again in 1980. Today the Norris School District is growing very steadily thanks to extremely fast growing home developments in northwest Bakersfield, and is recognized for the quality of its students and education. However, it is still smaller than the huge Bakersfield City School District (BCSD), the state's largest elementary school district. The BCSD serves most of the schools on the east side of town. Other Bakersfield area elementary school districts include Panama-Buena Vista, Rosedale, and Fruitvale. The first high school in Bakersfield, Kern County Union High School, opened in 1893. It was renamed Bakersfield High School after World War II.

The site at California Avenue and F Street is 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 a yearly enrollment of 12,000-14,000 students. Since World War II, in order to serve a growing baby-boomer population, the Kern High School District has steadily expanded to eighteen campuses today, with more than 35,000 students, making it the largest high school district in the state. In 1965, a university in the California State University system was founded in Bakersfield. California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) today has some 7,700 students with a special focus on business and administration. It is an NCAA Division II sports powerhouse in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), with some sports, including wrestling (PAC-10), competing in Division I. CSUB is currently attempting to join the Big West Conference and become a Division I athletic school.

Despite efforts to improve college-going rates in the community, Bakersfield still lags in that area. According to a March 2006 study by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Bakersfield metropolitan area has one of the lowest college-educated communities in the nation. Calculated using 2000 US Census figures, the study shows that only 13.5% of adults in the Bakersfield MSA have a bachelor's degree or higher. This contrasts sharply with California and U.S. figures at 28% and 24% respectively.

[edit] Historic buildings

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

[edit] Geography

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

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

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

[edit] Highways

Bakersfield is the one of the largest cities in the U.S., second only to Fresno, which is not directly linked to an Interstate highway.

Though interest in extending Interstate 40 to Bakersfield has increased in recent years, lack of funding has prevented the proposed extension of I-40 to San Luis Obispo.

Currently, plans for freeway alignments to the metropolitan Bakersfield area include three east-west connections on the north, central, and south parts of town. These connections would link Highways 58 and 178, the future downtown Centennial Corridor, and the future Kern River Westside Parkway to one another or to Highway 99. In addition, a north-south extension west of Rosedale would connect the southern, central, and northern alignments.

Another plan proposes a link between the northern east-west alignment along 7th Standard Road and I-5. This new connection would be designated Highway 58. Congressional funding has been secured for this 25-35 year project; construction is scheduled to begin by 2010.

Another proposal would re-designate Highway 99 as an Interstate Freeway to be named I-7 or I-9.

[edit] Climate

Bakersfield's volume of wintertime tule fog may be among the worst on the West Coast; visibility sometimes drops to less than 10 ft. (3 m).

Dust-borne particulate matter from causes such as agricultural operations, along with smog drifting from Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley cities, contribute to Bakersfield's poor air quality, the second worst in North America.

[edit] Commodities

Crops harvested in Bakersfield include cotton, carrots, table grapes, almonds, pistachios, citrus fruits, wheat, garlic, and potatoes.

Local oil fields include the prolific century-old Kern River field, the Midway-Sunset field, the former Naval Petroleum Reserve at Elk Hills, the Kern Front field, and the Belridge field.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2000 census^GR2, there were 247,057 people, 83,441 households, and 60,995 families residing in the city. The population density was 843.4/km² (2,184.4/mi²). There were 88,262 housing units at an average density of 301.3/km² (780.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.87% White, 9.16% Black or African American, 1.40% Native American, 4.33% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 18.68% from other races, and 4.43% from two or more races. 32.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

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

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

[edit] Housing and development

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

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

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

[edit] Politics and society

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

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

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

[edit] Local amenities

Bakersfield is home to California State University, Bakersfield, notable for its basketball program, and Bakersfield College, one of the oldest junior colleges in the U.S.

Bakersfield's primary airport is Meadows Field Airport, which was renovated in 2005.

[edit] Entertainment

Bakersfield has a large Basque population in and around the city, and many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque.<ref>Bakersfield Basque Symposium (English). John M. Ysursa (2006-05-31). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.</ref> These include Woolgrowers, Maitia's, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Sandrini's (located in a 110 year-old basement), Benji's, Narducci's, and Italian Restaurant Luigi's.

