Kern City, 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 93309. The Survey maps it on the Gosford quadrangle.
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.


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
500 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 500 fires within 5 miles of Kern City between 1996 and 2020, burning about 403 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 69 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 | 345 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 69 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 30 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 25 |
| Smoking | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Natural | 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 |
| 8 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | 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 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 7 September 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 30 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 3 September 2018 | 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
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Kern City: 6 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silica. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern River Pit | Silica | Past 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
9 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Kern City in 9 storm reports between 2007 and 2024: 6 flood, 1 hail, 1 debris flow, 1 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 | Flood | Kern City | $5,000 | California Highway Patrol reported a car crashed on northbound SR 99 just south of the California Ave. exchange after it hit standing water. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kern City | $1,000 | California Highway Patrol reported a tree was blown down during a thunderstorm near the intersection of SR 99 and Ming Ave in Bakersfield. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Kern City | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on SR 99 near the Ming Ave. exchange. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Kern City | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding at the intersection of SR 58 and south H St. |
| October 2021 | Flood | Kern City | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding near the intersection of Baldwin Rd. and La France Dr. in Bakersfield. Vehicles were not able to drive through the intersection. |
| December 2021 | Flood | Kern City | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on the southbound lanes of SR 99 near the SR 58 intersection. |
| January 2019 | Flood | Kern City | - | Public report of roadway flooding on F St. in Bakersfield. |
| September 2017 | Debris Flow | Kern City | - | California Highway Patrol reported a mud slide in the right lane of State Route 99 at Ming Ave. to State Route 58 in Bakersfield. |
| October 2007 | Hail | Kern City | - | TV meteorologist reported penny sized hail. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quailwood | 0.5 miles | 27 | |
| Olde Stockdale | 0.8 miles | 27 | |
| Old Stine | 1.4 miles | 27 | |
| Jastro | 1.6 miles | 33 | |
| Landco | 1.9 miles | 33 | |
| Fruitvale | 2.1 miles | 33 | |
| Benton Park | 2.4 miles | 27 | |
| Greenacres | 2.8 miles | 33 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 244265. 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.













