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Taft (formerly Moron, Moro, and Siding Number Two) is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the
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 ...
, in
Kern County, California Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...
. Taft is located west-southwest 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 ...
, at an elevation of . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of . It was named for
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
in 1909.


History

The town began as Siding Number Two on the Sunset Railroad. According to a display at the West Kern Oil Museum, local residents asked the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
if the station could be named ''Moro'' when the rails arrived in about 1900, but a railroad official declined because the name would be too easily confused with the coastal town of Morro Bay. Instead, the railroad directed the station be called Moron, a word which as yet had no association with lack of intelligence (cf. Spanish word for
hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007
...
, morón). Pictures of local businesses, including the Moron Pharmacy, hang in the museum. After a fire burned much of the town, the name was changed to Taft in honor of
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
. Taft was once a
sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...
that posted "No Colored Allowed" signs.


Oil industry

Taft is situated in a major
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
and
natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
production region in California and is one of the few remaining towns in the United States which exist exclusively because of nearby oil reserves. The discovery of oil in the region occurred in the late 19th century near Maricopa, south of Taft. Many other oil and gas accumulations were discovered around Taft during the early-to-mid-20th century, notably the Midway field (near
Fellows, California Fellows is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. Fellows is located west-northwest of Taft, at an elevation of . The population was 106 at the 2010 census, down from 153 at the 2000 census. Fellows is surr ...
), the Sunset field (later found to be part of the same trend, accounting for the modern combined name of Midway-Sunset), and the Buena Vista. The town is built directly between these two huge fields. The operational activities within these fields, as well as the Elk Hills Oil Field, South Belridge Oil Field, North Belridge Oil Field, Cymric Oil Field, and McKittrick Oil Field north of Taft, have been the economic lifeblood of the town for over 100 years. The super-giant Midway-Sunset field has produced nearly of
crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...
, most of it heavy gravity (13-14 degrees
API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...
). Enhanced oil recovery operations in the form of steam production and injection have been used on the thick viscous crude oil of the Midway-Sunset field since the mid-to-late-1960s. The reservoirs of the Midway-Sunset field are composited layers of mostly unconsolidated sandstones of late
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
age, shallowly buried. The shallow burial depth and ideal nature of the sandstones make them almost perfectly suited for steam injection. As a result, the amount of oil that can be recovered has greatly increased.
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
, later the
Standard Oil Company of California Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened to ...
(modern Chevron), made Taft its corporate operational headquarters. At one time, it is reported that as many as 6,000 inhabitants of Taft were employed by Standard Oil. The hub of this activity was "11-C Camp", so named due to its
survey township A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System and by Canada's Dominion Land Survey is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six survey miles (a ...
location in section 11 and designated "township C" by Standard's mapping department. The infrastructure to run a large oil and gas company included: a rail spur from the line running through Taft, steel and timber for derrick construction and maintenance, pipe, valves, numerous offices, an expansive and highly specialized machine shop, supply shops, the car and truck fleet on one side of the Main Street; bunkhouses for workers, and fourteen blocks on four streets of company homes for employees on the other side. 11-C Camp also included a playground, baseball field, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a cook-house open to the public, landscaped grounds, a clubhouse with a television, pool and card tables, and an ice-cream stand. The huge complex gradually closed down over a period of many years. In 1968, Standard Oil of California moved its accounting and finance offices to
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
. In the late 1980s, the machine shop was closed and auctioned, signaling the end of the 11-C Camp era. The houses were moved outside the camp into a new neighborhood. Many other oil companies had operations in the area, including larger companies such as
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
,
Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...
,
Exxon Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
,
Mobil Mobil Oil Corporation, now known as just Mobil, is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, formerly known as Exxon, which took its current name after history of ExxonMobil#merger, it and Mobil merge ...
,
Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...
, and ARCO, as well as smaller operations (but with a large local presence), such as Santa Fe Energy, Berry Petroleum, Tannehill, M.H. Whittier, and lately Plains Exploration & Production. In the mid-1990s, according to California's Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), there were 68 operating companies working the Midway-Sunset field alone. While the names of most of these companies have changed, due to mergers, acquisitions, and liquidations, the production activities have been continuous. In the early days of oil exploration and production, long before the advent of modern blowout preventions, gushers were the norm. Although there were many, the Lakeview Gusher gushed more than any, producing of oil per day at its peak. In all, the Lakeview No.1 produced about of oil (a very respectable cumulative production for a single well in this area). The well and its State historical marker can be found along the Petroleum Club road, just off SR 33 south of town.


