|
|
| What do you
like about Greater Bakersfield?
What are our strengths? |
|
|
|
| Friendly, caring
people, community volunteers, easy to get involved in
community |
51 |
| Affordable
housing |
49 |
| Downtown
redevelopment/streetscape, revitalization |
42 |
| Location:
close to oceans, mountains, urban, easy access to world |
40 |
| Cultural
diversity (including religions) |
37 |
| Educational
opportunities: CSUB
and Bakersfield College |
36 |
| Additional separate listings included: |
|
| Great community college:
Bakersfield College (9) |
|
| CSUB (5) |
|
| World leader in
agriculture and oil-Greatest Ag area in world |
35 |
| Small city-small
town character/atmosphere |
29 |
| Family
oriented-Good place to raise family |
26 |
| Accessible
public officials |
26 |
| Long-lasting,
family owned businesses |
25 |
| Community minded
people-charitable giving (compassionate community) |
23 |
| Cultural
activities – theatre, performing arts |
22 |
| Symphony (5) |
|
| Fox Theater (5) |
|
| Museums: Kern
County Museum, CALM, Bakersfield Art Museum |
22 |
| Buena Vista Museum, Lori
Brock Museum |
|
| Buena Vista Museum of Natural
History (2) |
|
| CALM )(1) |
|
| Kern River runs
through Greater Bakersfield |
16 |
| Centennial
Gardens |
16 |
| Neighborhood
parks |
16 |
| Relatively
light traffic, uncongested -comparatively speaking, proximity |
12 |
| to work, no commute |
|
| Low cost of
living |
9 |
| Kern River
Parkway |
9 |
| Bakersfield
Business Conference |
9 |
| Youth Activities |
8 |
| Unique
transportation structure: air, rail, trucking |
6 |
| Large companies
with ”small city feel” |
6 |
| Strong business
community |
6 |
| Conservative
community |
6 |
| Law enforcement
agencies strong and do an excellent job, safe streets |
6 |
| Bike and horse
trails |
5 |
| Cool evenings,
spring and summer/nice summer nights |
5 |
| Room to grow, ie:
airport |
5 |
| Kern Medical
Center-teaching hospital (UCLA affiliated) |
5 |
| Safe
schools/addressing security in school |
5 |
| 6 lane
roads/transportation |
5 |
| Good community
organizations |
5 |
| Northeast
Bakersfield – beautiful place |
5 |
| Proximity to
rural area (farms) |
5 |
| New Soccer Park
complex |
5 |
| Panorama Parks
Walkway |
4 |
| Neighborhood
Schools |
4 |
| International
Trade & Transportation Center (ITTC) |
4 |
| Community with a
history |
4 |
| Good
infrastructure |
4 |
| Business/community
partnerships |
4 |
| “less
developed” – can learn from other cities’ mistakes |
4 |
| Business
Conference, Mesa Marin (racing), Centennial Garden |
4 |
| Not Los
Angeles-no urban sprawl |
4 |
| River Walk |
3 |
| Any individual
can affect change |
3 |
| Tree Foundation |
3 |
| Trees |
3 |
| The Marketplace |
3 |
| Crystal Palace
& “Bakersfield“sign |
3 |
| Crosstown
Freeway |
3 |
| Lots of
opportunity for outdoor recreation |
3 |
| Good water |
3 |
| Kern County
Network for children |
3 |
| Great affordable
golf courses |
3 |
| View from the
Bluffs/Mountain view |
3 |
| Economy |
2 |
| Beautiful city-
rolling, golden hills |
2 |
| Good public
transportation – GET |
2 |
| Affordable labor |
2 |
| Kern River
Canyon |
2 |
| Rio Bravo Tennis
& Golf |
2 |
| Bakersfield
Blaze & Bakersfield Condors |
2 |
| New Churches |
2 |
| New High Schools |
2 |
| Have an airport |
2 |
| Dewars |
2 |
| Planned
neighborhoods (Master plan) |
2 |
| “Nashville
West” |
2 |
| Mesa Marin |
2 |
| Good restaurants |
2 |
| Beale Park –
concerts |
1 |
| Teen
Challenge-drub rehabilitation |
1 |
| Assoc. of Old
Town Kern |
1 |
| Good newspaper |
1 |
| Landscaping –
Southwest Bakersfield |
1 |
| Famous people |
1 |
| Variety in the
community calendar |
1 |
| Mild/good
climate |
1 |
| Synchronized
stop lights |
|
| Strong community
theatre |
|
| Arts still in
schools |
|
| Lake Ming |
|
| Truxtun Lake |
|
| 3 major TV
networks and radio |
|
| Bakersfield City
School District does a good job-is very large |
|
| Hub for freight |
|
| Heart Hospital |
|
| Great high
school sports program |
|
| Vision 2020 |
|
| Fishing |
|
| Great Mexican
restaurants |
|
| Basque
restaurants |
|
| Kern Rafting |
|
| Strong faith
community |
|
| Christmas parade |
|
| Vegetation |
|
| Bakersfield
College Football |
|
| Frank Gifford |
|
| Pro-athletes |
|
|
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| What are
Greater Bakersfield’s key weaknesses?
