PHOTO GALLERY: Where We Live: Old Town Kern
Woolgrowers owner Jenny Maitia Poncetta poses near the entrance of her family-owned restaurant, a favorite of locals and celebrities alike.
The old Tally Records recording studio, at 601 E. 18th St., is the comically small place Buck Owens cut two noteworthy rockabilly records.
Married for 18 years, Melissa and Andy Whitbey embrace Wednesday morning on King Street.
Oscar Leon, owner of Oscar's Towing & Service, says you've got to have a heart when you interact with the homeless population of Old Town Kern. He poses here with his 4-year-old teacup Pomeranian, Chika.
Earl Warren's boyhood home, 707 Niles, is also the scene of one of Bakersfield's most infamous murders — that of his father, Matt Warren, in 1938.
Melissa and Andy Whitbey, married for 18 years, embrace Wednesday morning on King Street. Melissa had stayed at Bethany House the previous night, Andy at the Rescue Mission, and they reunited in the morning.
Luigi's owner Gino Valpredo poses on the sidewalk outside his family's 109-year-old institution in the heart of Old Town Kern, one of the most historic, unique neighborhoods in greater Bakersfield. It's also a foodie's paradise with a half-dozen or more top-notch but unpretentious restaurants of various cuisines. But Old Town Kern struggles with an issue of growing concern throughout California: Poverty and homelessness.
The historic Southern Pacific train station, which opened in 1889, is now owned by the Union Pacific. Its presence at Sumner and Baker streets helped define what later became known as Old Town Kern.
Pyrenees Cafe owners Rod and Julie Crawford pose in the bar of their historic establishment, which dates back to 1887.
Graphic artist Richard Rodriguez touches up the lettering on the Baker Street-side window of the Arizona Cafe, a popular Mexican restaurant that opened in Old Town Kern in 1953. Owner Jose Ramirez, who started working at the cafe in 1973, as a 16-year-old dishwasher, bought the restaurant in 1998; he now runs it with son Oscar, 28.
The entrance to The Mission at Kern County promises "Love in Action"; the iconic pole-top neon sign pictured behind it assures homeless guests that "Jesus Saves." The Mission can accommodate up to 250 people.
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