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Arvin, CA

Arvin, California
City
City of Arvin
"Welcome to Arvin" sign
"Welcome to Arvin" sign
Official seal of Arvin, California
Seal
Motto: "A Garden in the Sun", "The Best Place on Earth"
Location of Arvin, California
Location of Arvin, California
Arvin is located in the US
Arvin
Arvin
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 35°12′33″N 118°49′42″W / 35.20917°N 118.82833°W / 35.20917; -118.82833Coordinates: 35°12′33″N 118°49′42″W / 35.20917°N 118.82833°W / 35.20917; -118.82833
Country  United States
State  California
County Kern
Incorporated 21 December 1960
Government
 • Mayor Jose Flores
 • State senator Andy Vidak (R)
 • Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D)
 • U. S. rep. David Valadao (R)
Area
 • Total 4.819 sq mi (12.482 km2)
 • Land 4.819 sq mi (12.482 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation 449 ft (137 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 19,304
Time zone Pacific (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 93203
Area code 661
FIPS code 06-02924
GNIS feature IDs 1652666, 2409738
Website www.arvin.org

Arvin is a city in Kern County, California. Arvin is located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 449 feet (137 m). As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,304, up from 12,956 at the 2000 census.

In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed Arvin as having the highest levels of smog of any community in the United States. The city's level of ozone, smog's primary component, exceeded the EPA's acceptable limits an average of 73 days per year between 2004 and 2006.

Wired telephone numbers in Arvin follow the format (661) 854-xxxx or (661) 855-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93203.

Property sales of lots in present-day Arvin began in 1906. The Arvin Post Office was established in 1914 and the community incorporated as a city in 1960. The city was named after Arvin Richardson, who was the son of one of the original settling families from San Bernardino. Birdie Heard petitioned for the addition of the post office in 1914 and submitted proposed names including Bear Mountain, Walnut, and Arvin. Officials in Washington D.C. chose Arvin as it was the only proposed name which was not already in use in California. Birdie was the city's first postmaster. She set up the post office in her living room originally, but it was later moved to the general store owned by the Staples family. The in-store post office was also the area's first informal library until an official branch of the Kern County Library system was established in 1927.

The Mountain View Oil Field, which underlies the town and much of the surrounding area, was discovered in 1933 and developed extensively in the 1930s. Many oil wells still surround the town; some are slant-drilled to reach formations directly underneath inhabited areas.

The Arvin Tiller started publication in 1939 and Arvin High School was built in 1949. The city was nearly destroyed on July 21, 1952 during the M7.3 Kern County earthquake (a rupture of the White Wolf Fault). Arvin suffered further damage on December 20, 1977, when a duststorm hit the area.


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