East Bakersfield facts for kids

East Bakersfield is a part of Bakersfield, California. It's located just east of the downtown area. This region used to be a separate town called Sumner, which later became a city known as Kern City. Today, East Bakersfield has a mix of homes and businesses. It also has a small business area that was once the downtown for Kern City, found around Baker and Sumner streets.

East Bakersfield is part of the larger Bakersfield urban area, which has almost 500,000 people. The area includes parts within Bakersfield city limits and some areas that are not officially part of the city. About 55,000 people live in these unincorporated areas, and many of them are from Hispanic and African American backgrounds.

Students in East Bakersfield attend schools in the Bakersfield City School District and the Kern Union High School District. There are four high schools in East Bakersfield: Highland High School, East Bakersfield High School, Foothill High School, and Mira Monte High School.

Quick facts for kids East Bakersfield
Region in Bakersfield
East Bakersfield Location in Bakersfield, California
Country	United States
State	California
County	County of Kern
City	City of Bakersfield
Founded	1876
Incorporated	1892
Annexed	1910
Subdistricts of East Bakersfield	List Old Town Kern
Area
• Total	4.00 sq mi (10.4 km2)
ZIP Code	93305
Area Code	661

History of East Bakersfield

In 1874, the Southern Pacific railroad line was extended into the southern San Joaquin Valley. Bakersfield was supposed to be a train stop. However, there was a disagreement over land between the city and the railroad company. Bakersfield only wanted to give one block of land, but Southern Pacific wanted two.

Because of this disagreement, Southern Pacific decided to build its tracks five miles east of Bakersfield. They started their own town there. This new town was named Sumner to honor Joseph W. Sumner, who was a mine owner and a judge. This town would eventually grow into what we know today as East Bakersfield.

A post office opened in Sumner in 1876. Since the trains went through Sumner instead of Bakersfield, Sumner became a strong competitor to the city of Bakersfield. However, the people of Bakersfield worked hard to keep their city thriving. By 1888, a streetcar line was built to connect Bakersfield and Sumner. This line ran along 19th Street and was the only road linking the two settlements.

By 1892, Sumner, which was now known as Kern City, officially became its own city. The city of Bakersfield had actually dissolved as a city in 1876, but its residents voted to become a city again in 1898. In that same year, Bakersfield finally got its own train stop. This happened when the San Francisco and San Joaquin Railroad was built, which was later bought by Santa Fe.

With the new railroad built in Bakersfield, Kern City became less important. In 1910, the people of Kern City voted to join Bakersfield. At this point, Kern City became known as East Bakersfield. This was the first major time Bakersfield expanded beyond its original central area. Many important places for the city, like a second fire station, another library (the Baker Street Branch), and a new high school (East Bakersfield High School), were located in East Bakersfield.

Old Town Kern

Old Town Kern is a historic area mainly located around Baker Street. This was once the main business district for the town of Sumner, which later became Kern City. It was the site of Bakersfield's first train station and tried to be the main commercial center. However, it eventually lost out to the area that is now west of Old Town. This district is famous for its many Basque-cuisine restaurants.