Bakersfield also has an influential Chinese community and a growing Mexican population which comprise a large portion of the population.

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

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

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

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

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

[edit] Cultural activities

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

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

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

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

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

[edit] Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Club	Sport	League	Venue
Bakersfield Blaze	Baseball	California League; North Division	Sam Lynn Ballpark
Bakersfield Condors	Ice Hockey	ECHL; Pacific Division	Rabobank Arena
Bakersfield Blitz	Indoor football	af2; National Conference	Rabobank Arena
Bakersfield Jam	Basketball	NBA Development League	Rabobank Arena
Bakersfield Brigade	Soccer	USL Premier Development League	Bakersfield Christian High School
Bakersfield Panthers	Outdoor Football	LCFL West	Bakersfield College

[edit] Sister Cities

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

• Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Minsk, Belarus
• Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Wakayama, Japan
• Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Cixi, China
• Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

[edit] Media references

[edit] Literature

• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a book about the fictional Joad family who migrated to California in search of work during the Dust Bowl. Much of the movie was shot in Kern County. They settle in the "Hoovervilles" along the Kern River in Oildale and later in the Sunset Labor Camp near Arvin (Weedpatch in the movie). In fact, over half the book is set in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
• The 1973 book The Onion Field, by Joseph Wambaugh, is a true story about a pair of Los Angeles Police Department officers abducted with one being murdered and the other escaping in an onion field south of Bakersfield. The Onion Field starring Ted Danson was made into a movie in 1979. The surviving officer, Karl Hettinger, later became a Kern County Supervisor.
• Any reference to Bakersfield by the writer Stephen King usually does not end up in a positive light.
• James Chapman's novel Daughter! I Forbid Your Recurring Dream! includes a chapter on Bakersfield, featuring the 1970's and 1980's teen hangout area known as Comanche and The Pits.

[edit] Music

• The Punk Rock band NOFX mentions burning down Bakersfield in their song Leaving Jesusland and also in their song Instant Crassic
• The Rolling Stones sing of Bakersfield in Far Away Eyes.
• John Hiatt mentions the town in Tennessee Plates.
• The punk artist Henry Rollins mentions Bakersfield in The Virtues of Black Sabbath and Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag.
• Martina McBride's song Cry on the Shoulder of the Road opens with the line "I'm rolling out of Bakersfield."
• Buck Owens' famous Streets of Bakersfield, later performed with Dwight Yoakam, is about a songwriter being rejected in Bakersfield. Owens saved the letters of the old Bakersfield sign and put them on display at his Crystal Palace.
• Hank Snow mentions Bakersfield in his signature song I've Been Everywhere.
• Tom Waits mentions Bakersfield in his song Spare Parts (A Nocturnal Emission) on his album Nighthawks at the Diner. The song, about a drunken man wandering the streets and reflecting on his life, ends with him saying "Let's take it to Bakersfield and get a little apartment somewhere."

