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Bakersfield| City in south-central California, USA, 115 km/71 mi northeast of Santa Barbara and 175 km/109 mi north of Los Angeles, situated on the Kern River at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley; the seat of Kern County; population (2000) 243,100. Local industries include petroleum products, textiles and food processing. Oil was first discovered here in 1899. |
| Bakersfield is the commercial hub for the surrounding agricultural and petroleum-producing district (much of California's oil production comes from Bakersfield county and other parts of the San Joaquin Valley). |
History Bakersfield was founded in 1869 by Colonel Thomas Baker, and incorporated as a city in 1898. It was originally an agricultural centre for the nearby Sierra Nevada mines, but it developed rapidly with the advent of the railroads and the discovery of oil. Gold was discovered here in 1855. |
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