About the Community

Population (2010)

Location

Located in Kern County (County Seat)

Economy

Bakersfield’s economy is centered on many diverse industries. Agriculture, healthcare, oil, government, and distribution are just a few of the many industries that contribute to one of the fastest growing economies and regions in the nation.

Taxes

State Sales Tax – 8.25 percent
City Sales Tax – none
Hotel Tax (city) – 12 percent
Hotel Tax (county) – 6 percent

Local Media

The Bakersfield area is served by four major local TV affiliates, one local daily newspaper, numerous FM and AM radio stations and many periodic magazines

Fun Facts

• 9th most populous city in California, 57th most populous city in U.S.
• Population increased 40% between 2000 and 2011.
• 125th largest television market and 77th largest radio market in the nation.
• Rated No. 9 on Inc. Magazine’s Top Medium-Sized Cities for Business, 2008.
• Large employers include Nestlé, Frito-Lay, State Farm, Aera Energy, Chevron, Occidental Oil & Gas.
• County seat of Kern County, 3rd largest county in California.
• Kern is the 4th largest agricultural producing county in U.S.
• County generates 76% of all oil produced in California.
• Within a four hour drive of 90% of California’s population.
• 54 city parks (494 acres), 1,379 miles of city streets, more than 100 miles of bike lanes and paths.
• Tree City USA designation 13 years in a row.
• Kern River Parkway includes 6,000+ acres of trails, parks, and waterways.
• 5,400 hotel rooms, from quaint to full-service.
• Central, affordable location attracts statewide and regional conventions.
• Bakersfield College (founded 1913) and CSU Bakersfield (founded 1970).
• Pro sports: ice hockey, baseball, auto racing and Basketball.
• Home to Bakersfield Jazz Festival since 1986
• Bakersfield was named after Colonel Thomas Baker, who settled in the Southern San Joaquin Valley in the middle 19th century. His “field” was known far and wide by travelers who used it as a stopping point during their travels.
• Bakersfield is the 9th fastest growing city in the United States with a population of over 100,000, and the fastest growing city in the United States with a population of over 250,000.

• Musicians Buck Owens and Merle Haggard lived in Bakersfield for much of their lives, pioneering the Bakersfield Sound.
• In 2005 Garth Brooks proposed to then girlfriend Trisha Yearwood on stage at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace. The proposal was televised to a national audience.
• In 2008 Inc.com ranked Bakersfield the No. 9 best mid size city in the nation to do business.
• Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace has been nominated for Nightclub of the Year nine times by the Academy of Country Music. The venue has won the award three times (1997, 2004, 2006).
• The Grammy award-winning band Korn formed in Bakersfield. The group sparked a genre of music known as nu-metal. The group has sold over 30 million albums and has a street dedicated to them in Bakersfield.
• An earthquake and sequent aftershock in 1952 caused severe damage to much of downtown Bakersfield.
• The area was rebuilt, but much of the original architecture and cultural landmarks were destroyed.
• Bakersfield is home to the largest carrot-producing operations in the world, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms.
• The Midway-Sunset oil field near Bakersfield is the largest in California.
• Bakersfield is home to the Bakersfield Business Conference. Starting in 1985, the conference drew notable speakers including: Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald
• Ford, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Neil Armstrong, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey.
• The historic Fox Theater in downtown Bakersfield opened on Christmas day in 1930. The theater has hosted many performances, including: B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Tim McGraw.
• Sam Lynn Ballpark is the only remaining professional baseball stadium in the United States facing west. Home game start times are often changed each month depending on the position of the sun at dusk.