Kern County is located in the southern Central Valley of California. Established in 1866, the county was formed from parts of Los Angeles and Tulare counties. The county derives its name from the Kern River which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition, which crossed Walker Pass.

According to the 2000 census, its population was 661,645, but recent California Department of Finance estimates place the county population at 779,869. The city of Bakersfield has been the county seat since 1874.

The county has a large agricultural base and is a significant producer of oil, natural gas, hydro-electric power, wind-turbine power, and geothermal power. As of 2004[update], Kern remains California's top oil-producing county, with over 85% of the state's 43,000 active oil wells. Oil development began in the late 19th century, with the 1894 discovery of the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the third-largest in the United States.

As home to Edwards Air Force Base the Air Force's main flight test facility, Kern County has been the site of many milestones, including the first supersonic flight and the first landing of the Space Shuttle. Kern County is also the home of the first inland spaceport in the United States, the Mojave Spaceport. Kern County is also home to the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station at Ridgecrest where many naval weapons were (and continue to be) developed and tested.

County Website: http://www.co.kern.ca.us

School District: http://kern.org