Central
Central Bakersfield wraps the older residential blocks around the original townsite - the bungalows, the mature trees, the streets that predate the freeway era. Westchester, Oleander-Sunset, and the stretch around Bakersfield High give it a settled-neighborhood feel that the newer subdivisions out by Seven Oaks cannot replicate at any price. You get sidewalks, walkable distance to Downtown and the Mill Creek Linear Park, and houses with porches that face the street. The honest tradeoff: housing stock is genuinely old, which means foundation surprises, original wiring, and the kind of renovation budget newer-build buyers do not have to think about.
Central by the numbers
Central runs male-heavy, about 54% men to 46% women.
Median individual income in Central is about $26,300.
California registers voters by party, and Kern County is Republican-plurality, about 37% to 34% Democratic, the red county of the Central Valley, with a 21% No Party Preference bloc.
The median renter in Central pays about $1,210 a month.
About 12,000 Central residents ages 22 to 50 are single.
Local date spots
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Black Bear Diner Bakersfield
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Moo Creamery
- CentralCafés
Dewar's Candy Shop
Wheelchair access - CentralDining
Tina Marie's
- CentralDrinks
The Mint Bar
- CentralDrinks
Tiki-Ko
- CentralDining
New Vintage Grill Truxtun
- CentralDrinks
Guthrie's Alley Cat
- CentralDining
El Pulgarcito Restaurant
- CentralDrinks
The Silver Fox Starlite Lounge
- CentralDrinks
VIP Lounge
- CentralDining
Country Kitchen Bar & Grill
- CentralCafés
Cafe Tori