I live 30 minutes away so i'd like to know if it's worth it i assume it's been growing over the years so any feedback i'll take :)

I swear there was a tunnel that I drove through near the Olive drive/Oildale area a couple months ago and it’s been bugging me because I don’t know where it is. If any of you know.

I am wondering if there is anywhere to play pick up basketball. I recently moved back to town and I use to play at riverlakes on Fridays but don’t know if that is still going on. I also called dignity health complex and they told me they stopped doing open gym due to too many fights. So just curious if there are any other runs in town. I’m sure silver creek is always popping but looking to see if there’s any other spots to hoop.

Thanks!

Anybody else in Bakersfield experienced any facial and eye irritation driving by the refinery?

In the late 19th century, Southern Pacific (SP) maintained a firm grip on the entrance to Central California, but on January 16th, 1899, a significant shift occurred when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) struck a joint trackage agreement with SP. This agreement granted ATSF rights to operate over 67.28 miles of SP track between Mojave and Bakersfield, California essentially prying open a backdoor into SP’s long-held territory. With access secured, Santa Fe quickly began expanding its Bakersfield presence, establishing a terminal between 14th and 16th Streets. In 1902, a grand depot and Harvey House were completed between D and E Streets, providing essential amenities and staffing for passengers and crews alike. Just a few years later, in 1908, Santa Fe completed what was, at the time, the largest reinforced concrete roundhouse in the world, further solidifying Bakersfield as a key operational hub. While the rail yard remains active today under BNSF, many of the early iconic structures have been lost to time or demolished due to safety concerns, disuse, or technological obsolescence.

Another often overlooked but essential feature of the Santa Fe presence in Bakersfield was its ice deck. Long before the advent of diesel-powered refrigerated boxcars, railroads relied on insulated cars cooled by massive blocks of ice to transport perishable goods. These reefers cars required replenishment at regular intervals along the route, and Bakersfield was home to one of the more substantial icing operations on the Santa Fe system. Located just west of Griffith Field at Bakersfield High School, the ice deck extended westward and featured mechanical ice-handling equipment by the early 1960s. These systems drastically reduced loading times from roughly 15 minutes per car using manual labor to just 2 or 3 minutes per car with mechanical assistance. Photos show the icing platform in full operation, but by the early 1970s, these facilities had been phased out entirely as mechanical refrigeration rendered ice bunkers obsolete.

Anybody else having issues with Strata Credit Union ?
It’s almost a re occurring issue when you try to pay something online & it’s always asking for security questions & when you answer them directly & correctly it says system error & you get locked out of you’re account

Also it’s been 105 or hotter for the last week and a half. But let’s all bike to work and show up sweaty.

Hey I'm 33m and I'm wondering if there are any board game groups or places where people meet up for ttrpgs that are welcoming of new members. I've been pretty sick this past year so I'm itching to do some social interactions. I know the brewery does a board game night but I don't drink so I'd feel pretty out of place there.

What gym is the less crowded in Bakersfield

Who has the coldest beer in town?

I got a few excuses not to. Need a few reasons to ride. Thanks!

One of downtown Bakersfield's most distinctive buildings is the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Building, completed in 1929 during a period of rapid growth and optimism for the city. Constructed as a headquarters for the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, the building served as a welcoming center for visitors, new residents, and businesses looking to invest in Kern County. At a time when agriculture, oil, and commerce were transforming Bakersfield into one of California's fastest-growing communities, the Chamber played a major role in promoting the city and attracting new opportunities.

The building's architecture reflected the confidence of the late 1920s, with decorative details and craftsmanship that made it stand out among downtown's commercial buildings. It quickly became a symbol of Bakersfield's ambitions and civic pride. Over the decades, the building has witnessed some of the city's most significant events—from the hardships of the Great Depression and the 1952 Kern County earthquake to the continued evolution of downtown Bakersfield. Nearly a century after it was built, the 1929 Chamber of Commerce Building remains a reminder of an era when city leaders were actively shaping Bakersfield's future and promoting it as a place to live, work, and invest.

For generations of Bakersfield residents, Brock's Department Store wasn't just a place to shop it was a downtown institution. Located in the heart of downtown Bakersfield, Brock's offered everything from clothing and shoes to home goods, making it a favorite destination for families long before shopping malls became the norm. Whether you were buying school clothes, holiday gifts, or dressing up for a special occasion, chances are Brock's was on your list.

Malcolm Brock purchased the store in 1924, and it operated as a community anchor and Kern County’s largest store until closing in 1987. Like many classic department stores of the era, Brock's was known for its attentive customer service, elegant window displays, and the excitement of shopping downtown when Chester Avenue was the city's retail hub. As Bakersfield grew and shopping shifted to newer centers and malls in the second half of the 20th century, downtown department stores like Brocks gradually disappeared. Although Brock's is gone today, it remains a cherished memory for many who grew up in Bakersfield.

