Situated in Kern County, at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Bakersfield is located around in the middle between Los Angeles and Fresno. It is considered to be the 11th fastest growing city in California, according to the city's official travel website.
In California, Bakersfield is ranked as the 11th largest city and the 58th biggest city within the United States according to 2010 statistics. The population is estimated to be around 338,952. Bakersfield is California's third largest inland municipality, after Fresno and Sacramento. With a population of 800,458, the Bakersfield Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is the 63rd biggest urban area in the country. Manufacturing, agriculture, as well as petroleum extracting and refining make up the economy in this area.
Sierra Nevada's southern tip is situated just to the east of Bakersfield. The city limits end at the Sequoia National Forest, which is located at foot of the Greenhorn Mountain Range and the entrance to the Kern Canyon. Tejon Ranch, which is situated in the Tehachapi Mountains, could be found to the south, and to the west is the Temblor Range. The Carrizo Plain National Monument and the San Andreas Fault are located just behind the Temblor Range, approximately thirty five miles (56 km) from Bakersfield.
With a total area of 114.4 square miles (296 km2), Bakersfield is a big city. 98.86% (Around 113.1 square miles, or 293 km2) is land while the other 1.14%, equaling around 1.3 square miles or 3.4 km2, is water. It lies roughly an hour and a half drive away northern Los Angeles (around one hundred miles or 160 km) and approximately four and a half hours southeast of Sacramento (approximately 300 miles or four hundred eighty km)
Rated fifth amongst the country's top medium sized cities for business by a recent Inc. Magazine, Bakersfield is a business hotspot, offering one of the most reasonable and desirable places on the West Coast. It is strategically situated at the southern end of Great Central Valley in California, where it is considered part of the world's fifth largest economy. The large work pool and available office space makes it a great place for companies to situate themselves.
The are several well-known businesses located within Bakersfield including State Farm Insurance (that employs 1,500 people at its regional bank office), ACS Inc. and Pleasant Holidays call centers, ProSoft Technology, DIVR, Inc., and Lortz Manufacturing, which is a tech company which produces tiny components which are used in the space age and aerospace businesses.