Bakersfield, California has a wide variety of districts and neighborhoods. Generally, its citizens refer to the city by regions, named after directions (for example, the northeast, the northwest, and the southwest). These regions are further broken down into individual neighborhoods and districts (for example, Stockdale and Seven Oaks are part of the Southwest).
The origins of neighborhood names vary greatly. Some are named after a nearby facility, such as Stockdale which is named after the Stockdale Country Club. [1] Some are named after previous communities which have been incorporated into Bakersfield. For example, Old Town Kern is named after the former Kern City. However, most come from developers, either named directly (such as Riverlakes Ranch), or after a large named development (such as Seven Oaks).
Central Bakersfield refers to the area in the center of Bakersfield. Starting north and traveling clockwise, it is bounded by Golden State Avenue, Union Avenue, State Route 58, and State Route 99. Central Bakersfield includes the civic center, the Arts District, the Lowell Community, and the Oleander Community. It contains the oldest portions of the city; Downtown, Bakersfield's central business district is located there. It also houses Chester Market, Lowell Place Senior Center, the Kern County Museum, and the Kern County Chamber of Commerce. Downtown is considered by many as the area bounded by 24th Street, Union Ave, California Ave, and F Street.
North Bakersfield refers to the area north of Bakersfield, between California State Route 99 and the Kern River. Currently, it is the only region in which no part is incorporated into Bakersfield. The town of Oildale is located there. It also contains Bakersfield's commercial airport, Meadows Field. Because of the region's close proximity to the freeway network (State Route 99), railroad mainline (Union Pacific), and air travel (Meadows Field), it is rapidly becoming the center of Bakersfield's distribution industry. [2]
Northeast Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Northeast) refers to the area northeast of Bakersfield. Because of East Bakersfield's (see below) boundaries, the Northeast wraps around the region. As a result, there is not as much of a consensus as to its boundaries, compared to other regions. However, the common boundaries, starting at the southwest and traveling clockwise are: Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alfred Harrell Highway, State Route 178, State Route 184 (Kern Canyon Road), and Edison Highway.
Although development started in the 1950s, much of the region is rural. [3] This is also the only region to be located on rolling hills. Bakersfield College, built in 1956, is located here. Some of the oldest development in this area is located along Panorama Drive and Niles Street. Panorama Drive runs along the bluffs and overlooks the Kern River Oil Field. Alfred Harrell Highway serves the Kern River County Park, a 1,014-acre (4.10 km2) recreation area which contains: Hart Memorial Park, California Living Museum (CALM), Lake Ming, and the Kern River Golf Course. The Northeast also contains the Rio Bravo Country Club and the Bakersfield Country Club.
East Bakersfield refers to Kern City (originally known as the town of Sumner), which was later annexed by Bakersfield. Starting at the northwest and traveling clockwise, the region is bounded by Bernard Street, Mount Vernon Avenue, East California Avenue, and Union Avenue. Because the town was created by Southern Pacific, the streets are laid out parallel to their railroad tracks, which are about 45 degrees off from the rest of the city. This makes East Bakersfield one of the easiest regions to identify on a map. Additionally, because it was a city prior to annexation, East Bakersfield has its own central business district (known as Old Town Kern) centered around the intersection of Baker Street and Sumner Avenue.
Southeast Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Southeast) refers to the area in southeast Bakersfield, between Union Avenue, East California Avenue, and Edison Highway. The Southeast includes the M.L.K. Community, Jastro Avenue & Mcnew Court, and the Cottonwood Community, which consists of Reece & Cheatum, Casa Loma Drive, Madison & Adams, Watt's & Lotus, and the East Planz Road & Madison area. The Southeast also contains three parks: Casa Loma Park, Bell Terrace Park, and Rexland Park. It also includes Casa Loma Elementary, the Career Services Center, and the town of Delkern (most commonly referred to as the Rexland Park Area, or east Greenfield). It is one of Bakersfield's least developed regions. It is primarily industrial, but it also contains residential areas. State Route 58 travels through the region and is the main link between Bakersfield and all southeast points, including Tehachapi, Mojave, and Barstow.
South Bakersfield refers to the area south of State Route 58 that sits between South Union Avenue and Wible Road. This portion of town is primarily residential, although there are some commercial areas. It includes Planz Park, Wilson Park, the Eleanor Wilson Library, and South High School. Major attractions include the Kern County Fairgrounds and the Valley Plaza Mall, although some people consider the mall part of the southwest. South Bakersfield also includes the town of Greenfield. Historically a rural community, this part of the city has grown as far south as Taft Highway.
Southwest Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Southwest) refers to the area between the Kern River/Stockdale Highway and Wible Road. The Southwest contains a mixture of residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The Southwest is home to the Park at River Walk, as well as the Marketplace, a major retail shopping center. It is also home to California State University, Bakersfield.
Northwest Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Northwest) refers to the area northwest of central Bakersfield, between the Kern River/Stockdale Highway and State Route 99. Historically a rural area, it saw major development in the mid-1990s that continues to this day. The towns of Fruitvale, Rosedale, and Greenacres used to be isolated, but are now bordered by the city limits. A major retail center is the Northwest Promenade.
Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield.
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the original routes of the Interstate Highway System; its final segment was opened in 1986. The second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States after I-90, it runs through many major cities, including Oakland, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Des Moines, and Toledo and passes within 10 miles (16 km) of Chicago, Cleveland, and New York City.
Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about 151 sq mi (390 km2) near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region.
