Bakersfield, California

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Bakersfield, California
Downtown Bakersfield with City Hall and Police Headquarters at left and Hall of Records at right
Seal
Nickname: "California's Country Music Capital"
Location of Bakersfield, California
Coordinates: 35°24′21″N, 119°01′07″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Kern County
Founded	1869
Government
- Mayor	Harvey Hall
Area
- City	114.4 sq mi (296.3 km²)
- Water	1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)
Population (Jan 1, 2006)
- City	372,232
- Density	2,184.4/sq mi (843.4/km²)
- Metro	468,000
- 2007 Est	372,320
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
Website: City of Bakersfield Official Website

Bakersfield (pop. 372,320^GR2) is the county seat of Kern County, California, USA. It is one of the fastest-growing, large-population cities in the United States. As of 2007, the population was estimated at 372,320 within the city limits, making it the 11th largest municipality in California and 61st largest city in the nation according to U.S. Census estimates. The greater Bakersfield area has a population of around 468,000, including unincorporated areas, according to local municipal sources. It is California's third largest inland city, after Fresno and Sacramento. The city's economy relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refinement industries.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Founding 1.2 Population growth 1.3 1952 Earthquake 2 Geography and climate 3 Population 3.1 Demographics 4 Government and economy 5 Education 6 Urban growth 6.1 Housing and development 6.2 Highways 7 Culture 7.1 Events 7.2 Music 7.3 Sports and recreation 7.3.1 Venues 7.3.2 Football 7.3.3 Motor sports 8 Notable residents and former residents 8.1 Science and medicine 8.2 Law and politics 8.3 Arts and entertainment 8.4 Sports 9 References to Bakersfield 9.1 Literature 9.2 Music 9.3 Film and television 9.4 Video games 10 Sister cities 11 References 12 External links 12.1 Government 12.2 Online media 12.3 History 13 Map links

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

Baker grew a field of alfalfa, near the modern Amtrak station, for travelers to feed their horses. Newspapers as far away as San Francisco advised travelers to visit Baker's field 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. He constructed public sawmills, helped other pioneers drain their land, and surveyed the land. Baker was asked to plot out a new town after a flood of the Kern River rerouted 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] Population growth

The town continued to grow and reached a population of about 801 by 1880, and 2,626 by 1890.^[1] In 1900, its population was approximately 4,836. The town continued to grow 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.^{[citation needed]} On May 27, 1898, the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (popularly known as "The People's Railroad"), now the Santa Fe Railroad, arrived in Bakersfield, greatly boosting 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 mostly found work 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. During the next 20 years, Bakersfield's population exploded and surpassed 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.

[edit] 1952 Earthquake

On July 21,1952 an earthquake struck at 4:52 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.^[2] The earthquake, which was felt from San Francisco to the Mexican border, destroyed the nearby communities of Tehachapi and Arvin. The earthquake’s destructive force also 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]} Luckily, Bakersfield was spared, experiencing minor architectural damage without loss of life. The earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale.

The first aftershock came on July 29, and did minor architectural damage, but raised fears that the flow of the Friant-Kern Canal could be dangerously altered, potentially flooding the city and surrounding areas.

Aftershocks, for the next month, had become normal to Bakersfield residents, until at 3:42 p.m August 22 a 6.5 earthquake struck directly under the town's epicenter in the most densely populated area of the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The town did have some good fortune, however, as the quake struck late on a Friday afternoon when businesses were already closed down or beginning to close down. Four people died in the aftershock, and many of the town's historic structures were permanently lost.

[edit] Geography and climate

Bakersfield is located at 35°21′24″N, 119°01′07″W,^GR3 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 extend to the Sequoia National Forest, at the foot of the Greenhorn Mountain Range and at the entrance to the Kern Canyon. To the south, the Tehachapi Mountains 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) 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).

Bakersfield's climate is a semi-arid dry steppe climate (Koppen climate classification BSh), defined by long, hot, dry summers and brief, cool, sometimes rainy winters. In fact, Bakersfield is one of the sunniest cities in the U.S. (just behind Yuma, Arizona and Palm Springs, California). Bakersfield enjoys long-lasting, mild autumns and early springs, giving the region a unique climate suitable for growing a wide variety of crops (ranging from citrus to carrots to almonds and pistachios). With an average rainfall of only 6.49 inches (165mm) per year, most precipitation falls during winter and spring. Since Bakersfield receives less than 10 inches (250mm) of rain per year, some consider Bakersfield to be a desert. Typically, no rain falls from May through September. Winters can be very mild, with daytime high temperatures reaching into the low 60s°F(15°C), or they can be marked by persistent tule fog trapped near the floor of the San Joaquin Valley by high-pressure systems aloft for days on end.

