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Big small town

Living in Taft, CA

Taft is a big small town of 7,125 people in Kern County, California. It's about 27 miles from Bakersfield, CA and 96 miles from Los Angeles, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 99°F and winter highs 59°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $253k and rent runs about $1k a month.

7,125people
$253kTypical home
$1,069/moRent
99° / 59°Summer / winter
0"Snow
324Sunny days
41Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,125
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 467 people per sq mi
  • 96 mi to Los Angeles, CA
  • 27 mi to Bakersfield, CA
  • 22 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $253k (≈$1,593/mo)
  • Median rent $1,069/mo
  • Median household income $73k
  • Property tax about 0.9% of value
  • 6.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 99°F
  • Winter highs around 59°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 40°F)
  • 324 sunny days a year (211 totally clear)
  • 41 cloudy days a year
  • 24 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 41 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • 34 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Above-average violent crime (440 per 100k)
  • Above-average property crime (2,184 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 37
  • 32% of households have kids
  • 14% are 65 or older
  • 10% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 7% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 21 min
  • 4% walk or take transit to work
  • 30 mi to BFL airport
  • 88 mi to BUR (major hub)
  • 29 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 68% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1971
  • 84% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 833 ft
  • 50 mi to the ocean
  • 130 mi to a big lake
  • 25 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 63 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 16 mi to the nearest campground
  • 3 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 79 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 31 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 2 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 24 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 22% of California districts (reading)
  • 3 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 29 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 46 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 25 mi to the nearest vet
  • 21 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 24 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Kern County: R+21 in 2024
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • High drought risk
  • Low winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Taft

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