State Route 58 is a major east-west state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs across the Coast Ranges, the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. It runs between U.S. Route 101 near Santa Margarita and Interstate 15 in Barstow. It has junctions with Interstate 5 near Buttonwillow, State Route 99 in Bakersfield, State Route 202 in Tehachapi, State Route 14 near Mojave, and U.S. Route 395 at Kramer Junction. SR 58 also provides access to Edwards Air Force Base. At various points it is known as the Calf Canyon Highway, Carrisa Highway, Bakersfield-McKittrick Highway, Rosa Parks Highway, Westside Parkway, Barstow-Bakersfield Highway, Bakersfield Tehachapi Highway, Kern County Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, and Mojave-Barstow Highway.
The Schuylkill Expressway, locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a freeway through southern Montgomery County and Philadelphia. It is the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 (I-76) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It extends from the Valley Forge interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in King of Prussia, paralleling its namesake Schuylkill River for most of the route, southeast to the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River in South Philadelphia. It serves as the primary corridor into Philadelphia from points west. Maintenance and planning for most of the highway are administered through Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 6, with the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) maintaining the approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Pennsylvania Route 26 is a 125.5-mile (202.0 km) highway in the south-central area of Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at PA 150 northwest of Howard; its southern terminus is at the Maryland state line near Barnes Gap in Union Township. Two major destinations along this route are Raystown Lake near Huntingdon and the Pennsylvania State University at State College.
State Route 184, locally known as Weedpatch Highway, is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. Located in Kern County, it runs from the intersection of SR 223 and Wheeler Ridge Road near Arvin north to SR 178 in Bakersfield. It is mainly a 2-lane conventional highway, expanding to four lanes in Lamont and Bakersfield. The highway serves local agricultural land south of Bakersfield.
State Route 178 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that exists in two constructed segments. The gap in between segments is connected by various local roads and State Route 190 through Death Valley National Park. The western segment runs from State Route 99 in Bakersfield and over the Walker Pass in the Sierra Nevada to the turnoff for the Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark. The eastern segment runs from the southeasterly part of Death Valley to Nevada State Route 372 at the Nevada state line.
South Dakota Highway 20 (SD 20) is a 385.079-mile (619.725 km) state highway in northern South Dakota, United States, that connects the Montana state line, west-southwest of Camp Crook, with the Minnesota state line, east-southeast of Revillo, via Buffalo, Bison, Timber Lake, Mobridge, Selby, and Watertown. From Mobridge to the Walworth–Potter county line, this highway is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. From about Timber Lake to just west of Mobridge, this highway is part of the Native American Scenic Byway. From the Montana state line to Camp Crook, the highway is a dirt road.
The Gladenbach Uplands, named after their central town of Gladenbach, is a range of hills up to 609 m high in the Rhine Massif in Germany, on the junction of the Rothaar Mountains, Westerwald (southwest), (Eastern) Hintertaunus and West Hesse Highlands in the east. It lies in Central Hesse within the districts of Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill and Gießen within the so-called Lahn-Dill-(Dietzhölze-) loop. Small parts of the Upper Lahn Valley in the northwest belong, together with the town of Bad Laasphe, also to the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Golden Empire Transit is the operator of mass transportation in Bakersfield, California. There are 16 routes serving Greater Bakersfield, which includes both the City of Bakersfield and adjacent unincorporated communities. Since 2005, almost the entire bus fleet has been powered by compressed natural gas. In 2021, 5 hydrogen buses were added to the fleet, with an additional 5 planned for purchase in the future. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,531,400, or about 11,800 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
Kern Transit, formerly Kern Regional Transit, is the operator of mass transportation in Kern County, California. Primarily, it provides inter-regional transportation, connecting outlying regions with the city of Bakersfield. It also provides inter-city transportation within specific regions. Kern (Regional) Transit is operated by the Kern County Department of Roads. The agency was founded in 1981. Its headquarters are located in Bakersfield.
Kern County’s transportation system was quoted as the “unseen industry.” Located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, the county is at a prime location to ship goods west to the central coast, south to ports in Los Angeles, and east to corridors that connect to the rest of the country. It is also on major corridors that link to all northern points.
Downtown is the central business district for Bakersfield, California. It contains several of the city's major theaters, sports complex, museums, and historical landmarks.
Southwest Bakersfield is the southwest region of Bakersfield, California. It is roughly bounded by the Kern River to the north and Oak Street/Wible Road to the east. The other boundaries are the city limits themselves.
Northeast Bakersfield is the northeast region of Bakersfield, California. It is roughly bounded by Panorama Drive and the Kern River to the north, Alfred Harrell Highway/Comanche Drive to the east, Edison Highway to the south, and Union Avenue to the west. The region of East Bakersfield is located within these boundaries but is usually not considered part of the Northeast. Instead, the Northeast wraps around the boundaries of East Bakersfield. Other boundaries are the city limits.
Northwest Bakersfield is the northwest region of Bakersfield, California. It is bounded by the Kern River/Stockdale Highway to the south and State Route 99 to the east. The other boundaries are the city limits themselves.
The Buckskin Mountains is a mountain range in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. The range lies just east of the north–south Colorado River, and borders south of the east–west, west-flowing Bill Williams River.
The Poachie Range is a moderate length mountain range and massif in southeast Mohave County, Arizona, and the extreme southwest corner of Yavapai County; the range also abuts the northeast corner of La Paz County. The Poachie Range massif is bordered by the south-flowing Big Sandy River on its west, and the west-flowing Santa Maria River on its south; both rivers converge at the Poachie Range's southwest at Alamo Lake in Alamo Lake State Park.
Hart Memorial Park is a large public park in Kern County, California. It is located just north of Bakersfield. The park is 370 acres (150 ha), and contains two lakes and three canals. It was named after County Supervisor John Hart, who spearheaded the project. Constructed between 1921 and 1936, it is the oldest section of the Kern River County Park.