The American Lung Association ranked Bakersfield as the most ozone-polluted city in the nation in 2006.^[3] It was also ranked as the second-most polluted city in terms of both short-term and year-round particle pollution.^[4][5]

[edit] Population

Bakersfield is a politically conservative city with complicated racial and socio-economic equity issues.^{[citation needed]}

Much of the city’s population can trace its roots to the "Okies" and "Arkies" who immigrated to California to find work during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. More recently, Bakersfield and Kern County field and farm workers have come from Mexico, South America, and Central America. Bakersfield also has an influential Chinese community and a large Basque community.

A lower-middle class city, much of Bakersfield’s community currently has an above-average teen birth rate and below-average literacy rate.^[6] In addition, gang activity and drug use, particularly of methamphetamine, has increased apace with the growing population of this area. In 2005 Bakersfield had a per capita murder rate of 9.3 per 100,000. This is below the national average of 14.1 for similar sized cities.^[7] Compared to similar sized cities, the overall national murder rate is 5.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, making Bakersfield above the national average. Table six compares Bakersfield's murder and crime rate to that of other metropolitan areas in the country. There are six metropolitan areas higher in murder.^[8]

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2000 census,^GR2 247,057 people, 83,441 households, and 60,995 families resided in Bakersfield. 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.

52.1% of households were married couples living together, 15.5% were female householders with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.5% of households consisted of a single individual; 7.2% were additionally age 65 or older. 42.5% of households claimed children under age 18. The average household size was 2.92, and the average family size was 3.41.

32.7% of the population was under age 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were age 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. The total male-female ration was 94.6:100; the male-female ratio among adults age 18 or older was 90.8:100.

The median income was $39,982, while it was $45,556 among families. The median income was $38,834 for males and $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] Government and economy

The Kern County seat, established in 1866 in the mountain town of Havilah, was moved to Bakersfield in 1874. 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.

Bakersfield is home to the largest carrot-producing operations in the world, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms. In addition, one of the nation's largest and oldest farming co-ops, the California Cotton Cooperative Association (CalCot), was founded in Bakersfield in 1927.

Other crops harvested in Bakersfield include table grapes, almonds, pistachios, citrus fruits, wheat, garlic, and potatoes.

In 1899, the Kern River Oil Field was uncovered 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. Other local oil fields include the Midway-Sunset field, the former Naval Petroleum Reserve at Elk Hills, the Kern Front field, and the Belridge field. Oil is still important to the local economy, although the area's oil economy is dwindling.

Bakersfield's primary airport is Meadows Field Airport, which was renovated in 2006.

[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 its 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 to 14,000 students. To serve a growing baby-boomer population after World War II, the Kern High School District has steadily expanded to eighteen 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 7,800 students. It is an NCAA Division II sports powerhouse in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and 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 admission rates in the community, Bakersfield still lags in that area. According to a March 2006 study by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Bakersfield metropolitan area is one of the lowest college-educated communities in the nation. Calculated using 2000 US Census figures, the study shows that only 13.5% of adults in the Bakersfield area have a bachelor's degree or higher. This contrasts sharply with the state and the national figures of 28% and 24%, respectively.

[edit] Urban growth

Bakersfield continues to grow, and is known for its friendliness toward economic expansion and highly-diversified business community.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Housing and development

Bakersfield city limits continue to expand due to a "hopscotch" pattern of housing development. Westward annexation, which could eventually subsume the area between the base of the Sierra Nevada range and the Temblor Range, has led some planners to consider incorporating a new city to govern the area of rapid growth to the west of the city.^{[citation needed]}

The city of Shafter, a small farming town north of Bakersfield, 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.^{[citation needed]}

The large bluff and plateau which lie east of Bakersfield—toward the Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon area—have been under development for the last sixty 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. In addition, city leaders recognize the possibility that extensive development may lead to erosion and landslides.^{[citation needed]} It's estimated by local officials that Bakersfield and it's outlying suburbs will reach populations over one million people by 2020.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Highways

Bakersfield is the second largest city in the U.S that is not directly linked to an Interstate highway; second only to Fresno^[9]

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 a neighboring city, San Luis Obispo.

