Bakersfield Population
Bakersfield is a city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in California. It is California’s 9th largest city in population and 49th largest in the United States. It is also the county seat for Kern County. The total Bakersfield inner urban area, which includes East Bakersfield and Rosedale, has a population of about 464,000.
Bakersfield Real Estate
Bakersfield homes are relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the state and housing remains affordable to the majority of the population. Prestige Properties expertise is the luxury home market in Bakersfield. Some of these developments include: Seven Oaks, Brighton Estates, Brimhall Classics, Masterpiece Estates, Landmark Estates, Blackwood Estates, Old Stockdale, Stockdale Estates, Rio Bravo, Bakersfield Country Club, and Talladega among others. Bakersfield has been known for being a fast-growing city and has seen its population more than triple over nearly 30 years from about 105,000 in 1980 to 347,000 in 2010. In Oct. 2013, Bakersfield was found to be the number 2 city for real estate investment. The average home cost in 2022 was 391,000.00.
Bakersfield Area
Bakersfield is nestled between the Sequoia National Forest and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Approximately 1 and 1/2 hours north of Los Angeles, 4 hrs south of San Francisco, and 4 hours west of Las Vegas, the Bakersfield area is home to several outdoor activities including whitewater rafting, off highway vehicle riding, and hiking. Bakersfield is also known for its many sporting enthusiasts. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 143.6 sq miles.
Bakersfield Economy
There are three distinct geographic regions that account for Bakersfield’s economic prosperity: the fertile and oil-rich valley, the mountain ranges, and the high-tech aerospace testing in the desert.
Kern County is the largest oil-producing county in the United States and the temperature, climate and fertile land give it a distinct agricultural advantage, ranking the county as one of the nation’s leaders in agriculture. The agricultural and oil economy now is being enhanced with many regional, national and international corporate headquarters.
The Naval Weapons Center, China Lake and the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base are the vanguard of our nation’s defense research.
Bakersfield Industry
Five hundred manufacturing and processing firms have plants in the greater Bakersfield area. Leading industries are Petroleum, Food and Kindred products, Metal Fabrication, Chemicals, Textile Products and Stone and Clay Products. The city is also home to the largest carrot-producing operation in the world: Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms, and one of the nation’s largest and oldest farming co-ops was founded in Bakersfield (1927): the California Cotton Cooperative Association (CalCot). Other crops harvested in Bakersfield include table grapes, almonds, pistachios, citrus fruits, wheat, garlic, and potatoes. There are also a great opportunity for engineers, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers that seem to have an insatiable appetite for these professions. Some of the largest employers are the county, city, hospitals and healthcare clinics, universities/colleges, Chevron, Paramount Farms, and a number of farming operators.
Bakersfield Climate
Bakersfield has a desert climate with long, hot, dry summers, and brief, cool, moist (but not wet) winters. Bakersfield enjoys long-lasting, mild autumns, and warm springs, giving the region a unique climate suitable for growing a wide variety of crops. Rainfall averages are minimal and most rain falls during winter and spring. Typically, no rain falls from May through September which making swimming pools and water parks very popular for the many families located in Bakersfield. Summers have extended stretches of hot weather, with an average of 108 days per year above 90 F. Winters feature mild daytime temperatures, but frost is occasionally see, often coming with dense tule fog and low visibility.
Bakersfield Schools
Bakersfield takes great pride in the various educational programs available. Click here for the most recent Bakersfield school API scores. If you are concerned about what district your child would be in, please call Prestige Properties for an in-depth consultation on the available schools and where the district boundaries are located.
There are 172 K-12 schools in Bakersfield, CA, including 143 public schools and 29 private schools. Bakersfield public schools belong to seventeen districts, Bakersfield City School District, Beardsley Elementary School District, Edison Elementary School District, Fairfax Elementary School District, Fruitvale Elementary School District, General Shafter Elementary School District, Greenfield Union Elementary School District, Kern County Office of Education School District, Kern High Roc School District, Kern Union High School District, Lakeside Union School District, Norris Elementary School District, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, Rio Bravo-Greeley Union Elementary School District, Rosedale Union Elementary School District, Standard Elementary School District and Vineland Elementary School District. There are 128 Bakersfield elementary schools, 65 Bakersfield middle schools, 15 Bakersfield high schools and 106 Bakersfield preschool schools.
