Bakersfield CA Moving Companies

Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield, California is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. The city is the 11th largest in California with a population of 338,952. This number continues to grow as more and more people are moving to Bakersfield to take advantage of the many opportunities it offers. The Southern Gateway to the Central Valley, Bakersfield is strategically located in the heart of world’s largest economies. Metropolitan Bakersfield covers a land area of 224 square miles and offers abundant, affordable land for expansion and growth. New residents moving to Bakersfield are attracted to its high quality of life. It is a place where cutting edge technology is blended with a rich history of agriculture and oil production. Bakersfield has the conveniences and advantages of a big city, yet it still manages to maintain an environment of small town hospitality, cooperation and optimism.

Economy:
The city’s economy thrives on agriculture and petroleum extraction and refinery. Bakersfield is the seat of Kern County, which generates 76 percent of the state’s oil production and ranks third among all counties in the United States in agriculture-related production.
Because of its affordable and convenient location, a number of corporations have moved to Bakersfield. Its readily available labor pool and office space were just what call centers like Pleasant Holidays and ACS Inc needed. Technology-based companies like DIVR Systems, Inc., ProSoft Technology, and Lortz Manufacturing have also settled in the area.

History:
The Yokuts Indians were the first inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley about 8,000 years ago. In 1776, the Spanish missionary Father Francisco Garcés became the first European to set foot in the area. Gold was discovered in the Kern River in 1851, and in 1865, oil was discovered in the valley.

The California Gold Rush brought Colonel Thomas Baker, a former Iowa militia member, to California. In 1863, he moved into the Kern Island area. He planted a field of alfalfa, for travelers to feed their tired and hungry horses. Word about this field soon spread across California. Newspapers as far away as San Francisco wrote about Baker’s Field and encouraged travelers to pay a visit.

Baker funded development of the growing out of his own pocket. He constructed sawmills, helped other settlers drain their land, and surveyed the land. At the founding ceremony in 1869, residents surprised Baker by naming the town Bakersfield, in his honor. With its population of 600 in 1870, it was considered as one of the principal towns in Kern County. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1873.

Tourism:
For a city of modest size, Bakersfield provides a good assortment of arts and cultural offerings.

Some of the most notable include the Rabobank Arena Theater and Convention Center, the McMurtrey Aquatics Center, and the Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. Bakersfield and the surrounding areas also provide the opportunity for a variety of outdoor activities such as auto racing, mountain biking, hiking and backpacking, fly fishing, white water rafting and many more.

Colleges/Universities:

• California State University, Bakersfield
• National University
• Bakersfield College
• San Joaquin Valley College
• Santa Barbara Business College

Interesting Facts:

• In the 1950s, local country musicians such as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart helped invent a rock and roll-influenced country music style called the Bakersfield sound.
• Dreyers Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc. just completed an expansion of its current Bakersfield operation into the largest single-location ice cream plant in the world.
• Bakersfield is home to the largest carrot-producing operations in the world, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms.

Helpful Links:

• Bakersfield Official Website