Currently, plans for freeway alignments to the metropolitan Bakersfield area include three east-west connections on the northern, central, and southern 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 State Route 99. In addition, a north-south extension west of Rosedale would connect the southern, central, and northern alignments.^[10]

Another plan proposes a link between the northern east-west alignment along 7th Standard Road and Interstate 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.^[11]

Another proposal would upgrade and re-designate State Route 99 as an Interstate highway to be named Interstate 9.^[12]

[edit] Culture

Many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque,^[13] including Woolgrowers, Maitia's, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Sandrini's, Benji's, Narducci's, and Italian Restaurant Luigi's.

The Kern County Museum, located on Chester Avenue just north of downtown Bakersfield, boasts an extensive collection of regional artifacts. Permanent exhibits include: "Black Gold: The Oil Experience", a hands-on modern approach at showing how oil is mined; 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.

[edit] Events

Every Spring, Bakersfield hosts one of California's Scottish Games and Clan Gathering.^[14]

In March, Auto Club 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.

[edit] Music

In the 1950s and -60s, local musicians such as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart helped invent a rock and roll-influenced country music style called the Bakersfield sound. Bakersfield country was notable for its simple production and straightforward, rock 'n' roll delivery. Today, Bakersfield is second only to Nashville, Tennessee, in country music fame, and Bakersfield continues to produce famous country music artists. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace is still one of the most respected concert venues, regularly showing off new recording artists, as well as established Country music stars. Buddy Allan (Buck's son), performs with The Buckaroos (Doyle Curtsinger,Jim Shaw,Terry Christoffersen and David Wulfekuehler) regularly.

In the early 1990s, a group of friends from the middle-class suburbs of Bakersfield known as KoЯn helped revitalize the faltering heavy metal genre. By employing low-tuned 7-string guitars and punchily-tuned drums and bass, KoЯn helped to create the nu metal movement, which, with the help of locals like Adema and Midnight Panic, would become identified in part with Bakersfield.

In the early 1980s Burning Image, one of the most respected American goth/deathrock bands, also originated in Bakersfield.

Several gospel artists, such as Royal Ruckus and The Lighthouse Boys, also host performances in Bakersfield.

[edit] Sports and recreation

Bakersfield is home to a large population of off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts. As of May 2001, over 18,000 OHVs were registered in Kern County.^[15] 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.^[16] Ruth Coleman, Director of California State Parks, 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." Several programs, including National 4-H and California Off-Road PALS, exist to train youth in proper OHV recreation.^[17]

Bakersfield also hosts various amateur sporting events, including shooting, cycling, boat drag, rugby, water skiing, soccer, youth baseball, tennis, horseshoes, and volleyball competitions. Other recreational opportunities include whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing in the southern Sierras.

[edit] Venues

The city’s major civic center, the Rabobank Arena in downtown Bakersfield, is home to the Bakersfield Blitz; an af2 team, the Bakersfield Condors; an ECHL AA-level hockey team, the Bakersfield Jam and the NBA Developmental League. In addition, the arena hosts basketball teams of CSU Bakersfield, the California State High School Wrestling Championships, sporting, and entertainment conventions.

Other arenas include the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, which includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool that hosts high-school events, a recreational pool with two waterslides, a smaller "child safe" pool, lockers, showers, and much more. The Kern County Soccer Park is the largest soccer facility in California.

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. Courses include the private Seven Oaks Country Club, the Bakersfield Country Club, the Rio Bravo Country Club and the public River Lakes Golf Club.

Fox Theatre is a restored movie theatre. It hosts movies, concerts and entertainers.

[edit] Football

Football is the most prevalent sport in Bakersfield.^{[citation needed]} The Bakersfield High School team has won more total games, sections, and state titles than any other California school and the Bakersfield College team has won four national championships. In addition, several notable NFL athletes, including Frank Gifford, Brent McClanahan, David Carr, Cory Hall, Jeremy Staat, James Wofford, Rodney Wright, Rashaan Shehee, Brock Marion, and Joey Porter first played football at one of the seventeen Bakersfield-area high schools.

[edit] Motor sports

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. The Bakersfield Speedway is currently attempting to become a more nationally significant track by hosting races that feature out-of-state drivers.

