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More About Bakersfield, CA
Where is Bakersfield?
Bakersfield is located in Kern County in south central
California, on the Kern River at the southern end of the San Joaquin
Valley. It lies along Highway 99 and 58, between Fresno and Los
Angeles.
Bakersfield was settled in 1858 by a
handful of families who had trekked northward through the El Tejon
Pass seeking home sites rather than gold. The town was named
by an early settler, Colonel Thomas Baker, who invited the weary
travelers through the valley to rest overnight. These
travelers would plan in advance to meet and rest in "Colonel Baker's
field." Baker formally laid out the town in 1869, and within
two years the city had a telegraph office, two stores, a newspaper,
two boarding houses, one doctor, a wagon shop, a harness shop, one
attorney, a saloon, and fifty school pupils. The Bakersfield
Centennial Garden and Convention Center rests on part of the
original Colonel Baker's field as well as the Centennial Plaza
community park.
Growth was spurred with the railroad's
arrival in 1874 and development of the Kern River farm irrigation
system.
The City of
Bakersfield was first incorporated in 1873, and in the same year,
the County seat was moved from the booming little town of Havilah to
Bakersfield. Three years later, the town decided to
disincorporate. It was not until 1898 that the community
incorporated again. The 1910, the City of Kern, formerly the
Town of Sumner (East Bakersfield), annexed to the City of
Bakersfield.
In 1915, the citizens of the City of
Bakersfield adopted a charter calling for the city to operate under
the council-manager form of government. This charter provides
that the governing body of the city shall be the city council
composed of seven members, one to be elected from each of the seven
wards of the city for four years, overlapping terms, with a mayor
elected from the council. In 1957, the charter was amended to
elect a mayor at large.
Bakersfield was one
of the first cities in the United States to adopt the
council-manager form of government. This type of government
provides that the city council adopts ordinances; appoints members
of various committees, boards, and commissions; and establishes
general policies for the city. Final determination of all city
policies rests with the seven members of the city council. The
council also appoints a city manager to implement council policies.
The changes have been
many since Colonel Baker's time, but Bakersfield still retains the
hospitality originally extended by the Colonel. The City of
Bakersfield now boasts a population of over 297,000 people (the 13th
largest city in California) and covers more than 110 square miles.
With its big city
conveniences and advantages, Bakersfield still manages to maintain
an atmosphere of small town hospitality, friendship, cooperation,
compassion, and optimism. In 1990, the citizens of Bakersfield
received the National Civic League's stamp of approval through the
designation of an "All-America City" for proactively dealing with
the needs of its citizens. Hallmarks of the Bakersfield
community continue to be a high quality of life, a strong family
orientation, and the fact that people care.
Today Bakersfield, is a commercial, manufacturing and
distribution hub of an agricultural and petroleum-extraction area.
Points of interest include the Kern County Museum, comprising more
than 60 recreated or restored early structures; and nearby
California Living Museum, featuring a zoo, natural history museum
and botanical garden. Country singer Merle Haggard was born here.
Fun Facts:
City motto - "Bakersfield, The Heart of
the Golden State"
City flower - the Miss Bakersfield
Camellia
City bird - the Western Robin
City colors -
blue and gold
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