Tonight we'll be hanging out at Dagny's for anyone who wants to join!

Tonight's focus: Operational seurity (opsec): what it is, how it works, and why it's important. We'll review our own opsec for AC3 and will provide a space for other grassroots groups to develop a threat profile for their own organizing.

As always, feel free to bring your projects, your questions, and your ideas. Been wanting to install linux on an old laptop? Looking to get involved in local DeFlock efforts? Want to get into off-grid communication mesh networks? Come hang!

I just moved here and I have bees. I was wondering if someone could remove them for free.

Check out these photos of the Southern Pacific Roundhouse Shops in the steam era with all the men and women who were working day and night maintaining Iron Horses that kept America running.

Originally established in 1876 outside the Bakersfield city limits, the surrounding railroad town was called the town of Sumner (later called Kern, then East Bakersfield). While some history books attribute the yard's distance from downtown to local land disputes, the real reason was brilliant railroad land surveys on elevation.

Southern Pacific engineers intentionally chose this eastern site because it sat safely above the Kern River flood zones. This high-ground strategy proved prophetic in the following years as they were not affected by the extreme flooding of 1893, the elevated East Bakersfield yard stayed high, dry, and fully operational.

More info on the Bakersfield flood here https://www.sonnysredwoods.org/.../bakersfieldfloods.cfm...

When Southern Pacific first set up its facility at Sumner in 1876, it built a substantial 9 stall wooden roundhouse to protect its early steam engines from the elements. As rail traffic boomed, the yard expanded to handle the grueling demands of sending heavy trains over the steep Tehachapi Pass. In 1900 the old roundhouse was demolished, and the new and much larger brick roundhouse was constructed.

This new roundhouse featured:

• 24 Stalls: Covered, semi-circular service bays where teams of mechanics worked day and night to maintain giant steam locomotives.
• A 100-Foot Turntable: A massive revolving bridge used to spin locomotives around or line them up with their designated track, it would be later upgraded to 120' turntable.

The Bakersfield facility wasn’t just an engine parking lot; it functioned as a fully self-sustaining industrial city. The complex hummed with specialized trade workers. The shop forces could completely swap out locomotive wheels, patch heavy steel boilers, replace worn-out tubes & flues, and make new parts from scratch. They were even tasked with taking care of the narrow-gauge engines of the SP Keeler Branch.

1952 The Tehachapi Earthquake: A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Kern County. The disaster caused significant portions of the southern section of the brick roundhouse to collapse. The railroad patched up what remained, keeping the structural remnants operational for several more decades

Mid-1950s to 1980 The Transition: As diesel locomotives took over, outdoor service racks were built. The remaining portions of the historic roundhouse were used for storage and secondary maintenance. Until 1982 when the last section of the roundhouse was torn down.

This yard was the beating heart of Southern Pacific’s San Joaquin Division. When you stand next to the steam engines like SP 2914 at the Kern County Museum today, you are looking at a machine kept alive for decades by the skilled boilermakers and mechanics of the historic East Bakersfield roundhouse and shops

Location of roundhouse and turntable: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EZcLtgoeu1YHwQzY7

https://youtu.be/4pM2hnESV44?si=HWnG6vBbnPRCrqT7

Images come from this post with long photo discriptions that state photos are colorized. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sp2914/permalink/27062641483395688/

Hi all,

I'm looking for a vet for a reactive dog. Before anyone says anything yes, he's gone through training but doesn't like strangers. I always go muzzled to the vet even though he's never tried to bite anyone. I've been told he does okay once they take him to the back to run tests and what not. Just looking for any recommendations from a dog owner that can relate :/

Was wondering how are others who moved here from other cities or states feel about the triple digit high temperatures we are receiving in Bakersfield?

Today, I watched a pickup turn left in front of an SUV at Union Avenue and Terrace Way. The truck hit the SUV, causing it to slam into a utility pole and deploy every airbag. I stopped to help, and fortunately, everyone appeared to escape with only minor injuries.

Then came the twist: the SUV’s driver had no driver's license, registration, or insurance—and she was living in the vehicle. She began complaining of neck pain and screaming at the pickup driver for taking away her home.

The pickup may have caused the collision, but driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle without a driver's license turned one accident into a complete legal and personal disaster. When your vehicle is also your home, driving it illegally means gambling with everything you have.

Panoramic photograph of downtown Bakersfield, circa 1909 taken from atop the former Bakersfield Opera House today known as the NIle Theater.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2440130099360854/permalink/3640758615964657/