Wasco
Wasco earned the Rose Capital title honestly: roughly 55 percent of America commercial roses are propagated in the fields north and west of town, and the September Wasco Rose Festival still pulls crowds despite the industry slow consolidation. The town of about 27,000 sits 24 miles northwest of Bakersfield off Highway 46, with a downtown that runs three blocks and a Wasco State Prison that runs the local jobs board alongside the rose growers and almond hullers. Dating here is a closed circuit, mostly Highway 46 to Bakersfield or Highway 43 to Shafter for anything resembling a date night.
$27,422
$1,093
Wasco by the numbers
Median individual income in Wasco is about $27.4k.
The median renter in Wasco pays about $1,090 a month.