Bakersfield Life

I’ll be honest, I didn’t grow up in Bakersfield, but it felt like I did. In the 1980’s, growing up in Tehachapi, our family came to Bakersfield for almost everything. Us kids needed school cloths? We came to Bakersfield. Dad needed new carpet for the house? We came to Bakersfield. Everything outside groceries and household items meant a trip down the hill to spend the day loading up the station wagon.

It’s no secret that I ended up in Bakersfield. Many members of Tehachapi High Schools class of 1994 are here in town with me. We have families and careers and go home on occasion to get a taste of the bitter cold winter evenings and the cooler summer days.

Although I didn’t grow up here, I am one of many nearby transplants that call this area home and try to take in all we can to learn and become part of the culture. It is a fascinating city and one that I truly enjoy.

One of my favorite things about Bakersfield is this city’s history. I could ready Jeff Nickell’s columns one after another and still go back for more. When I was writing our upfront feature called “It’s Named After…” I would spend hours at the local history room at the Beale Memorial Library in Truxtun and get lost in subject matter.

Let it not be a surprise that part of the feature for our March issue is of great interest to me. We asked Jeff to come up with a list of 10 events that helped shape Bakersfield. Let me say that I was fascinated by this list. From Thomas Baker to the building of the Isabella Dam, all these things have played a part in making us who we are.

So as you read through this list, take a moment to think about how these things affect your life. How often are you on highway 99? Do you know any Okies? Have you heard the Bakersfield Sound? It’s part of us and always will be.

So even though I love my hometown up the hill, I will always connect with the history of Bakersfield. The stories can go on forever. They are a part of us all and part of how we live our lives. It may not be top of mind everyday, but what happened in our past is part of our now. What happens now will be part of our future.


Managing Editor

Chris Thompson