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Bakersfield great for Festivus but not for jobs

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Nick Chapman

This probably won't come as a surprise to many folks but Bakersfield has is again on "bad news" lists.

First, U.S. News & World Report's "The 10 Worst cities for Finding a Job" ranks Bakersfield-Delano seventh nationwide.

If there's any solace for us in the Bakosphere, Merced, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton and Visalia-Porterville comprised the top five, followed by Atlantic City. It's not surprising the San Joaquin Valley dominates the list, as the magazine noted:

"It's unfair, but it's true: a list of the cities where housing prices remain depressed has striking similarities to a list of the cities with the worst employment problems. Residential housing prices are low and falling in many of U.S. News' 10 cities with the worst job markets."

Interestingly, as Bakosphere was stumbling through the U.S. News website, we learned that back in December, the magazine ranked Bakersfield-Delano eighth on the "10 Best Places to spend Festivus." U.S. News thoughtfully whipped up some variables in producing a Festivus list that warm any "Seinfeld" fan's heart. The magazine wrote:

"Criteria include the ability to compete in the Feats of Strength (cities with low obesity rates), low levels of commercialism, as measured by the size of the retail industry (small shares of the population employed in retail), and much to complain about in the Airing of Grievances (high unemployment)."

Of Bakersfield specifically, the magazine wrote: 

"Unemployment is sky-high in Bakersfield, Delano, making it a place with some of the most grievances to air."

Ouch.

San Francisco topped the Festivus list, followed by Stockton, San Jose, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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