Kernville, California
| Kernville | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
Downtown Kernville
|
|
 Location in Kern County and the state of California |
|
 Kernville
|
|
| Coordinates: 35°45′17″N 118°25′31″W / 35.75472°N 118.42528°WCoordinates: 35°45′17″N 118°25′31″W / 35.75472°N 118.42528°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| County | Kern |
| Government | |
| • State senator | Jean Fuller (R) |
| • Assemblymember | Devon Mathis (R) |
| • U. S. rep. | Kevin McCarthy (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.676 sq mi (32.830 km2) |
| • Land | 12.368 sq mi (32.033 km2) |
| • Water | 0.308 sq mi (0.797 km2) 2.43% |
| Elevation | 2,667 ft (813 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,395 |
| • Density | 110/sq mi (42/km2) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 93238 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-38310 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1660834 |
| Website | |
| Reference no. | 132 |
Kernville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Kern County, California, United States. Kernville is located 42 miles (68 km) northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2667 feet (813 m). The population was 1,395 at the 2010 census, down from 1,736 at the 2000 census.
The Kern River was named after artist and topographer Edward Kern, who accompanied John C. Fremont on his 1845 expedition. They camped at what was a fork of two rivers, now the middle of Lake Isabella. An 1858 gold rush led to the formation of a town briefly called Rogersville, then Williamsburg, which was soon renamed Whiskey Flat after a bar opened. In 1864, the town was renamed Kernville.
After decades of planning, the Isabella Dam project began in 1948. As a result, Kernville was moved upstream to its present location at the tip of the northeast fork of the man-made lake. The town has since continued to maintain its gold rush and old west roots to attract tourists and take advantage of nearby natural scenery and activities. The town's original location is slightly east of Wofford Heights. Foundations and such can still be seen when the lake is low. The famous Mountain Inn, built mainly to house movie stars and crew before the 1948 move, is now (partially) at the new Kernville, renamed the River View Lodge.
Whiskey Flat Days is the annual celebration of the historic wild west days of the area. Parade, wild west shootouts and historic camps, carnival, vendors and rodeo are just part of the festivities put on every President's Day weekend and attended by thousands of visitors.
The post office, established at the original site in 1868, was moved to the new site in 1951.
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Wikipedia