Bakersfield is a city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is situated roughly half-way between Fresno and Los Angeles. The city's economy largely relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction and refining, and manufacturing.

It is California's third largest inland city, after Fresno and Sacramento. Bakersfield is located less than four driving hours from most of California's population, according to Bakersfield Convention & Visitiors Bureau Web site.

History

The Yokuts Indians were the first people to settle in the San Joaquin Valley about 8,000 years ago. In 1851, gold was discovered in the Kern River in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, and in 1865, oil was discovered in the valley.

The Bakersfield area was first known as Kern Island to the handful of pioneers who built log cabins in the area in 1860. At the founding ceremony in 1869, the town was named Bakersfield in honor of Colonel Thomas Baker. The California Gold Rush pulled him to California, he moved to the banks of the Kern River in 1863.