| What do you like about
Greater Bakersfield? What
are our Strengths? |
|
| Affordable housing |
49 |
| Location/centrally located/access to mountains
& sea |
45 |
| Family oriented |
34 |
| Committed people/community minded |
33 |
| Law enforcement/Fire Dept., ie: Public
Safety |
28 |
| Revitalized downtown/commitment to
downtown |
28 |
| Small town feel/atmosphere |
26 |
| Improving education/educational
opportunities K-16 |
22 |
| Cost of living |
18 |
| Friendly people/People |
18 |
| Arts strong/museum/symphony |
17 |
| Strong churches/faith community |
15 |
| Schools |
15 |
| Kern Network for Children/Collaboration |
14 |
| Diverse Cultures/growing acceptance |
13 |
| Good medical facilities/services |
12 |
| Access to Transportation Corridors |
11 |
| Signature entertainment (Centennial
Gardens) |
9 |
| Concern for less fortunate/generosity |
8 |
| Non-congested traffic |
7 |
| The Marketplace - shopping |
6 |
| Kern River Parkway |
6 |
| Bike path |
5 |
| Landscaping |
5 |
| Services for senior citizens |
5 |
| Public Parks |
5 |
| Strong Ag Community |
5 |
| Colleges |
5 |
| Interagency cooperation |
5 |
| Community activities |
5 |
| Strong recreation programs |
4 |
| Easy to live here |
4 |
| Child care centers |
4 |
| School to career/academies = innovation |
4 |
| Steady consistent growth |
4 |
| Natural recreational activities |
4 |
| Property values |
4 |
| American Airlines - jet access to larger
cities |
4 |
| Plenty of recreation for youth |
4 |
| Educ. Is small or big, when necessary |
4 |
| Variety of shopping venues |
4 |
| sports (soccer complex. Centennial
Gardens, etc) |
4 |
| Potential economic growth |
4 |
| Good jobs @ KCSOS office |
4 |
| Resort weather/good weather |
3 |
| Short commute |
3 |
| Good opportunities for children |
3 |
| Convenience of supermarkets |
3 |
| Health/welfare services |
3 |
| Variety of tourist attractions (rafting,
wildflowers) |
3 |
| Ample parking |
3 |
| Safe downtown |
2 |
| After school programs |
2 |
| Pleasurable driving |
2 |
| Basque Food |
2 |
| Nationally ranked sports teams |
2 |
| Adequate roads |
2 |
| Good amt. Of organized activities for
all ages |
2 |
| CALM/museums |
2 |
| Good retirement community |
2 |
| Opportunities |
2 |
| Sense of community |
1 |
| Trees on Chester |
1 |
| Teen meeting places |
1 |
| Costco |
1 |
| Kern Regional Center |
1 |
| Technical services/internet |
1 |
| Film industry |
1 |
| Restaurant variety |
1 |
| Kern Canyon/River |
1 |
| Cooperation among public agencies |
1 |
| 24 hour grocery stores |
1 |
| Oil industry strong |
1 |
| Tree Foundation |
1 |
| Convention Center |
0 |
| Businesses related to technology |
0 |
| Street fairs |
0 |
| Crystal Palace |
0 |
| Accessible political leaders |
0 |
| View where air is clear |
0 |
| Parent participation @ Stockdale |
0 |
|
|
| What are Bakersfield's
key weaknesses? What
don't you like? |
|
|
|
| Air Quality |
56 |
| Airline service |
34 |
| Large homeless
community/poverty/unemployment |
28 |
| Poor mass transit/public transportation |
20 |
| Gang activity |
16 |
| Urban sprawl/land use
policies/uncontrolled development |
15 |
| Loss of prime Ag land |
14 |
| Drug activity |
13 |
| Freeway access system |
13 |
| Limited recycling |
12 |
| Road maintenance |
11 |
| Arterial congestion |
11 |
| Lack of city/county
cooperation-animosity |
10 |
| Dropout rate |
9 |
| Teen pregnancy |
9 |
| Overbuilding/deflation of property
values |
9 |
| Lack of vertically integrated housing |
8 |
| Too short of school year |
8 |
| Child abuse |
8 |
| Lack of affordable child care |
8 |
| Limited recreation for school age
children |
7 |
| Economically segregated |
7 |
| neighborhood deterioration (SE and
E.Bakersfield) |
7 |
| No supermarket in S.E. Bakersfield |
7 |
| Lack of after-school programs |
7 |
| Lack greenbelts and maintenance of
greenbelt |
7 |
| No UC campus |
6 |
| Overcrowded schools |
6 |
| Lack of architectural conformity and
standards |
6 |
| Undesirable businesses ( prisons,
dairiers, waste dump) |
6 |
| Not enough business diversity |
6 |
| Narrow mindedness |
6 |
| Send kids home too early from school |
6 |
| Pesticide contamination |
5 |
| Not enough infant programs for low
income |
5 |
| Ag policies (burning/pesticides) |
5 |
| More trees/wish it were
"prettier" |
5 |
| Inequity in public services/maintenance |
5 |
| No shared vision/goals |
5 |
| Too much truck traffic on local streets |
5 |
| Vacant office space/transient businesses |
5 |
| Lack of growth restrictions |
5 |
| Lack of environmental controls |
5 |
| Need more mentoring programs |
4 |
| Not enough coordination between feeder
& high schools |
4 |
| Lack of "upscale"/higher
quality shopping |
4 |
| Declining oil industry |
4 |
| Litter/lack of cleanliness |
4 |
| Not enough $ spent on prevention
services (youth & seniors) |
4 |
| Lack of qualified teachers |
4 |
| Underrepresentation of ethnic diversity
of local officials |
4 |
| Not enough for teens to do |
4 |
| Safety in neighborhoods |
4 |
| Lack of higher education opportunities |
4 |
| Limited medical services |
3 |
| Lack of traffic control |
3 |
| Low community self esteem |
3 |
| Rosedale Hwy |
3 |
| Wheel hub bus system |
3 |
| Deteriorating school facilities |
3 |
| Inconsistent zoning laws |
3 |
| Graffiti |
3 |
| Valley Fever |
3 |
| Crosstown traffic patterns |
3 |
| Lack of collaboration between school
districts |
2 |
| Higher quality, variety restaurants |
2 |
| Conditions of children due to lack of
parenting |
2 |
| Lack of services for seniors |
2 |
| Political corruption |
2 |
| Ignoring Northeast |
2 |
| Yucky property downtown |
2 |
| Low test scores |
2 |
| Need to be pedestrian friendly |
2 |
| Lack of higher Ed. Courses @ CSUB &
BC |
2 |
| Uneven athletics |
2 |
| Stereo type "Country Western"
town |
1 |
| Transportation from outlying areas to
Bakersfield |
1 |
| Need more conventions |
1 |
| No performing arts center |
1 |
| need more recognition of local heroes |
1 |
| Better street lighting |
1 |
| Lack of art displays |
1 |
| Public safety in mall |
1 |
| Illegal drug manufacturing |
1 |
| Less self interest |
1 |
| Ignoring Southeast |
1 |
| Preparing for school growth |
1 |
| Too few high paying jobs |
0 |
| Parks (poor utilization) |
0 |
| Prostitution |
0 |
| Marketing of river safety |
0 |
| Lack of jail facility |
0 |