After the destruction of the Mesa Marin Raceway, a new track, currently known as Kern County's New Home to NASCAR,^[18] was approved for construction by the Kern County Board of Supervisors in December, 2006. The track will be built west of Bakersfield at the Interstate-5/Highway 43 (Enos Lane) interchange near the Kern River, on what is now an almond orchard. Current designs indicate a 1/2 mile, high-banked oval, similar to its predecessor, which will allow speeds over 120 mph. It will be outfitted with luxury suites, modern facilities, a drag strip, SAFER barriers, Nextel Cup-quality surfacing, and lighting. The stadium will have a capacity of over 5,000. Marion Collins and his family will oversee the facility while the DeStefanis, who own the land, will put up most of the capital. The track is set to open for the 2008 racing season and will host local racing events, a popular high school racing series, and the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series events. The name of the track is being withheld in hopes of finding a corporate sponsor.

In addition, Bakersfield hosts the March Meet, a drag racing event, at the Famoso Drag Strip. The initial March Meet was started by the car club The Bakersfield Smokers, in 1959, and included the legendary Swamp Rat machine driven by "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. Garlits came from Florida to prove himself to the west coasters who invented drag racing. This event, which originally gave legitimacy to the NHRA, founded by Wally Parks in 1951, is now a nostalgic drag racing event held every March and operated by the track. In the fall of each year, Auto Club Famoso Raceway hosts the California Hot Rod Reunion, a gathering of street rodders, drag racers and auto enthusiasts.

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[19]	Outdoor Football	LCFL West	Bakersfield College

[edit] Notable residents and former residents

[edit] Science and medicine

• Dr. Hans Einstein, the foremost authority on Valley Fever

[edit] Law and politics

• Edward Fitzgerald Beale, former U.S. Ambassador and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California and Nevada in 1852
• Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court

[edit] Arts and entertainment

• Noah Beery, actor
• Justin Berry, teenaged webcam pornographer
• Martin Bertram, author
• Frank Bidart, award-winning poet
• Burning Image, a deathrock band
• James Chapman, novelist and publisher
• Scott Cox, radio talk show host, AM1410, male model, and spokesperson
• Brandon Cruz, punk musician and former child actor
• Ric Drasin, professional wrestler, actor, author, and designer of Gold's Gym logo
• Merle Haggard, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
• Gerald Haslam, author and poet
• KoЯn, a Grammy Award-winning metal band
• Jake Lloyd, actor
• Jaz McKay, radio talk show host, AM1560, writer, and comedian
• Buck Owens, country-western singer
• Lamb and Lynx Gaede, a white nationalist band of two twin sisters
• Lawrence Tibbett, lead baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera
• The Moosehead Band,^[20] music group

[edit] Sports

• David Carr, NFL soon to be former QB of the Houston Texans
• Chris Childs, NBA guard
• Frank Gifford, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
• Kevin Harvick, NASCAR driver. 2007 Daytona 500 winner.
• Jack Johnson, Boxing boxing's first black heavyweight champion
• Todd Walker, MLB currently with the Colorado Rockies
• Brock Marion, Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys
• William "Buckshot" May, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who pitched his one and only major league inning on May 9, 1924
• Casey Mears, NASCAR driver
• Rick Mears, 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner
• Louis Wright Former Bakersfield College player who was on the NFL 1970's all-decade team as a defensive back
• Roger Mears, Baja 1000 winner
• Stephen Neal, NFL Super Bowl champion and current lineman for New England Patriots. Also two time NCAA heavy-weight wrestling champion at CSUB, former U.S. Olympic team member, and gold medalist in the World championships.
• Joey Porter, NFL Linebacker All-Pro outside linebacker, three time Pro Bowl selection, and Super Bowl champion in 2006 with Pittsburgh Steelers. Named most feared player in NFL by the players according to Sports Illustrated. Recently signed a five year, 32 million dollar contract with a 12 million dollar signing bonus to play for the Miami Dolphins.
• Hank Pfister, professional tennis player
• Jerry Quarry, heavyweight boxer
• Bruce Sarver, NHRA champion
• Larry Barnes, MLB played a couple years with the Angels in '01 and '03
• Jeff Siemon, NFL 4-time Pro Bowl linebacker
• Robert Swift, NBA center for Seattle SuperSonics
• Cory Hall, NFL Safety for the Washington Redskins
• Lonnie Shelton, NBA Won a NBA championship and was a all-star for the Seattle SuperSonics
• L.J. Shelton, NFL Starting lineman for the Cleveleand Browns and son of former NBA'er Lonnie Shelton
• Jeremy Staat, NFL Former Pittsburgh Steeler defensive lineman. Also, teammate and close friend of Pat Tillman at Arizona State. Joined the Marines in his honor and was deployed to Iraq 3/21/07.
• Vernon Burke, NFL Played for several teams in the 60's as a split end. Attended North High School.
• Rodney Leslie, NFL DT Current member of New Orleans Saints
• Brook Miller, Former NFL and San Diego State defensive lineman now in Arena Football
• Pat Osborn, professional baseball player currently in AAA and former standout at University of Florida
• Rodney Wright, NFL Former WR for Buffalo Bills
• Colby Lewis, MLB Former first round pick and pitcher in the Washington Nationals oraganization
• Phil Dumatrait, MLB Former first round pick and pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization
• Sean Barker, pro baseball player in the Colorado Rockies organization and former standout at LSU
• Jake Woods, MLB Pitcher for the Seattle Mariners
• Larsen Jensen, swimming competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 1500m freestyle.
• Dave Rayder MLB Catcher who played in the '70

