The following is a timeline of the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

of the city of

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

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 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 Ba ...

begins operating. * 1889 ** July 7:

Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889 The Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889 was a conflagration in Bakersfield, California. The fire would burn for three hours and destroyed most of the town (later reincorporated as a city). In total, 196 buildings were destroyed, one man was killed and ...

. ** Oil discovered. **

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

opens.

20th century

* 1904 – Beale Memorial Clock Tower 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 (1180 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Wasco, California, Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General ...

becomes part of Bakersfield. * 1921 –

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

established. * 1928 –

Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building The Kern County Chamber of Commerce Building is a historic building in Bakersfield, California. Located adjacent to Sam Lynn Ballpark and the Beale Memorial Clock Tower, it is a part of the Kern County Museum. The building is considered one of th ...

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 Fox Theatre or Fox Theater or Fox Theater Building may refer to: U.S. * Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, Arizona) *Fox Theater (Bakersfield, California) * Fox Theatre (Fullerton, California) * Fox Theater, Westwood Village (Los Angeles, California) * Fo ...

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 ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

with a maximum

Mercalli intensity The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...

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

with a maximum

of VIII (''Severe''), killing two and causing an additional $10 million in damage. * 1954 –

Bakersfield City Hall Bakersfield City Hall (which is also referred to as City Hall South) is the center of government for the City of Bakersfield, California. It houses the Mayor's office and the City Council chambers. It is located in the Civic Center, Downtown. A ...

built. * 1955 – Memorial Stadium opens. * 1961 – Sister city relationship established with

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: *Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan *Wakayama (city) Wakayama City Hall is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 351,391 in 157066 househol ...

, Japan. * 1962 – ''Bakersfield News Bulletin'' begins publication. * 1963 – Crest Drive-In cinema in business. * 1964 – Goodwill thrift shop in business. * 1965 – Community Action Partnership of Kern establishe

* 1976 –

Bakersfield Department of Water Resources The Bakersfield Department of Water Resources is a municipal utility in Bakersfield, California. Primarily it manages the city's water rights to the Kern River. Water is sent to water retailers that the city has contracts with, and recharge basin ...

established. * 1977 ** December:

Great Bakersfield Dust Storm of 1977 The Great Bakersfield Dust Storm of 1977 (also known as the Southern San Joaquin Valley Dust Storm) was a severe dust storm in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, California. It started in the late evening on December 19, 1977 and ended in the aftern ...

. **

Mesa Marin Raceway Mesa Marin Raceway was a paved oval race track, located near the junction of CA 178 and CA 184 (Kern Canyon Road), east of Bakersfield, California. It opened in 1977 and was owned by Marion Collins throughout its existence. The Collins fami ...

opens. * 1980 –

California Living Museum The California Living Museum (commonly referred to as CALM) is a zoo in Bakersfield, California. The primary focuses are plants and animals that are native to California, specifically Kern County. The California Living Museum is accredited by ...

(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 (also known as the Crystal Palace and The Palace) is a music hall located in Bakersfield, California. It was constructed by Buck Owens, and was opened in 1996. Primarily it is a performance venue for country western m ...

(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 Calif ...

opens. ** Population: 247,057.

21st century

* 2001 –

Harvey Hall Harvey L. Hall (January 5, 1941 – May 19, 2018) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 25th mayor of Bakersfield, California. Hall was first elected in 2000, and re-elected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was one of the longe ...

becomes mayor. * 2006 – River Walk Park opens. * 2007 **

Kern Veterans Memorial The Kern Veterans Memorial is a monument located in Kern County, California. It honors all Kern County residents who served in the armed forces, both in peacetime and in war. It is located in downtown Bakersfield, at the corner of Truxtun Ave. a ...

unveiled. **

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

becomes

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for California's 22nd congressional district. * 2009 ** Mill Creek linear park opens. ** Bakersfield 16 Cinema in business. * 2013 –

Kern County Raceway Park Kern County Raceway Park is a oval speedway located on CA 43 (Enos Lane) just off Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, Kern County, California, United States. Opened in 2013, it was built as a replacement for Mesa Marin Raceway. Kern Coun ...

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