Bakersfield California
City of Bakersfield, CA, USA
Bakersfield, California was settled
in 1858 by a handful of families who had trekked northward through the El Tejon
Pass seeking home sites rather than gold. The town was named by an early
settler, Colonel Thomas Baker, who invited the weary travellers through the
valley to rest overnight. These travellers would plan in advance to meet and
rest in "Colonel Baker's field." Baker formally laid out the town in 1869, and
within two years the city had a telegraph office, two stores, a newspaper, two
boarding houses, one doctor, a wagon shop, a harness shop, one attorney, a
saloon, and fifty school pupils.
The changes have been many since Colonel Baker's
time, but Bakersfield still retains the hospitality originally extended by the
Colonel. The City of Bakersfield now boasts a population of over 221,000 people
(the 13th largest city in California) and covers more than 110 square miles.
Official City of Bakersfield
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