1978 Map of Oildale

About this map

Bakersfield and its northern industrial and agricultural fringes come into sharp focus in this late-1970s orthophotograph. The settlement of Oildale dominates the center-right of the sheet, revealing the high-density residential grid and large-scale industrial infrastructure, including numerous storage tanks and refinery facilities, that defined the area's development. To the west, the landscape shifts abruptly to the geometric precision of Central Valley agriculture, where large rectangular plots are bisected by irrigation canals and the diagonal path of the railroad through Saco. This visual record, produced in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service, documents the precise boundary between the expanding urban footprint and the managed farmland of Fruitvale and Greenacres before the continued suburbanization of Kern County. It provides a technical perspective on land use, showing the intricate relationship between oil production, transportation corridors, and the region's agricultural foundations.