California State University, Bakersfield is a public university offering 31 bachelor’s and 22 master degree programs with an enrollment close to 9,000 students. Centrally located on a 375-acre site in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California State University, Bakersfield is a continuously growing comprehensive regional university that is committed to transforming the lives of its students and community through its established excellence in academia, diversity, service, and community engagement since its founding in 1965. The faculty across the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) fully accredited University is world-class, with nearly 75% holding terminal degrees in their respective fields. A NCAA Division I school, CSUB has competed successfully in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) since 2012 and is but one important aspect of a growing and vibrant student-life experience.
Bakersfield College was founded in 1913 and is one of the nation’s oldest continually-operating community colleges.
The college serves 15,000 students on the 153-acre main campus in northeast Bakersfield, at the Weill Institute in downtown Bakersfield, and at the Delano Center 35 miles north of Bakersfield.
Classes are offered on a traditional 16-week semester calendar as well as in a variety of non-traditional scheduling options: evenings, weekends, short-term vocational programs and online.
Bakersfield Shopping
Outlets: The Outlets at Tejon is California’s newest and most exciting retail outlet destination, with upscale designer fashion and home good brands at incredible everyday savings. Located at the junction of Interstate 5 and State Highway 99, between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, this vibrant new outlet center is the perfect stop to add to your travel itinerary.
The Outlets at Tejon is on the main route from Southern California to the Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and other destinations in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. From San Francisco, the Outlets at Tejon is on the direct route to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Death Valley and San Diego
In city shopping….. Bakersfield is also home to one of California’s largest 1 story inside malls (Valley Plaza) and several other outside malls such as the Marketplace featuring boutique and national chain brand retailers with many to choose from.
Bakersfield Entertainment
Bakersfield has several different entertainment venues. Rabobank Arena, Theater and Convention Center is Bakersfield’s home for live entertainment! Home of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors and the NCAA D-I CSUB Roadrunner men’s basketball team, Rabobank Arena, Theater and Convention Center hosts concerts, family shows, community activities and many other events throughout the year. The complex is owned by the City of Bakersfield. The Fox Theater and the Crystal Palace are also a great venue for several nationally known headline acts.
Bakersfield also has several locally owned and operated music theaters which showcase local talent. For nearly 80 years the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra has provided the Bakersfield with the finest in symphony performances.
Some notable hometown celebrities and entertainers include: Frank Gifford, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, NASCAR’S Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears, Rick Mears, Rock bands Adema and Korn, along with several professional athletes.
Bakersfield Transportation
Highways servicing Bakersfield include State Route 99 going north to south, State Route 58 leading east to Tehachapi, Mojave, and Barstow. State Route 178 is a smaller segment leading to the east also. Interstate 5, one of California’s major roadway arteries, bypasses the city a few miles to the west. Bakersfield is also served by a citywide bus system that will get patrons to most major areas in town.
Bakersfield Rail
For freight, Bakersfield is served directly by two class-1 railroads, Union Pacific, and BNSF. North of the city, each railroad uses its own rail lines; south of the city, they share a line owned by Union Pacific. The route travels over Tehachapi Pass (and through the Tehachapi Loop). There are several spur lines in and around Bakersfield. The majority are operated by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, owned by Rail America
Passenger service is provided by the San Joaquin Route, operated by Amtrak California. The Bakersfield Amtrak Station is located downtown, at the intersection of S Street and Truxtun Avenue. The city is the southern terminus of the route. There are five Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach routes, which connect passengers to destination west, south, and east. Kern Regional Transit also uses the station as one of its hubs, connecting passengers to regions throughout Kern County Bakersfield is a planned station for the proposed California High-Speed Rail system
Bakersfield Airports
Meadows Field Airport is owned by the County of Kern and is one of seven airports operated by the Department of Airports. “BFL” serves more than 700,000 people in or near the Southern San Joaquin Valley. It has several direct flights to major airports and connections to other airports connecting Bakersfield to the world.
On February 27th, 2006, the new William M. Thomas Passenger Terminal was opened. The terminal is located approximately 7 miles north of downtown Bakersfield. Highway 99 and Seventh Standard Road provide the most direct access to the passenger terminal. The airport is approximately 1,400 acres in size. The passenger terminal is open from 4:30 am to 1:30 am daily. The airport is served by an FAA air traffic control tower from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm daily. The airport is certified under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139 which governs land-based airport operations.