KernLife.com

Delano is Kern County's northernmost town. After Bakersfield, it is the county's second largest and fastest growing city.

Delano boasts of being the "Diamond of the Golden Empire."

According to Kern County Historical Society documents, Father Garces, one of the first white people to pass through Kern County, gave the first baptism near Delano on May 3, 1776.

It wasn¹t until almost 100 years later, in 1873, that the town was founded.

Delano was incorporated into Kern County in 1915.

The climate is ideal for growing table grapes, a well-established industry in the area since 1892. In 1919, DiGiorgio Farms purchased a large amount of land in the Delano area for grape production.

In September 1965, that same land came into the national spotlight when Filipino and Hispanic vineyard workers refused to work.

The event became known as ³the 1965 Grape Boycott.² The city remembers the boycott by holding a 16 de Septiembre Celebration, which recalls the evening of Sept. 16, 1965, when United Farm Workers leader Cesar E. Chavez held a meeting in which workers voted to strike.

Today, Delano¹s population is about 50,000, and in recent years the city has added additional schools (

Geographic information

Population: About 50,000

Elevation: 316 feet

Climate: Delano enjoys a mild climate with 273 days of sunshine and 5.72 inches of rainfall in an average year. Mountain snow, rainfall, and state and federal water projects provide abundant water supplies. Average maximum

Temperature: 77.7 degrees; average minimum temperature: 53.2 degrees.

Major employers

Kern Valley State Prison, North Kern State Prison, Pandol & Sons, Sears Logistic Services, Paramount Citrus Association, Delano Regional Medical Center, Delano Union School District.

Municipal services

Recreation, 721-3335; Dial-A-Ride, 721-3333; Senior Citizens Nutrition Program, 721-3336; water/sewer billing, 721-3315.

Government

City Hall: 1015 11th Ave., P.O. Box 3010, Delano, 93216, 721-3303.

City officials: Mayor Pedro Rios, 721-3303, ext. 444; Mayor Pro Tem Grace Vallejo, 721-3303, ext. 442.

City Web Site: