Outlying Kern County

The geographically dispersed communities beyond Bakersfield's immediate orbit, each with a distinct character. Tehachapi (pop ~14,400) is a mountain town at 4,000 feet between the San Joaquin Valley and Mojave Desert, known for wind energy and the famous Tehachapi Loop railroad feature. Taft (pop ~8,500) is an oil town 35 miles southwest of Bakersfield. California City (pop ~15,000) is one of the state's largest cities by land area but sparsely populated, on the edge of the Mojave Desert. Ridgecrest (pop ~28,000) sits 110 miles northeast of Bakersfield adjacent to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Frazier Park (pop ~2,600) is a mountain community near the Tejon Pass on I-5.