Editing Bakersfield, California (section)

=== Housing and development ===
Bakersfield saw its population grow from about 105,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 in 2020. Although the city is still growing, its growth rate has slowed in recent years due to the economic recession and high home foreclosure rates. However, in October 2013, Bakersfield was found to be the number two city in the nation for the rental market.<ref>"Worth noting in business: Kern's rental market ranks second in [the] U.S." The ''Bakersfield Californian''. October 3, 2013.</ref> Apartment vacancies have become a large issue, with only one percent of potential apartments being open to new renters as of April 2021. The average cost of rent and housing has dramatically increased in the last few years, with some apartments having their monthly rent nearly double in cost. Most new apartments being built are catering to commuting workers from Southern California and the Bay Area, with local residents being priced out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=John |date=July 4, 2021 |title=Bakersfield's apartment market sets two new records |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bakersfields-apartment-market-sets-two-new-records/article_31412e10-db81-11eb-86f3-5fcc16fd4439.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704225114/https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bakersfields-apartment-market-sets-two-new-records/article_31412e10-db81-11eb-86f3-5fcc16fd4439.html |archive-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>

The city of [[Shafter, California|Shafter]], a small farming town north of Bakersfield, previously filed a suit to attempt to limit the northern expansion of Bakersfield's city limits. Shafter has also annexed large pieces of farmland to its east and south to ensure that Bakersfield does not annex this area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x995110583/Firm-pulls-out-of-housing-project |title=Firm pulls out of housing project |last1=Wenner |first1=Gretchen |date=October 3, 2007 |publisher=[[The Bakersfield Californian]] |access-date=June 28, 2011 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923181822/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x995110583/Firm-pulls-out-of-housing-project |url-status=live }}</ref> Bakersfield, in addition, filed a lawsuit against Shafter in 2007 regarding water rights Shafter planned to use but Bakersfield stated it had purchased in 1976. As a result, the city of Bakersfield threatened to annex the city of Shafter.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The large bluff and plateau east of Bakersfield—toward the Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon area—has been under development for the last 60 years. Because the steep, north-facing edge of the bluff provides a view of the foothills, mountains, oil fields, and Kern River, the city government has attempted to balance development and preservation in this area.