Bakersfield Overview Bakersfield is a city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California, United States. It is located roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, 110 mi (180 km) to the north and south respectively. Downtown Bakersfield is bounded by 24th Street to the North, F Street to the West, California Avenue to the South, and Union Avenue to the East. The two main streets of downtown Bakersfield are Truxtun Avenue and Chester Avenue. Unlike most downtown areas in major cities, downtown Bakersfield does not have a towering skyline, although it has a few tall buildings such as the Bank of America Building (10 stories), the Bakersfield Marriott Hotel (9 stories), and the Padre Hotel (9 stories). Notable attractions in downtown Bakersfield include the Rabobank Arena, the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, the Hotel Padre building, the Bakersfield Museum of Art, the Fox Theater, and a nightlife district centered around 19th Street and Wall Street Alley. Many of Bakersfield's oldest and most historic restaurants are Basque,[20] including Woolgrowers, Maitia's, Noriega's, Pyrenees, Benji's, and Narducci's. The Kern County Museum, located on Chester Avenue just north of downtown Bakersfield, boasts an extensive collection of regional artifacts. Permanent exhibits include: "Black Gold: The Oil Experience", a hands-on modern approach at showing how oil is extracted; and "The Lori Brock Children's Discovery Museum", a hands-on children's museum and a display on the influential "Bakersfield Sound" style of country music. Bakersfield hosts horse shows all year round ranging from local, 4h, and breed shows. Every Spring, Bakersfield hosts one of California's Scottish Games and Clan Gathering.[21] In the late summer, the local St. George's Greek Orthodox Church hosts an annual Greek Festival. Every year during the summer, Bakersfield hosts the Lowrider National in the Kern County Fairgrounds. Memorial Day weekend is host to the Kern County Basque Festival, sponsored by the Kern County Basque Club.[22] This 3 day festival features food, music, dance, and handball games. In March, Auto Club Famoso Raceway holds the annual March Meet nostalgia drag racing event. The event dates back to the U.S. Fuel and Gas Finals held in March 1959. Twice a year, the CSUB Indigenous Native American Club hosts a Native Gathering on the California State University Bakersfield campus at Runner Park.[23] In the fall, Bakersfield hosts the annual Kern County Fair, which showcases much of the area's agriculture as well as putting on entertaining concerts and hosting a small carnival. Previously every year and now every five years [24], Bakersfield hosts a political conference known as the Bakersfield Business Conference. Since 1985 this conference has grown in attendance and as of 2007 the attendance numbered over 9,000. The Conference has had several notable political speakers to include Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Neil Armstrong, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey.[25] Click here to see the hotels in Bakersfield | 
