Bakersfield, California
The county’s territory occupies the southern parts of the Central Valley. It extends west to the Coast Ranges, and east past the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada into the Mojave Desert at Ridgecrest. Delano is its northernmost city. Agriculture and petroleum extraction are important parts of the county’s economy. There is also a significant aviation, space, and military presence, including Edwards Air Force Base, the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, and the Mojave Air and Space Port. Kern County’s population is 54% Hispanic, making it the sixth-most populous majority-Hispanic county in the US.
