Bakersfield is a city at
the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California,
United States. It is located roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los
Angeles, 110 mi (180 km) to the north and south respectively. Bakersfield
is the 11th fastest growing city in California.
The
Bakersfield Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has a population of 800,458
making it the 64th largest metropolitan area in the country. It is California's
third largest inland city, after Fresno and Sacramento. The city's economy
relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction and refining, and manufacturing.
Bakersfield lies near the
southern "horseshoe" end of the San Joaquin Valley, with the southern tip
of the Sierra Nevada 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 is the Temblor Range, which features
the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the San Andreas Fault, approximately
35 miles (56 km) across the valley floor.
Many of Bakersfield's oldest
and most historic restaurants are Basque, including Woolgrowers, Maitia's,
Noriega's, Pyrenees, Benji's, and Narducci'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 extracted;
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.
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