Bakersfield, California
27 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1910 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Bakersfield census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93301. The Survey maps it on the Gosford quadrangle. 403,455 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 404 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Then and now
1910 to 1981The same ground, surveyed 71 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Bakersfield
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 8 records
Walker PassNational Historic Landmark · listed 1966
Bakersfield California Buildinglisted 1983
First Baptist Churchlisted 1979
Jastro Buildinglisted 1983
Kern Branch, Beale Memorial Librarylisted 1981
Tevis Blocklisted 1984
Weedpatch Camplisted 1996- Woman's Club of Bakersfieldlisted 2022
Population over time
2 figuresBakersfield grew from 347,483 to 403,455 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 347,483 | |
| 2020 | 403,455 | +55,972 (+16%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 27 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1910 USGS Buena Vista Lake quadrangle1:125000
- 1912 USGS Buena Vista Lake quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1932 USGS Gosford quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1942 USGS Bakersfield West quadrangle1:62500
- 1948 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Gosford quadrangle1:24000
- 1954 USGS Gosford quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1966 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Gosford quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Taft quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
729 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 729 fires within 5 miles of Bakersfield between 1996 and 2020, burning about 895 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 117 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 486 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 117 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 55 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 37 |
| Smoking | 18 |
| Debris and open burning | 11 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 9 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 8 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 8 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 8 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 7 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 7 September 2009 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 7 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Bakersfield: 8 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Silica, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Grade Flats | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Griffith Construction Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Kern River Pit | Silica | Past Producer | ||
| Klondike Group | Gold | Producer | ||
| County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Kern River Commun Use Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Kern River Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Thomas Construction Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Webster Sand Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
48 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bakersfield in 48 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 14 flood, 11 heavy rain, 5 hail, 4 wildfire. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1997 | Wildfire | Bakersfield | 1 hurt, $400,000 | Two homes destroyed and 4000 acres of grassland were burned. |
| May 1998 | Lightning | Bakersfield | 1 hurt | While on the phone an office manager was mildly electrocuted due to a nearby lightning strike and the resulting electrical surge through the phone line. |
| January 2011 | Flood | Bakersfield | $12,700,000 | Kern County estimated damage from the storms of December 17th to January 2nd at 12.7 million dollars. |
| February 1998 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | $12,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Wildfire | Bakersfield | $565,000 | The Democrat Wildfire was ignited by unknown cause and burned 550 acres before being contained with no fatalities or structures lost. The cost to contain was $565K. |
| May 1998 | Flash Flood | Bakersfield | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Flood | Bakersfield | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Wildfire | Bakersfield | $110,000 | The Rocky Fire originated from unknown causes and burned 498 acres. No structures were lost nor were there any fatalities or injuries. |
| May 1998 | Flood | Bakersfield | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Wildfire | Bakersfield | $55,000 | The Shallock Fire was of human origin and burned about 564 acres before containment. No structure was lost nor were injuries or fatalities reported. |
| February 2010 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | $50,000 | Local media reported 1 foot deep water due to heavy rainfall at Airport Dr just north of State Rd. Three vehicles encountered the deep water and become stuck. Street flooding also reported on Fairfax Rd at Brundage Ave. |
| March 1997 | Lightning | Bakersfield | $50,000 | no account filed |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bakersfield | $35,000 | A large tree was uprooted and totaled a car due to thunderstorm winds. Location was at Jenkins and Rosedale. |
| November 2002 | Flood | Bakersfield | $23,000 | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Bakersfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Flood | Bakersfield | $6,000 | California highway patrol reported flooding on Michelle Avenue at Shawn Street. |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Bakersfield | $3,000 | With strong gradient wind and some convective activity, a cold air funnel touched down briefly in Southeast Bakersfield near Pacheco Road and Kaiser Court. A few small trees were downed along with damage to a small shed. |
