Taft, CA

united states

Taft is a small oil town in western Kern County, about 45 minutes southwest of Bakersfield via Highway 119. The city sits where the San Joaquin Valley meets the Temblor Range foothills, surrounded by active oil fields that have defined the community since the early 1900s. Highway 119 is the main route in and out, connecting east to Bakersfield and west toward the coast. The West Kern Oil Museum displays antique drilling equipment in the original 1910 Lakeview Gusher derrick.