Bakersfield Travel Information
It was gold, black gold, that brought settlers in droves to the dry, dusty spot where Bakersfield, (pop. 330,000) now sprawls. In addition to its oily roots, Bakersfield boasts a heritage parts honky-tonk and agriculture, the last major stop the north side of the Grapevine, a stretch of highway that climbs up and over the Tehachapi Mountains into Southern California proper. Venture away from the chain stores and fast food
restaurants lining Interstate 5, and you’ll find a surprisingly
old-fashioned community. Just two hours away from glitzy Los Angeles,
Bakersfield is
a town of stock car races and downtown murals, honky-tonk bars and
working farmers. The rolling farms and countless oil deckers
surrounding Bakersfield indicate its two biggest industries, but
another is less visually obvious: a brand of country music that has
become known as “the Bakersfield sound." Live bands perform at local
bars nightly, and big names in the twangy sub-genre frequently come to
play. The tradition began when Midwesterners arrived in the area
during the Great Depression. Other outsiders have brought their
traditions here as well: a number of Italian and Basque restaurants
offer down-home cuisine. There is also a growing segment of
Bakersfield’s population that moved here to enjoy the surroundings. An
hour
away is the southern flank of the Sierra Nevadas, California’s most
famous mountain range, and fishing and rafting on the nearby Kern
River is also a popular pastime. Bakersfield is located in southern
California, about 100 miles north of the Los Angeles area.
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