Editing Taft, California (section)

===Recent history===
Taft was also the site of a military airfield, [[Gardner Army Airfield]], which was used to train pilots during [[World War II]]. After the base was closed, its abandoned airstrip served as a clandestine [[dragstrip]] for many years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kimble |first=Lise |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Named After: Famoso Raceway |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield_life/named-after-famoso-raceway/article_73115a27-0713-5e74-83dc-e25763ea63f1.html |access-date=November 15, 2020 |work=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en}}</ref>

The railroad—originally built to export crude oil and import drinking water—is gone, but the area still has a significant oil industry presence.

A [[private prison]], [[Taft Correctional Institution]], operated by [[Management & Training Corporation]] under contract to the [[U.S. Bureau of Prisons]], is located on Cadet Road south of town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CI Taft |url=http://www.bop.gov/locations/ci/taf/ |publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons |access-date=January 2, 2015 |archive-date=January 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102021135/http://www.bop.gov/locations/ci/taf/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is a large, modern [[Taft Union High School|high school]] serving area students. The West Kern Oil Museum, at 1168 Wood Street, has vast holdings, including pumps, fire apparatus, trucks, a historic wooden derrick, photos, models, and extensive displays of local history back to Indian times. The town's newspaper, the ''Midway Driller'', was reputed to be the oldest daily newspaper in California. About 2005, the ''Daily Midway Driller'' became the ''Midway Driller'' and is now published on Tuesdays and Fridays. The town's second weekly newspaper, the ''[[Taft Independent]]'', began publication on July 4, 2006.

The city owns a {{convert|46|acre||adj=mid| former BNSF railroad property}} in the center of town which features the West Kern Oilworker's Monument, a {{Convert|37|feet|}} tall bronze sculpture that features several human figures displayed on an oil derrick by artist [[Benjamin Victor (sculptor)|Benjamin Victor]] that was paid for with donations from local residents, visitors and several oil companies.{{r|taftindependent}} The railroad property is part of a redevelopment project that the city is using to attract new businesses, housing and commercial office space.