Recent history

Taft was also the site of a military airfield, Gardner Army Airfield, which was used to train pilots during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the base was closed, its abandoned airstrip served as a clandestine dragstrip for many years. The railroad—originally built to export crude oil and import drinking water—is gone, but the area still has a significant oil industry presence. A
private prison A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place where people are imprisoned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit pris ...
, Taft Correctional Institution, operated by Management & Training Corporation under contract to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, is located on Cadet Road south of town. There is a large, modern
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
serving area students. The West Kern Oil Museum, at 1168 Wood Street, has vast holdings, including pumps, fire apparatus, trucks, a historic wooden derrick, photos, models, and extensive displays of local history back to Indian times. The town's newspaper, the ''Midway Driller'', was reputed to be the oldest daily newspaper in California. About 2005, the ''Daily Midway Driller'' became the ''Midway Driller'' and is now published on Tuesdays and Fridays. The town's second weekly newspaper, the '' Taft Independent'', began publication on July 4, 2006. The city owns a in the center of town which features the West Kern Oilworker's Monument, a tall bronze sculpture that features several human figures displayed on an oil derrick by artist Benjamin Victor that was paid for with donations from local residents, visitors and several oil companies. The railroad property is part of a redevelopment project that the city is using to attract new businesses, housing and commercial office space.


Geography


Climate

Taft has a
desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BWh''), with long, hot, dry summers, and brief, cool, moist winters. Rainfall averages only annually, mostly falling during winter and spring. Typically, no rain falls from June through September. The year with the most rainfall is 1998, with . The year with the least rainfall is 2007, with . The most rainfall in one month was , in February 1998. The most rainfall in one day was , on May 6, 1998. Taft averages 112.7 days with highs above and 6.2 days with lows below . The highest recorded temperature in Taft is on July 11, 2008. The lowest recorded temperature in Taft is on December 23, 1998.


Demographics


2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Taft had a population of 8,546. The population density was . The racial makeup of Taft was 62.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.7%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.8% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.4%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 21.1% from other races, and 10.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.6% of the population. The census reported that 81.0% of the population lived in households, 1.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 17.7% were institutionalized. There were 2,379 households, out of which 41.9% included children under the age of 18, 47.4% were married-couple households, 10.4% were cohabiting couple households, 25.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.9% of households were one person, and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.91. There were 1,687
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(70.9% of all households). The age distribution was 22.1% under the age of 18, 11.0% aged 18 to 24, 32.2% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 35.2years. For every 100 females, there were 137.1 males. There were 2,596 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,379 (91.6%) were occupied. Of these, 58.2% were owner-occupied, and 41.8% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $64,479, and the
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $31,344. About 9.3% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line.


2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Taft had a population of 9,327. The population density was . The racial makeup of Taft was 7,388 (79.2%)
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 396 (4.2%)
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 118 (1.3%) Native American, 93 (1.0%) Asian, 65 (0.7%)
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1,023 (11.0%) from other races, and 244 (2.6%) from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 3,353 persons (35.9%). The Census reported that 6,372 people (68.3% of the population) lived in households, 123 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,832 (30.4%) were institutionalized. There were 2,254 households, out of which 914 (40.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,119 (49.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 289 (12.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 178 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 176 (7.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 9 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 543 households (24.1%) were made up of individuals, and 246 (10.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 1,586
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(70.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.32. The population was spread out, with 1,844 people (19.8%) under the age of 18, 1,041 people (11.2%) aged 18 to 24, 3,521 people (37.8%) aged 25 to 44, 2,136 people (22.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 785 people (8.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 186.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 219.0 males. There were 2,525 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,375 (61.0%) were owner-occupied, and 879 (39.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.8%. 3,847 people (41.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 2,525 people (27.1%) lived in rental housing units.


Education

Taft City School District operates elementary and junior high schools: * Jefferson Elementary School * Parkview Elementary School * Conley Elementary School * Taft Primary School * Roosevelt Elementary School * Lincoln Junior High School Taft Union High School is the local high school. Taft College is the community college.


Government


Law enforcement

The Taft Police Department employs 16 sworn officers, 12 civilian employees, and 2 volunteers. It operates its own jail.


Arts and culture

In October 2010 Taft had its 100-year birthday. Every five years during October, Taft holds a birthday celebration. This event began as a parade and civic luncheon, commemorating Taft's 20th birthday in November 1930. These celebrations were held every five years until World War II, during which time none were held. After the war, in 1946, the celebrations began again and the Taft District
Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
made them permanent. A contest was held to choose a name for the event, and "Oildorado" was chosen, having been submitted by W.A. Poff. Oildorado is a week long celebration honoring the history of Taft as a place of oil production and exploration. There are several oilfield-type skill contests, including: welding, pipe threading and fitting, rod wrenching, various skill tests with a backhoe, and at least as late as 1965 a regular well-pulling contest with local well-servicing rigs and crews. Owing to safety and probably liability issues, the well-pulling contests ceased. Additionally, there is a
beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...
where an Oildorado Queen is selected, a facial hair growing contest, talent shows,
barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...
s, street fairs, parades, and in 2005, motocross races. People usually dress in cowboy boots and a
cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, C ...
throughout the week. It is also customary for all men to grow facial hair during this time. If a man does not grow facial hair, he must pay for a permit and wear a bolo tie or lapel pin called a Smooth Puss Badge. If he is caught clean-shaven without his badge, he may be arrested by the Posse, a group of men dressed in western garb, sporting pistols and rifles filled with blanks and, of course, facial hair. The man will be placed in a jail truck called "The Hoosegow" and driven around town for an hour for all to see. Warrants may also be purchased to have somebody else arrested and placed in The Hoosegow. The Posse is overseen by the Grand Marshal. The group patrols the streets, schools, and businesses and engages in make-believe shootouts with the Bandits (the Wooden Nickel Gang), who customarily wear bandanna masks on their faces. Other staples of this week-long celebration include wooden nickels, dinner theatres, classic car shows, and
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
s.


