Profile for Bakersfield, California, CA

Bakersfield is on the Kern River, in the San Joaquin Valley.

Growth began with the discovery of gold and, later, oil.

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, thousands of Okies flocked to the rich green farm country surrounding Bakersfield.

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 1,514. The number of murders and homicides was 24. The violent crime rate was 5.7 per 1,000 people.

Bakersfield received national attention for 1952 earthquake, which caused wide destruction.

Local foods: Basque cuisine

Filming location for:
· 1993 movie, "The Firm"
· 1959 movie, "North by Northwest"

Well-known residents have included:
· Frank Gifford, football player
· Merle Haggard, country singer

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Kern County Fair - Sept. 19-30, 2007

Performing arts: Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra

Nearby parks & recreation: Kern County River Park

Sports teams: Blaze (minor league baseball), Condors (ECHL)

Historic sites and museums: Kern County Museum, Lori Brock Children's Discovery Center, California Living Museum, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Buena Vista Museum of Natural History

Colleges and universities: California State University, Bakersfield College, San Joaquin Valley College, Santa Barbara Business College

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was below the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 101

Listed places near Bakersfield

Airports (1)

Archives (3)

Cemeteries (3)

Colleges (2)

Communities (2)

Hotels (39)

Libraries (8)

Museums (2)

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• Bakersfield population
• Ancestry of people in Bakersfield
• Housing in Bakersfield
• Income in Bakersfield
• Marital status of adults in Bakersfield
• Place of birth of people in Bakersfield
• Residence in 1995, of people in Bakersfield
• School enrollment & education levels in Bakersfield
• Transportation & commute times in Bakersfield
• Kern County data
• Fastest-growing counties in California
• State data - California
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Bakersfield demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Kern County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Bakersfield area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 93309 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Bakersfield city government
• Kern County government
• Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce
• Bakersfield tourism

11% of Bakersfield residents report German ancestry, and 8% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Bakersfield ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Bakersfield
• Cemeteries in Kern County
• Genealogy page (CA GenWeb) for Kern County
• Libraries in or near Bakersfield

Post a query on a message board:

• Kern County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - CA data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra

• Bakersfield area attractions
• Bakersfield museums
• Bakersfield historic sites
• Bakersfield area parks
• Wineries near Bakersfield

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Bakersfield area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Kern County
• Cemetery record compendium
• California cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Bakersfield
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Kern County

• Bakersfield business guide
• Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in California
• Local ordinances in California

• Crime in Kern County
• Arrests in Kern County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in California
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Bakersfield was $17,678, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Kern County economic census
• Kern County economic summary
• Kern County employment growth
• Kern County unemployment rate
• California economic data

19% of Bakersfield residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Bakersfield
• Colleges in California
• Learning Disabilities Association in California
• Schools in or near Bakersfield
• School districts in or near Bakersfield
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of California high schools

• Movies & TV shows filmed in Bakersfield
• Movies playing in or near Bakersfield
• YouTube videos about Bakersfield

• Air pollution in Kern County
• Diesel soot in Kern County
• Land contamination in Kern County
• Nature Conservancy projects in California
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Recycling info for Kern County
• Toxic chemical releases in Kern County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in California

Bakersfield festival dates:

• Kern County Fair - Sept. 19-30, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Bakersfield festival web sites:

• Kern County Fair

• ePodunk festival listings
• California county fairs
• California festivals (California tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Bakersfield

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Bakersfield
• Geocaches in California

• Bakersfield items now on sale

• Bakersfield local government Web site
• Kern County government
• Kern Council of Governments
• California state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Bakersfield medical services & health statistics

• Kern County historical society
• Local historical societies in California
• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Bakersfield
• Historic sites in California
• Museums in or near Bakersfield
• Museums in California
• California state archives
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Kern County genealogy forum

Median rent in Bakersfield, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $470.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,115.

• Research Bakersfield Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Bakersfield
• Homes for sale in Bakersfield
• Find a Bakersfield Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check California mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Bakersfield area
• Job services in California
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Bakersfield include Baker Branch Library, Beale Memorial Library, Eleanor N Wilson Branch Library, Fire Department Branch Library, Holloway-Gonzales Branch Library, Northeast Branch Library, Rathbun Branch Library, Southwest Branch Library ... View libraries

• California library

• California statewide library catalog

• Get directions from Bakersfield
• Get directions to Bakersfield
• Census map of Bakersfield area
• Historic maps of CA cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of California
• Topographic map of Bakersfield

Newspapers in Bakersfield include Bakersfield Californian

TV stations in Bakersfield include K08MM, KBAK, KERO, KGET, KTFB-CA, KUVI.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by KPRX.

• Daily newspapers in or near Bakersfield
• AM radio stations in or near Bakersfield
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Bakersfield
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Bakersfield
• TV stations in or near Bakersfield
• Media ownership in the Bakersfield area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in California

• Military bases in California
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Bakersfield
• Search obituaries in California
• Recent death notices - selected CA newspapers

• Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in California
• Lions clubs in California
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Bakersfield
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Bakersfield

• Parks near Bakersfield
• National forests in California
• Ski areas near Bakersfield
• Ski areas in California
• State parks in California

• craigslist
• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Bakersfield

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Bakersfield
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of California communities
• Photo collection - California communities
• Photos of California places
• Post cards of California communities

Kern County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Bakersfield political report.

• California Democratic party
• California Republican party
• Kern County elections board
• California elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Bakersfield
• Total membership by faith, in Kern County

• Chowhound message boards for CA

The average commute time for Bakersfield workers is 22 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 72 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Bakersfield between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 2.9 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Bus schedules

• Bakersfield travel guide
• Airports near Bakersfield
• Amtrak station in Bakersfield
• Hotels near Bakersfield
• California tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• California coastal water temperatures
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in California
• Wildlife refuges in California

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