1. Folks In Bakersfield Are More West Texas Than West Coast
Bakersfield, Calif. is, in many ways, more like West Texas than the West Coast. Folks here tend to lean to the conservative side—and then some.
This is a land where Prop. 8 passed with a 75 percent approval rating in 2008. Where Sundays are still devoted to going to church—and, of course, depending on the season, football. Where parents raise their children to be respectful, polite, and, really, with an all-around southern charm you don’t find much in California. It’s also where dancing inappropriately at a school dance Is frowned uon, a lot.
So, sure, Bako is conservative, but more than that it is traditional. A good place to get into the oil business and raise a family—or to take up meth. It’s just not so great for the in between crowd.
2. The Bakersfield Soundtrack Is Way More Nashville Than L.A.
Walking into a bar on a Friday night, you might think that Bakersfield is where the “western” in country and western music came from.
Musicians reminiscent of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens play in the clubs, people two-step, they line dance, and they even wear boots. Why not just give it up and start saying “y’all,” y’all? C’mon. It’s just efficient.
3. People In Bakersfield Are Obsessed With The Bakersfield Blaze
Baseball is a sport that I personally will never love nor understand. To me it is slow, it is boring, and there aren’t nearly enough shirts coming off at the end of a game. But for the people of Bakersfield it doesn’t get any better than the Minor League Baseball team, the Blaze.
The most exciting part of any game is when Torch, Heater, and Pat D. Panda race against the fans from the stands.
And speaking of excitement, the Blaze is going through a bit of an exciting—and by exciting, I mean slightly tumultuous—time.
Just before the 2012 season, the Blaze were sold to local businessmen Gene Voiland and Chad Hathaway. Long story short, they promised a renovated Sam Lynn Ballpark in time for the 2014 season, this didn’t happen, ownership was reclaimed by the previous owner, D.G. Elmore, so, now the Blaze is looking for a new home.
Anyone out there have a really big backyard?
4. Bakersfield Folks Have High School Spirit (Yes, They Do!)
Just like any other small town in West Texas in the 1950s… Oh, right, we’re talking Bakersfield today. Well, potato, po-tah-to.
Anyway, folks who were born and raised in Bakersfield, and are now growing and raising their own children here, are damn proud of where they’re from—especially, as everyone knows, if you went to Liberty High.
The interesting thing about Bako is that in a lot of ways it feels more like a small town than a big city. Just because you’re out of high school doesn’t mean that you stop hanging out with your high school friends, it doesn’t mean the popularity contest is over, and it sure as heck doesn’t mean Friday night football games are a thing of the past.
If you have kids in high school—or maybe even if you don’t—Friday nights are for football. Probably preceded by a hearty meal of pickled tongue. Wait—what?
5. In Bakersfield You Can Start Your Meal Out With An Order of Pickled Tongue. Yes, That’s A Thing
OK, Hannibal, cool your jets. I’m talking about beef tongue, a Basque delicacy.
Bakersfield has a huge Basque community and because of this it’s also home to some of the most delicious Basque food on the West Coast.
People come from far and wide to try the food at Pyrenees, with its beautiful, ancient dark wood, straight out of Basque Country. Or dig into a garlicky steak at the Noriega Hotel, a 119-year-old family-style Basque restaurant which was honored by the James Beard Foundation last year. Yeah, it’s that good.
6. Matter Of Fact, Bakersfieldians Are Total Foodies...
For those of you reading this who stubbornly hold onto the idea that “there is nothing to do in Bakersfield,” my advice to you is to develop your palate.
Bakersfield is filled with delicious food. There is authentic Middle Eastern cuisine at Pita House, some of the sweetest and gooiest mango sticky rice at Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant, Athena’s Greek Café and Bakery for a killer salad, the best mac and cheese your mouth has ever met at J’s Place, and then, in a league of its own, Dewar’s Candy Shop…….
Whoops, sorry. I was just daydreaming about their peanut butter chew.
7. ...And, It’s Filled With People Who Kind Of Can’t Breathe
If you have spent your whole life in Bakersfield, you may not even notice it, but as soon as you head out of the area—say to Colorado or something—you will realize that you have, until that moment, spent your whole life not really being able to breathe fully.
Seriously. Bakersfield has the worst air quality in the United States.
That’s because not only is Bako a major oil producing region, but it is also hemmed in on three sides by mountains making it a perfect place for all that diesel soot and pollution to linger—and the results ain’t pretty.
Residents here have higher cases of heart and lung issues (a
reported 168,000 in 2013), and according to the long-time locals I know, people just generally “don’t feel good.”
So, that’s terrifying. But hey, at least you have… a unique history?
8. Bakersfieldians Have Oklahoma Roots
Bakersfield is a city built, not on rock ‘n’ roll, but Oklahoma refugees—which isn’t nearly as cool, but it’s still pretty interesting.
During the “Dust Bowl Migration,” folks from Oklahoma came out to the west coast and created a community based around pioneering and opportunity. That community was Bakersfield. Sure, today’s Bakersfield subsists mainly of large corporate farms, giant retail outlets, and a community based almost entirely around the oil industry—but this big city’s small town vibe and rich historical roots still live on. And if you need a little refresher, just head to the Kern County Museum.
9. Bakersfieldians Complain About Their City And Leave As Soon As They Have the Chance
Want to know what the people of Bakersfield think of thier city? Just take a look online. Here’s an example of your standard Bakersfield conversation:
“Should I move to Bakersfield?”—Curious and hopeful transplant from Ohio
“No, I’d sooner die than live there again”
Yeah, there’s not a lot of hometown love to be found online. Which is strange because…
10. If Outsiders Talk Smack About Their Hometown, Bakersfieldians Defend Bako To The End
While I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Bako I’ve also heard just as many people sticking up for their city.
Sure Bakersfield is hot—it’s in California. You’re not too far from the beach, and with the low cost of living, hey, maybe you can get a pool.
And yeah, of course there’s nothing to do here—if by nothing to do here, you mean plenty of shopping, delicious and award-winning cuisine, museums, the Fox Theater, chasing peacocks and Hart Park, great golfing, an amusement park, and proximity to several National Forests.
And finally—the air smells like cow poop? Actually that one’s kind of true; but at least it’s only in the summer.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user Robert Bejil