[edit] Film and television

• Clint Eastwood filmed his movie Every Which Way But Loose throughout Bakersfield. The old Bakersfield sign that spanned across Union Avenue just south of California Avenue and connected parts of the once famous Bakersfield Inn is the backdrop to a number of scenes. The Weinerschnitzel in the movie is still in business.
• Daniel Amos has a song called Bakersfield on their Bibleland album. It deals with the death of Terry Taylor's grandfather.
• The Fox Network broadcast Bakersfield P.D. (1993), a sitcom about police officers in Bakersfield (one an African-American transplant from Washington, D.C., the other a local white officer) and also starred Bryan Doyle-Murray (of Caddyshack fame), comedian Bill Murray's brother, which was critically acclaimed but only lasted 17 episodes.
• The movie The Running Man opens with the Bakersfield Food Riots, where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character is framed as "The Butcher of Bakersfield."
• Another film shot in Bakersfield is The Cell. This blockbuster is about a serial killer that videotapes his victims before drowning them. The equipment used in the victims' demise has a plate stamped "Made in Bakersfield".
• In the movie Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, the porta-potty outhouse that washes up on the island has "Bakersfield" written on its wall.
• In the movie Where the Heart Is, the characters in the beginning are en route to Bakersfield before stopping at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma.
• The 1993 film Fearless opens with the aftermath of an airline crash in a corn field outside of Bakersfield and features the now defunct Golden Empire Ambulance service.
• In The Simpsons's episode Take My Wife, Sleaze the fictional biker group, Hell's Satans, are from Bakersfield.
• Johnny Carson once flopped as a magician in an act performed at a local lounge before he became a big T.V. personality and legendary host of the Tonight Show. This resulted in numerous Bakersfield jokes by Carson at Bakersfield's expense.
• The TV series Clueless featured a storyline with two episodes in Season 3 (Bakersfield Blues and Back From Bakersfield) where the main character, Cher, and her father move to Bakersfield, which is portrayed as a backward town of farmers and cowboys.
• The TV series Friends episode The one with Chandler's Dad mentions Bakersfield as a sorry place to live.
• Other films shot in and around Bakersfield include:
  • The X-Files (1998)
  • K-PAX (2001)
  • North by Northwest (1959)
  • Thelma & Louise (1991)
  • Wag the Dog (1997)
  • The Break Up (1998)
  • Prime Target (1989)
  • Five Easy Pieces (1970)
  • Psycho (1960).
  • Fight in the Field (1997 Documentary)
  • Trekkies (1997 Documentary)
  • Best Laid Plans (1998)
  • Infinite Round (1999 Documentary)
  • Road Kill (1999)
  • Tick Tock (2000)
  • The Stoneman (2003)
  • Keith (2006)
  • Joe Joe Angel and the Dead Guy (1997)
  • Odd Couple II (1998)
  • Joy Ride (2001)
  • Jurassic Park III (2001)
  • Frailty (2002)
  • Aimee Semple McPherson (2004)
  • Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
  • Lucky You (2005)
  • Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (2005)

[edit] Video games

• In the Dreamcast and PS2 game Headhunter, the city makes an appearance (figuratively speaking) as the fictional city of "Quakersfield."
• In the CRPG Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, the ruins of Bakersfield are called Necropolis and are inhabited with ghouls, human beings mutated horribly by radiation.

[edit] Notable residents

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

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

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

• Merle Haggard's house in Oildale that was made from a converted boxcar is still being used as a residence today.
• Country music legend Buck Owens lived in Bakersfield until his death, and his Crystal Palace nightclub is located on Buck Owens Blvd. His ranch is along Poso Creek north of Bakersfield and one of his former homes is on Panorama Drive on the bluffs.
• Former heavyweight boxer Jerry Quarry was from the nearby town of Shafter. Known for being one of boxing's hardest hitters, he was famous for his bouts with Muhammad Ali in the 1970's.
• Four-time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears began his racing career as a resident of Bakersfield, racing in area competitions including motorcycles, off-road 4x4 and stock cars.
• In 2005, Garth Brooks proposed to country star girlfriend Trisha Yearwood at a Buck Owens event at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield and Bakersfield Country Idol Jimmy Laurent was in attendance along with former Southern University football player, Matt Alvarez.
• The webcam videos at the center of the Justin Berry story were first produced by Berry in his bedroom in suburban Bakersfield.
• Brooke Thompson, also known as "Pumkin" from Flavor of Love lives there.
• The Grammy winning metal band, Korn is from Bakersfield.

