About Taft
Taft College is a single-campus district in Kern County. The city of Taft is located in the foothills at the southern edge of the San Joaquin Valley just 35 minutes west of Bakersfield, 2 hours north of Los Angeles and 2 hours from California’s beautiful central coast. The Taft area is home to about 18,000 residents. Cultural and recreational opportunities include:
West Kern Oil Museum
Carrizo Plain National Monument
Tule Elk State Reserve
Buena Vista Aquatic area
Many annual events such as car shows & golf tournaments
Oildorado celebrations every 5 years
The city of Taft has a colorful beginning. Legend has it that the Tilimniu Native American tribe used a substance they had to waterproof their boats and implements. This is what we now call petroleum. The first recorded oil strike was in 1901 and is now known as the Midway Sunset Oilfield and is the largest in the lower 48 and is the backbone to our community. We are home to most of the major oil producers in the world.