| Bakersfield is a city in the southern part of the state of California. The fifty-eighth largest US city, it has a population of just over 320,000. Its MSA has over 800,000 people. The weather is warm with winter lows of about 39 to summer high temperatures in the mid 90s. Precipitation is slight with less than an inch of rain per month and almost no precipitation in the summer months. Snow is very unusual, averaging about once every 25 years. The city's main industries are agriculture and oil. Higher education institutions in the Bakersfield area include California State University, Bakersfield and Bakersfield College. The University of Phoenix has a branch in Bakersfield as well as Kaplan College, National University and San Joaquin Valley College. Bakersfield professional teams are minor league baseball, Blaze; basketball, Jam; and hockey, Condors. Local television stations include KBAK-TV, KBFX-TV, KERO-TV, and KGET-TV. Local highways include State Route 99 (SR 99), State Route 58 (SR 58), and State Route 178 (SR 178). The William M. Thomas Terminal airport was recently constructed from the previous Meadows Field Airport. Famous past and present residents include Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Korn metal band members, and Frank Gifford. In the 1850s gold was discovered in the area and oil in the 1860s. A major earthquake struck the area in 1952. The median family income for the area is about $45,000. Local Kern County produces cotton, grapes, almonds, and citrus fruits. The County of Kern is the area's largest employer of over 10,000 people. |
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