BAKERSFIELD!!
Yes, that place Cher in Clueless gets hooked up and heartbroken. There's two halves of the town here, Korn and Buck Owens. Anyone inbetween is just a broke beach bum.
We're sandwiched between L.A. and Fresno, and between Pismo Beach and Las Vegas. Not half bad, if we weren't a total black hole here.
Here's the Bakersfield Wiki for a quick rundown where we enjoy being
the second most toxic city in America, with a staggering 70-80% of people here with breathing disorders like asthma or chronic bronchitis (I'm a minority that doesn't, although I did at one time), and
apparently blaming it's "miserable" status on a lack of college graduates, rather than the lack of a stable job market/industry capable of making one cost-effective to get, in spite of this WikiFact:
Bakersfield has a very diverse economy. It is the most productive oil producing county, and the fourth most productive agricultural county (by value) in the United States. Other industries include natural gas and other energy extraction, aerospace, mining, petroleum refining, manufacturing, distribution, food processing, and corporate/regional headquarters. In 2010, the Bakersfield MSA had a GMP (Gross Metropolitan Product) of $29.466 billion, making it the 73rd largest metropolitan economy in the United States.
Unfortunately, the economic structure here makes a nearly tyrannical "big dog/little dog" gap that's practically impossible to bridge from within the town's infrastructure. Unless you're REALLY fucking awesome. And persistent. And maybe a little lucky, too.
That's still me lying to myself.We're the 51st biggest town in the nation, which is as big as we can get to still avoid paying any attention to on maps.
I may be the first bedroom developer in the area, but it's contagious, and now there's a small group of friendlies in the neighborhood, as well as a local club at CSU that just formed this year. It could be a good sign!
We also have the best Popeye's Chicken in the nation. I'm certain of it! Ironically, it's owned and operated mostly by Mexican-Americans.
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