BlockBefore

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.

Kern City within Kern County

Then and now

1910 to 1981

The 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 sheet of Kern City, surveyed 1981
Topographic sheet of Kern City, surveyed 1910

Topographic sheets covering this place

14 surveys from 27 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

500 since 1996

Regional 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/undetermined345
Arson/incendiarism69
Equipment and vehicle use30
Misuse of fire by a minor25
Smoking16
Debris and open burning12
Natural2
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKern County Fire Departmentnot named
8 September 2020Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreKern County Fire Departmentnot named
8 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2006Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
30 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
3 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Kern County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Kern River PitSilicaPast Producer
County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Kern River Commun Use PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Kern River PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Thomas Construction Co. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Webster Sand Co. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Kern County

Storms near this place

9 since 2007

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2023FloodKern City$5,000California Highway Patrol reported a car crashed on northbound SR 99 just south of the California Ave. exchange after it hit standing water.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindKern City$1,000California Highway Patrol reported a tree was blown down during a thunderstorm near the intersection of SR 99 and Ming Ave in Bakersfield.
February 2024FloodKern City-California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on SR 99 near the Ming Ave. exchange.
February 2024FloodKern City-California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding at the intersection of SR 58 and south H St.
October 2021FloodKern 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 2021FloodKern City-California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on the southbound lanes of SR 99 near the SR 58 intersection.
January 2019FloodKern City-Public report of roadway flooding on F St. in Bakersfield.
September 2017Debris FlowKern 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 2007HailKern City-TV meteorologist reported penny sized hail.

Every storm recorded in Kern County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Quailwood0.5 miles27
Olde Stockdale0.8 miles27
Old Stine1.4 miles27
Jastro1.6 miles33
Landco1.9 miles33
Fruitvale2.1 miles33
Benton Park2.4 miles27
Greenacres2.8 miles33

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.