[edit] Arts & entertainment

• James Anchordoquy - musician, lead singer of Eden Hall
• Moe Adame - guitarist/singer for the musical group Burning Image
• Noah Beery - actor, played numerous roles in Hollywood Golden Era films. Most notably was Rocky on the Rockford Files T.V. show in the 1970's.
• Justin Berry - Teen who operated webcam sites, originally from his Bakersfield bedroom, later alleging molestation by his customers.
• Martin Bertram - author of the medieval fiction novel Vanity of Vanities
• James Chapman, avant-garde novelist and publisher. Attended Bakersfield High School.
• Brandon Cruz - child actor (The Courtship of Eddie's Father) and singer (Dr. Know)
• Jonathan Davis - Lead Singer of the Band KOЯN, attended Highland High.
• Jeff Duran- radio personality/comedian briefly lived in Bakersfield.
• Merle Haggard - Country-Western Hall of Fame singer and legend.
• Lynx and Lamb Gaede, members of White Power band Prussian Blue.
• Gerald Haslam - author and poet. Raised in Oildale.
• Karshner triplets - Craig, Nick, and Ryan Karshner, identical triplets known for their commercials for Cingular Wireless.
• Jake Lloyd - actor, played little Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I.
• Buck Owens - Country-Western Singer and Legend.
• David Silveria - drummer for the musical group KOЯN
• Red Simpson - Country Western singer, wrote songs for Buck Owens. Played with Buck and Merle Haggard in the early days of the Bakersfield Sound. Hits included "Highway Patrol", "Roll, Truck Roll", and "Hello, I'm a Truck".
• Rick Reno Stevens - Country-Western singer. Hits included "I Didn't See the Angel".
• Jessica Swan - novelist.
• Lawrence Tibbett - A famous Baritone singer at the New York Metropolitan Opera who made his Met debut in 1923. Honed his skills at the Bakersfield Opera House, now the Nile Theatre.
• Dwight Yoakam - Country-Western singer (an honorary resident).

[edit] Law & politics

• Earl Warren - Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and California Governor, attended Kern County High (now Bakersfield High).
• Edward Fitzgerald Beale - Established Tejon Ranch. Was a former U.S. Ambassador. Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California and Nevada in 1852. The Beale Library is named after him. His son, Truxtun Beale (named for his maternal grandfather, Commodore Thomas Truxtun, USN), has Truxtun Avenue named after him. In 1904, Truxtun also built the Beale Memorial Clock Tower, for his mother. It used to stand downtown but was destroyed in the 1952 earthquake; it now stands at the Kern County Museum.
• Harvey Hall - He is the current mayor and owner of the local ambulance service Hall Ambulance.

[edit] Science & medicine

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

[edit] Sports

• Devine Calloway - professional skateboarder
• David Carr - NFL Football player #1 overall draft pick (Houston Texans), attended Stockdale High.
• Chris Childs - NBA guard for the NJ Nets, NY Knicks, and Toronto Raptors, attended Foothill High.
• Frank Gifford - NFL Hall of Fame, New York Giants All-Pro back, attended Bakersfield High.
• Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, attended North High.
• Jack Johnson - Boxing's first black heavyweight champion (See the movie "The Great White Hope")
• Brock Marion - NFL Football player and Super Bowl winner, West High School Graduate.
• William "Buckshot" May - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, the only Major League Baseball player who not only was born in Bakersfield (1899) but also died here (1984).
• Brent McClanahan - NFL running back with the famous Minnesota Vikings teams of the 1970's.
• Casey Mears - NASCAR driver, attended Stockdale High.
• Rick Mears - 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner. Attended South High.
• Roger Mears - Famous off-road racer and winner of the Baja 1000. Father of Casey and brother to Rick. Attended South High.
• Brandon Miller - NASCAR driver
• Stephen Neal - NFL Football player, Super Bowl champion (New England Patriots), and an undefeated NCAA and World champion in amateur wrestling at CSUB.
• Hank Pfister - former tennis player who won 2 titles and reached 5 ATP finals
• Joey Porter - NFL All-Pro Football player and Super Bowl champion (Pittsburgh Steelers), attended Foothill High.
• James Walters - Plays for the Semi Pro Football team the Bakersfield Panthers in the LCFL West.
• Robert Swift - NBA Center for the Seattle Supersonics. Played at Garces, Highland, and Bakersfield High.
• Cory Hall- NFL Player played for Cincinati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons attended Stockdale High School and South High School.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Government

• City of Bakersfield Official Website
• Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Kern County Voter Registration
• Used Motor Cycle Recycling Centers
• Kern County Health Department
• Kern County Veterans Service Department

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