Bakersfield is a city in Southern California with a growing population of nearly half a million. There are many reasons that distinguish Bakersfield from other cities and here are 12 of them:

1. You know everyone and everyone knows you.

Unlike big cities where it’s a coincidence if you know the same person, everyone pretty much knows everyone in Bakersfield, or knows of them. It’s a very small world.

2. There’s nothing to do.

There’s really nothing to do besides go to the movies, the mall, or the park.

3. You complain about how boring Bakersfield is, but still make fun of people from Delano, Taft, Wasco, and Tehachapi.

Bakersfield is small and there’s hardly anything to do, so you can only imagine the smaller surrounding towns.

4. It’s not weird if you or a friend has farm animals.

A lot of people in Bakersfield live on a ranch so it is not uncommon if your friends have chickens, goats, horses, cows, etc. Even if they don’t live on a ranch, they still might have them in their back yard.

5. You’re used to 100-degree weather every summer.

You think it’s funny when people complain about 90-degree weather.

6. Everybody has a swimming pool.

Okay, mostly everyone you know has a built-in swimming pool. Most houses are built with them simply because it’s burning hot majority of the year. Everyone hangs out in their swimsuits all summer long.

7. Extreme fog and dust storms are normal.

It's either really dry or really moist. Either way, we are prepared for hazardous driving conditions.

8. You get mad every time you see "The Best of Times".

The film “Best of Times” starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell will get you mad for two different reasons. First, Taft wins at the end, and second, who the heck are the Bakersfield Tigers?

9. You know where the "Dale" is and what an "08er" is and how they are related.

These terms refer to Oildale, located on the northern side of Bakersfield, and the people who live there. "Dale" is short for Oildale and "08" is short for the zip code 93308.

10. Anywhere that takes more than 10 minutes to drive is too far.

Everything is so close together that when you drive over ten minutes it feels like a mini road trip.

11. You will park a mile away from the entrance just to have your car parked under a tree.

You will take advantage of any shade you can get. Otherwise, once you get back to your car, assuming you’re in shorts because of the scorching heat, you will burn your bum and legs once you sit down.

12. You know to call it "Bako".

Whenever you naturally use the word “Bako” to refer to Bakersfield you forget people from other cities don’t know what that means until they say, “what’s that?”, then you just feel sort of silly.

You can definitely say Bakersfield is not like most places. It may not be the best or most fun city in the world, but it has its quirks and that's why we love it. If not, well, it’s never too late to start.