History
Bakersfield also known as "California's Country Music Capital” is the administrative center of Kern County, California, in the United States. Bakersfield has a city population of 247,057 as of 2000 census reports. It is also considered as one of the largest populated area in kern county, California. In fact as of 2006 municipal reports, Bakersfield population was grown up to 300,000. Agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refining is one of the many reasons for its economic growth. With a total area of 296.3 km², it is considered as one of the largest inland city in California.

Bakersfield was named after Colonel Tom Baker. Colonel Tom Baker was one of the early local colonists of the town. He was given an assignment to survey the town in 1869. However, he was not the first person to discover the town. Some 8000 years ago native Americans who were called the Yokut Indians settled in San Joaquin Valley and named the town Woy Loo. In early 1776 Father Francisco Garcés, a Spanish missionary from Europe who studied several Indian tribes of southern California and Arizona discovered the area. After several years of the discovery, gold was discovered from the Kern river, about the year 1851. And years later the first discovery of oil in 1865 took place. That was the time when early settlements of the town grew up.

Norris school, the first school in Bakersfield, was established in the year 1880. Norris school was named after William Norris, a local farmer who donated the land where the school was built. Each classroom was composed of from 13 up to 20 students. Due to an increasing number of students in 1915 the school decided to rebuild the structure. The school was torn down in the year 1950 and reconstructed once again in 1980. Norris school district today is still small compared to the state’s largest school, the Bakersfield City Schools District. However Kern Valley High School, the first high school in Bakersfield, was opened in the year 1892. Later on, the school was renamed as Bakersfield High School. While the first college campus was also located inside the said school it was relocated

in 1950. Today the Bakersfield College is located northeast Bakersfield on a 153 acre plot in northeast Bakersfield, and it also operates two satellite campuses. California State University, Bakersfield was founded in 1965. At the present time 7,700 students are enrolled at the university and a large number of them are focused in business and administration. The population of the town continued to grow. In year 1871 its population increases from 300 in year 1869 to 800.The development of the town was not affected by floods(1867,1893) and fires(1889,1919). When San Joaquin Valley Railroad arrived in May 27, 1898 the population in Bakersfield suddenly boosts up.

Chief Justice Earl Warren the 30th Governor of California and the 14th Chief Justice of the United States, George Walker Bush 43rd President of the United States of America, and his father George Herbert Walker Bush the 41st President of the United States of America, were the famous people who once lived in Bakersfield.

Artists like Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart, local country musicians, influenced Bakersfield music with their rock and roll-influenced country music style in 1950. And it soon became one of the most popular kind of country music. And because of this the town continues to make famous country music artists.

Bakerfield country music fame did not stop them for opening doors to another music style such as hard rock. KoЯn, Burning Image, and Adema were one of the music groups who are known for this music not only in Bakersfield, but also in different parts of the world. However, Christian community also has famous Gospel artists like Royal Ruckus, Southern Gospel, and The Lighthouse Boys.

Other famous residents of Bakersfield are Earl Warren - Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and California Governor, Devine Calloway - professional skateboarder, Harvey Hall - current mayor and owner of Hall Ambulance Company, Brock Marion - NFL Football player(West High School Graduate),# Jonathan Davis - Lead Singer of the Band Korn,Brandon Miller - NASCAR driver, Buck Owens - Country-Western singer,# Martin Bertram - author of the medieval fiction novel Vanity of Vanities, Dwight Yoakam - Country-Western singer,# David Silveria - drummer for the musical group Korn,Brandon Cruz - child actor (The Courtship of Eddie's Father) and singer (Dr. Know),Joey Porter - NFL Football player (Pittsburgh Steelers),Merle Haggard - Country-Western singer, Jack Johnson - Boxing's first black heavyweight champion, Frank Gifford - NFL Hall of Famer, Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, Casey Mears - NASCAR driver, David Carr - NFL Football player (Houston Texans), James Anchordoquy - musician, lead singer of Eden Hall, Stephen Neal - NFL Football player (New England Patriots),Prussian Blue - white nationalist folk-rock music group, Chris Childs - NBA guard for the NJ Nets, NY Knicks, and Toronto Raptors and Justin Berry - Teen who operated webcam sites.

Bakersfield is also home for Bakersfield Blaze, a minor league baseball team in Backersfield, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, Bakersfield Condors originally known as Bakersfield Fog, a minor league ice hockey team, Bakersfield Blitz a professional arena football team, Bakersfield Jam a first expansion team in 2006 for the NBA D-League and Bakersfield Brigade, a USL Premier Development League soccer team whose nickname was "The Legion", The Kern County Museum, California State University, Bakersfield and Bakersfield College, Rabobank Arena. The city is also home to the Premier Development League soccer team the Bakersfield Brigade, Jerry’s Pizza and Meadows Field Airport the Bakersfield's main airport.