[edit] References to Bakersfield

[edit] Literature

• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Onion Field
• Daughter! I Forbid Your Recurring Dream!^[21]
• The Hookmen
• Where the Heart Is

[edit] Music

• "Leaving Jesusland"^[22] and "Instant Crassic"^[23] by NOFX
• "Far Away Eyes" by The Rolling Stones
• "Tennessee Plates" by John Hiatt
• "The Virtues of Black Sabbath" and "Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag" by Henry Rollins
• "Cry on the Shoulder of the Road" by Martina McBride
• "Streets of Bakersfield" by Buck Owens
• "I've Been Everywhere" by Hank Snow
• "Spare Parts (A Nocturnal Emission)" by Tom Waits
• "Bakersfield" by Daniel Amos
• "Mexicali Blues" by The Grateful Dead
• "Kern River" by Merle Haggard
• "The Streets of Bakersfield" by Dwight Yoakam

[edit] Film and television

Many films and television shows are filmed in and around Bakersfield. This list represents a selection of those which feature specific references to the city.

• Catscratch,which is a cartoon on Nickelodeon, the cats race in a race called "the Bakersfield 500"
• Bakersfield P.D. is a sitcom about Bakersfield police officers.
• The Running Man opens with the Bakersfield Food Riots in which the main character, Ben Richards, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger the current Govenor of California, is framed as "The Butcher of Bakersfield."
• Fearless Starring Jeff Bridges opens with the aftermath of a plane crash in a cornfield outside Bakersfield and also features the now-defunct Golden Empire Ambulance service.
• In two episodes of the TV series Clueless, "Bakersfield Blues" and "Back From Bakersfield," the main character and her father moved to Bakersfield.
• The Simpsons episode "Take My Wife, Sleaze" features Hell’s Satans, a fictional biker gang from Bakersfield.
• In Every Which Way But Loose, Clint Eastwood's character sneaks his precocious pet orangutang Clyde into the fictional Bakersfield Zoo to relieve carnal tensions. Several scenes were shot in Bakersfield, some including views of the famous Bakersfield sign that formerly spanned Union Avenue just south of California Avenue.
• In The Cell, the equipment used by the serial killer has a plate stamped "Made in Bakersfield."
• In Day 2 of 24, George Mason plans to escape the blast radius of an atomic bomb set to go off in Los Angeles by going to Bakersfield.
• In the film Castaway, starring Tom Hanks, the day is saved thanks to an outhouse that reads "Bakersfield" across the side.
• In the film View From The Top, Gweneth Paltrow mentions the routes of the flights for the airline she is applying to and at her job interview she claims that they stop once a week to Bakersfield.
• In the film Misery, Kathy Bates's character Annie Wilkes mentions growing up in Bakersfield.
• In the film Sunset Blvd, Gloria Swanson's character Norma Desmond mentions she has oil in Bakersfield.
• In the film Airplane II: The Sequel, Controller Jacobs (Stephen Stucker) makes reference to places where he traveled to, and says "Then we went to Bakersfield, then we went to Fresno, but no one goes to Fresno anymore."

[edit] Video games

• In the Dreamcast and PS2 game Headhunter, the city is fictionalized as "Quakersfield."
• In the CRPG Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, the ruins of Bakersfield, called Necropolis, are inhabited by "ghouls," human beings who have been horribly mutated by radiation.

[edit] Sister cities

Bakersfield has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):^[24]

• Minsk, Belarus
• Wakayama, Japan
• Cixi, China
• Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

[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

[edit] Online media

• Bakersfield News & Information Website

[edit] History

• Kern County Museum

[edit] Map links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 35.3732921° -119.0187125°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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