Industry in Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield's economy relies heavily on agriculture, petroleum extraction, and refinement industries.

Bakersfield is home to the largest carrot-producing operations in the world, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms. In 1899, the Kern River Oil Field was uncovered at the Discovery Well by two brothers digging in a pit along the Kern River. Advances in steam-injection of oil wells rejuvenated the oil field in the early 1960s. The oilfield is still active today and is one of the nation's highest yielding fields of all time. Other local oil fields include the Midway-Sunset field, the former Naval Petroleum Reserve at Elk Hills, the Kern Front field, and the Belridge field.