Attractions

Taft is the nearest town of any size to the
Carrizo Plain National Monument The Carrizo Plain (Obispeño language, Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, abo ...
, which is located about an hour west. Note that the shortest route (per Google Maps) has dirt sections and isn't recommended for standard passenger cars. Like many dirt roads in the area, it is impassable after heavy rains. The Temblor Recreation Area in the Temblor Range, property of the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
, is less than 3 miles Southwest of Taft.


Transportation

Taft is located at the junction of California State Route 33 and California State Route 119. The City of Taft operates Taft-Maricopa Area Transit, with buses serving Taft and Maricopa. Kern Transit operates intercity transportation between Taft and Bakersfield. Taft-Kern County Airport is located at the east edge of town and is a favorite for parachutists in Kern County and the South San Joaquin Valley.


Notable people

* Sam Andrew, artist and founding member and guitarist of
Big Brother and the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company are an American rock band that was formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. After ...
, born in Taft * Bill Bagnall, editor and publisher, member of Motorcycle Hall of Fame *
Jordan Belfort Jordan Ross Belfort (; born July 9, 1962) is an American former stockbroker, financial criminal, and businessman who pleaded guilty to fraud and related crimes in connection with stock-market manipulation and running a boiler room as part of ...
, businessman and convicted felon, "Wolf of Wall Street"; not originally from Taft, spent time at Taft Correctional Institution * Jeanne Cooper, actress * Loren Cunningham, co-founder of
Youth With A Mission Youth With A Mission (typically shortened YWAM, generally pronounced ) is an interdenominational Christian mission organization with a focus on missionary work and training for Christian missions. Founded by American missionary Loren Cunningha ...
*
Dennis Fimple Dennis Clarke Fimple (November 11, 1940 – August 23, 2002) was an American actor. Biography Fimple was born in Ventura, California, the son of Dolly and Elmer Fimple. He graduated from Taft Union High School in 1958 and received a teaching ce ...
, actor * Leon Goldman,
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
-based surgeon and father of
Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel Feinstein (; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 38th ...
* Ron Graham, mathematician, juggler * Billy Nelson, 2008 Olympian, track & field * Tracy Rogers, NFL football player * Ryan Shuck, guitarist * Benjamin Victor, sculptor


In popular culture

* '' 25 Hill'' * '' Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman'' * '' The Best of Times''. A movie, starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, set in Taft. * '' Five Easy Pieces''. The main character of the 1970 movie, Robert Eroica Dupea (portrayed by
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
), lives in a small house on the corner of Philippine Street and 5th Ave with his girlfriend Rayette Dipesto. * '' A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night'' * ''
Meteor A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...
'' * ''No Breaks''. A 1976 film detailing the town's attempts to break the world record for longest loaf of bread and longest submarine sandwich in the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
'', which it did successfully. * ''
Thelma & Louise ''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as Louise and Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unforese ...
'' * '' Too Young to Die?'' * ''
Robbers Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...
'' by
The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in 2002. The band consists of Matty Healy (lead vocals, guitar, primary songwriter), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass), and George Daniel (drums, primary produ ...
. A music video directed by Tim Matti in 2014. The video depicts a couple who rob a shop to obtain money to "fund their alcohol and drug addiction." * '' John Dies at the End''. A 2012 film based on the book of the same name written by David Wong, which features many of Taft's iconic Center Street scenes. * '' Break Up''. A 1998 film starring Kiefer Sutherland and Bridget Fonda. * ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
''. A 1993 music video by
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
; opens with
Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, singer, and only constant member of alter ...
sitting on the curb outside Wilson's Taft Hardware store. * '' California's Gold'', Episode 609 * '' California's Gold'', Episode 13002 * ''Oildorado - Road Trip with Huell Howser'' Episode 137 * ''
There Will Be Blood ''There Will Be Blood'' is a 2007 American epic film, epic historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on the 1927 novel ''Oil!'' by Upton Sinclair. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kev ...
''


See also

* List of sundown towns in the United States


References


External links

*
Taft District Chamber of Commerce

West Kern Oil Museum web page
{{authority control 1910 establishments in California Cities in Kern County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1910 Sundown towns in California