| February 2023 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | California Highway Patrol reported all lanes of eastbound SR 178 at Union Ave in Bakersfield were flooded. Several vehicles hydroplaned. |
| January 2018 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | Pictures indicating roadway flooding in downtown Bakersfield near the intersection on Union Ave. and Truxton Ave. were received on Facebook and Twitter. |
| January 2018 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | Pictures indicating roadway flooding on 23rd St. in downtown Bakersfield were received on Facebook and Twitter. |
| January 2018 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | Pictures indicating the courthouse parking lot in Bakersfield was flooded were received on Facebook and Twitter. |
| January 2015 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | Rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch in 24 hours over the Kern county produced ponding of water/flooding on roadways in the south end of the San Joaquin Valley, in and south of Bakersfield. The flooded areas included part of Highway 99 between Rosedale Highway and Olive Drive in Bakersfield and Highway 119 near Buena Vista. |
| February 2015 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | Rainfall amounts of 0.4 to 0.85 inches reported across the City of Bakersfield, including 0.52 inches at Meadows Field Airport. Rainfall resulted in ponding of water on roadways. |
| November 2014 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | Roadway flooding due to heavy rain. Estimated rainfall 0.75 inches. |
| October 2014 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | Roadway flooding due to heavy rain. Estimated rainfall 0.75 inches. |
| November 2013 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | Law enforcement reported flooding at Tulare St and Columbus St. |
| November 2013 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | Downtown Bakersfield had heavy rain with a total of 0.45 inches reported by local media outlets. |
| October 2004 | Funnel Cloud | Bakersfield | - | Several spotter reports seem to indicate a funnel cloud passed over Bakersfield from the WNW early in the afternoon of the 20th. |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Bakersfield | - | Spotter reports confirmed radar imagery that thunderstorm activity, from the Mexican Monsoon, brought very heavy rain to areas north of Bakersfield in the foothills on the western face of the Southern Sierra Nevada. Drainage ditches all filled on mountain roads with creeks rapidly rising to full. Rainfall rates reached 1.5-2.0"/hour in the area approximately 10 miles north of Bakersfield to 23 miles east of Delano in Kern County. In the 24 hour period ending at 5 PM PDT on the 6th, Valley floor rain amounts included 0.07" at Madera, Visalia 0.01", Porterville 0.08", with an unofficial report of up to 2" of rain between 1530-1700 PDT 10 miles north of Bakersfield to the Tulare County line. |
| January 1999 | Funnel Cloud | Bakersfield | - | Trained spotter reported two funnels at this location. |
| April 1998 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | While rains have stopped and temperatures climbed to near normal for a period in late April, the winter and spring's above normal rainfall/snowfall is resulting in not only rainfall runoff, some snowmelt contributions, but "springing" into the South Valley stream group of Caliente, Tejoh, sycomore, El Paso, and San Emigdio Creeks at the rate of 120CFS. Damage was sustained on roads and property with water collecting in low-lying areas, such as the ancient Kern Lake bed. As of late April 2,000 acres of farmland was under water in the South San Joaquin Valley in the area southeast of Bakersfield. As of April 27th the snowpack water content in the Southern Sierra Nevada was 190% of normal. From the Kern County Ag Commissioner's Office, data indicates that 75,000 to 100,000 acres of cotton may not be planted in Kern County due to the wet and cool field conditions. |
| February 1998 | Flash Flood | Bakersfield | - | Heavy rainfall led to runoff and water over State Highway 166...a road typically affected by this type of runoff scenario. |
| March 1998 | Hail | Bakersfield | - | As reported by California Highway Patrol between Laval Road and the scales on Interstate-5 at the base of the grapevine. 40-50 cars pulled over to wait for the storm to diminish. |
| December 1995 | Hail | East Bakersfield | - | The SVR issued based on radar information, as previously described, for the period from 1519 PST until 1600 PST did provide some lead time. Additional one-inch hail was reported at 1530 PST in East Bakersfield by Kern County Emergency Management to NWSO San Joaquin Valley. |
| March 2005 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| December 2005 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| December 2003 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| March 2001 | Lightning | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| March 2001 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| November 2001 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | High Wind | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Lightning | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Heavy Rain | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Flood | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Hail | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| November 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Hail | Bakersfield | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Park | 1.9 miles | 27 | |
| Kern | 2.0 miles | 34 | |
| Kayandee | 2.2 miles | 29 | |
| La Cresta | 2.3 miles | 34 | |
| Landco | 2.3 miles | 33 | |
| Old Stine | 2.3 miles | 27 | |
| East Bakersfield | 2.4 miles | 34 | |
| Casa Loma | 2.5 miles | 29 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Bakersfield | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q49256 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1652668. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.