What don’t you like? |
|
|
|
| Poor air
quality, air pollution |
50 |
| Urban
sprawl/uncontrolled development/residential encroachment on ag
land; |
|
| Fragmented city jurisdictional
boundaries/too much new development |
41 |
| Underperforming
schools K-12; educational achievement below state avg. |
33 |
| Antiquated
airport (small) & air service |
27 |
| Poor
image/Negative perception by outsiders |
22 |
| High
unemployment rate |
20 |
| Poor
planning-Hwy 58/Freeways to nowhere; Poor downtown (East-West)
freeway |
19 |
| Increasing gang
activity |
19 |
| Lack of P.M.
activities/lack of activities for adolescents |
19 |
| Lack of
Northeast development/plan |
15 |
| No long range
plan/lack of adequate planning for growth |
14 |
| Some congested
roads; traffic flow; lack of freeway |
13 |
| Lack of high
tech companies |
12 |
| Number of
blighted neighborhoods |
12 |
| Lack of vision |
12 |
| Farm land
conversion |
12 |
| High drop out
rate |
12 |
| Graffiti |
11 |
| Lack of
African-American BBQ/Cajun Food/Good Gumbo restaurants |
11 |
| Road
maintenance-potholes |
10 |
| Uneven
distribution of resources ($ public/private investment) |
10 |
| Lack of
Southeast and East Bakersfield development |
10 |
| Not enough trade
school/vocational education opportunities |
10 |
| Lack of economic
diversity |
9 |
| Lack of trees in
parking lots |
9 |
| Lack of
visionary leadership (elected officials) |
9 |
| Failure to
follow 2010 Plan, ie: Pacificana |
9 |
| County
“islands”/pockets in city limits |
9 |
| Poor public
transportation/not enough downtown |
9 |
| Water
contamination/environmental contamination |
8 |
| Vacant
properties-illegal dumping |
8 |
| Potential for
limited water supply |
7 |
| Vacancies in
Northeast mall/lack of business |
7 |
| Not sufficient
parenting skills |
7 |
| Lack of
cooperation between elementary and high school districts/large
school dists. |
6 |
| Lack of police
in low income areas |
6 |
| Crime |
6 |
| Ghetto areas |
6 |
| Discrepancy
between older and newer neighborhoods |
5 |
| Uneven
distribution of new housing |
5 |
| Limited
hi-tech/professional education opportunities |
5 |
| Racial bias |
5 |
| Substance abuse |
5 |
| Lack of
neighborhood schools/due to school busing |
4 |
| Too much new
housing at expense of existing housing |
4 |
| Stop giving So.
California our water |
4 |
| High rate teen
pregnancy |
4 |
| Low diversity of
economic base |
4 |
| Low wages |
4 |
| Lack of
prioritized infrastructure: city/county |
4 |
| Low priority of
education |
4 |
| Lack of higher
education opportunities |
4 |
| Lack of positive
attitude of people who live here-poor self-image |
4 |
| Weather:
Heat, Tule fog |
4 |
| Not aggressive
enough on federal grants |
4 |
| Zoning for
dollars |
3 |
| Homophobia |
3 |
| Low voter
turnout |
3 |
| Lack of
affordable housing |
3 |
| Dumping ground
for L.A. |
3 |
| Sheriff response
time slow |
3 |
| Timing on
stoplight |
3 |
| Drug traffic |
3 |
| No sense of
place |
3 |
| City and county
annexation problems |
3 |
| “Good ol’ boys” still trying to keep control |
3 |
| No ag
preservation |
3 |
| Vacant buildings
downtown |
3 |
| Vacant strip
malls |
3 |
| Not enough
landscape & trees in Northeast |
3 |
| Some schools
lack educational quality |
2 |
| Poor advertising
for city |
2 |
| Low attendance
at public meetings |
2 |
| No recycling
program |
2 |
| Lack of meeting
rooms for non-profits |
2 |
| Lack of access
to public officials |
2 |
| Plans change due
to influence |
2 |
| Continuing
attitude of provincialism |
2 |
| Too much
pesticide usage |
2 |
| Too many
overhead power lines in Northeast Bakersfield |
2 |
| Lack of
intergovernmental relations |
2 |
| Commercial
building standards/master plan |
2 |
| Limited power of
Mayor |
2 |
| Ratio of
government employees to citizens |
2 |
| Don’t let us
be a bedroom community of L.A. |
2 |
| Too much
control, over regulatory growth compliance |
2 |
| No mandatory
trash pickup-county |
1 |
| Regional
prejudice (sibling rivalry SW, NE, NW) |
1 |
| “Colonial”
economy |
1 |
| Non-pedestrian
friendly |
1 |
| No high speed
rail |
1 |
| Erosion of
private property rights |
1 |
| Not enough
public art |
1 |
| Lack of emphasis
on school attendance |
|
| City-county
cooperation |
|
| Expensive
services |
|
| Deteriorating
infrastructure |
|
| Attitude about
city |
|
| Limited
opportunities in high school for hi-tech training |
|
| Odd number of
city council members |
|
| National low
ranking |
|
| Overzealous D.A. |
|
| No Nordstroms |
|
| Outreach to
people of color and limited English speakers |
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