The city covers about sq mi km 2 [ 9 ] [ 10 ] near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley , which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the Census was ,, [ 11 ] making it the 47th-most populous city in the United States and the 9th-most populous in California.
The BakersfieldβDelano Metropolitan Statistical Area , which includes all of Kern County, had a census population of ,, [ 8 ] making it the 62nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. Bakersfield is a significant hub for both agriculture and energy production. Kern County is California's most productive oil-producing county [ 13 ] and the fourth most productive agricultural county by value in the United States.
Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of Native American settlements dating back thousands of years. Upon Spanish arrival, present-day Bakersfield was inhabited by the Yowlumne , a Yokuts people.
The Yokuts of the region lived in lodges [ 18 ] along the branches of the Kern River delta and hunted antelope, tule elk, deer, bear, fish, and game birds. The people of the rancheria had a great feast over my arrival, and having regaled me well I reciprocated to them all with tobacco and glass beads, congratulating myself on seeing the people so affable and affectionate.
Given the remoteness and inaccessibility of the region, the Yokuts remained largely isolated from further contact until after the Mexican War of Independence , when Mexican settlers began to migrate to the area. Following the discovery of gold in California in , settlers flooded into the San Joaquin Valley. In , gold was discovered along the Kern River in the southern Sierra Nevada , and in , oil was discovered in the valley.
