Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is the county seat of Kern County, California, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 247,057. The city's economy thrives on agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refining. It is one of the fastest growing of the larger cities of the United States. As of 2005 the population is estimated at 307,471 according to local municipal sources. It is California's third largest inland city after Fresno and Sacramento.

History

The Yokut Indians were the first people to settle in the San Joaquin Valley, some 8000 years ago. In 1776, the Spanish missionary Father Garces was the first European to reach the area. In 1851 gold was discovered in the Kern River, and in 1865 the first discovery of oil was made in the valley. Settlements grew up, and the place soon became known as "Colonel Baker's field", after one of the local settlers. When Colonel Baker was given the assignment of surveying a township in 1869, the town was given the official name of "Bakersfield".

Related Topics:
Yokut Indians - San Joaquin Valley - 1776 - Father Garces - 1851 - Kern River - 1865 - 1869

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The town continued to grow, and reached a population of about 300 by 1869, and 800 by 1871. Adversities such as the floods of 1867 and 1893, and the fires of 1889 and 1919, did not reverse this trend. On May 27 1898, the San Joaquin Valley Railroad arrived in Bakersfield, giving a great boost to population. Then, in the 1930s, the Dust Bowl brought a great influx of migrant workers from the Great Plains, taking work mostly in agriculture and the oil industry. In later years, farm work in the area has mostly been conducted by Mexican immigrants. In the 1960s, César Chávez led the fight to improve working conditions for migrant farm workers.

Related Topics:
1871 - 1889 - 1919 - May 27 - 1898 - San Joaquin Valley Railroad - 1930s - Dust Bowl - Great Plains - Mexican - 1960s - César Chávez

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The great earthquake of 1952 changed the appearance of Bakersfield, promoting the flat, sprawling style of building that dominates the city today.

Related Topics:
1952 - Sprawling

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In 1965, a university in the California State University system was founded in Bakersfield. California State University, Bakersfield today has some 7,700 students, with a special focus on business and administration.

Related Topics:
1965 - California State University - California State University, Bakersfield

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Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren was raised in Bakersfield, and would later go on to decide such cases as Brown v. Board of Education and the Miranda decision.

Related Topics:
Chief Justice - Earl Warren - Brown v. Board of Education - Miranda

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