The following is a timeline of the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the city of

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, USA.

Prior to 20th century

* 1873 – City of Bakersfield incorporated. * 1888 –

Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway The Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway was a streetcar company which operated between Bakersfield and Sumner (later Kern City), in California. Later, after Kern City was annexed by Bakersfield, the streetcar company operated completely in B ...

begins operating. * 1889 ** July 7: Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889. ** Oil discovered. **

Bakersfield (Southern Pacific station) Bakersfield station is a former Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Southern Pacific Railroad station and hotel in Bakersfield, California. The station opened June 27, 1889, in the town of East Bakersfield, Sumner (which was later annexed ...

opens.

20th century

* 1904 –

Beale Memorial Clock Tower Beale Memorial Clock Tower is a clock tower located in Bakersfield, California. It was a gift to the city, built by Truxtun Beale in memory of his mother, Mary Edwards Beale, the wife of Edward Fitzgerald Beale. The original clock tower was built ...

built. * 1907 – ''

The Bakersfield Californian ''The Bakersfield Californian'' is a daily newspaper serving Bakersfield, California and surrounding Kern County in the state's San Joaquin Valley. History ''The Bakersfield Californian'' is the direct descendant of Kern County's first newspap ...

'' newspaper in publication. * 1910 –

Kern Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienkir ...

becomes part of Bakersfield. * 1921 –

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

established. * 1928 – Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building and

Padre Hotel The Padre Hotel is a historical landmark hotel located on the corner of 18th and H streets in Bakersfield, California. Originally constructed in 1928 as a luxury hotel and restaurant, the eight-story building went through an extensive renovation ...

constructed. * 1929 – Hart Park opens. * 1930 – Fox Theater in business. * 1945 –

Kern County Museum The Kern County Museum is a history museum located in Bakersfield, California. Its main focus is the history of Kern County. Pioneer Village, located on , contains over 50 original buildings from around the county, related to life in the late 19t ...

opens. * 1952 – ** July 21 – The 7.3 Kern County earthquake affected the southern

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''), killing 12 and injuring hundreds in the region. ** August 22 – A 5.8 aftershock affected

with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''), killing two and causing an additional $10 million in damage. * 1954 – Bakersfield City Hall built. * 1955 – Memorial Stadium opens. * 1961 – Sister city relationship established with

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...

, Japan. * 1962 – ''Bakersfield News Bulletin'' begins publication. * 1963 – Crest Drive-In cinema in business. * 1964 –

Goodwill Goodwill or good will may refer to: * Goodwill (accounting), the value of a business entity not directly attributable to its assets and liabilities * Goodwill ambassador, occupation or title of a person that advocates a cause * Goodwill Games, a f ...

thrift shop in business. * 1965 – Community Action Partnership of Kern establishe

* 1976 – Bakersfield Department of Water Resources established. * 1977 ** December: Great Bakersfield Dust Storm of 1977. **

Mesa Marin Raceway Mesa Marin Raceway was a paved oval race track, located near the junction of California State Route 178, CA 178 and California State Route 184, CA 184 (Kern Canyon Road), east of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield, California. It opened ...

opens. * 1980 – California Living Museum (zoo) founded. * 1983 – County Food Bank establishe

* 1990 ** Hindu Temple of Kern County founded.
** Population: 174,820. * 1996 –

Buck Owens Crystal Palace Buck Owens Crystal Palace is a music hall located in Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, w ...

(music hall) opens. * 2000 **

Bakersfield (Amtrak station) Bakersfield station is an intermodal facility in Bakersfield, California. It is the southern terminus of Amtrak California's '' San Joaquins'' route, with Amtrak Thruway buses continuing to Amtrak stations and bus stops throughout Southern ...

opens. ** Population: 247,057.

21st century

* 2001 – Harvey Hall becomes mayor. * 2006 – River Walk Park opens. * 2007 ** Kern Veterans Memorial unveiled. **

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

becomes

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

California's 22nd congressional district California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is represented by David Valadao, who formerly represented California's 21st congressional district from 2013 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023. Foll ...

. * 2009 ** Mill Creek linear park opens. ** Bakersfield 16 Cinema in business. * 2013 –

Kern County Raceway Park Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway (formerly Kern County Raceway Park) is a oval Oval track racing, speedway located on California State Route 43, CA 43 (Enos Lane) just off Interstate 5 in California, Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, California ...

opens.

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Items related to Bakersfield
various dates (via

Digital Public Library of America The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a US project aimed at providing public access to digital holdings in order to create a large-scale public digital library. It officially launched on April 18, 2013, after two-and-a-half years of dev ...

). {{City of Bakersfield