Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,163 square miles (21,140 km²), of which 8,132 square miles (21,060 km²) is land and 31 square miles (80 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[10] It is the third-largest county by area in California. Its area is nearly the size of the state of New Hampshire; it extends:

• East beyond the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada range into the Mojave Desert, and includes parts of the Indian Wells Valley and Antelope Valley.
• West from the Sierra across the floor of the San Joaquin Valley to the eastern edge of the Temblor Range, part of the Coast Ranges.
• South over the ridge of the Tehachapi Mountains.

Vegetation[edit]

Chaparral comprises a considerable portion of the natural area within Kern County; the species diversity within these chaparral habitats, however, is considerably less than in many other regions of California.^[11] Whitethorn, California is a prominent example of chaparral species on the rocky slopes of the Sierra Nevada as well as the Inner Coastal Ranges.^[12] California Buckeye is a notable tree found in both chaparral and forests and whose southern range terminates in Kern County.^[13]

National protected areas[edit]

• Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
• Carrizo Plain National Monument (part)
• César E. Chávez National Monument
• Giant Sequoia National Monument (part)
• Kern National Wildlife Refuge
• Los Padres National Forest (part)
• Sequoia National Forest (part)

Demographics[edit]

See also: List of populated places in Kern County, California

According to the 2010 United States Census, Kern County's population was 839,631.^[2] It was the eleventh-largest county by population in California.^[14] The center of populationof California is located in Kern County, in the town of Buttonwillow [3].

2011[edit]

[show]Population, race, and income

Places by population, race, and income[edit]