422 1/2 North St

Few American cities owe their existence so directly to what lies underground than Taft. Named for President William Howard Taft in 1909, this small Kern County city grew up beside the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the largest oil field in the continental United States. Daily life moves at an unhurried pace, with a walkable Old West-style downtown along Center Street offering local dining and shops, and scenic roads stretching toward both the mountains and the California coast. San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Fresno are all within a two-hour drive. Taft College, a two-year school with on-campus housing, anchors local higher education, while Cal State Bakersfield sits just over 30 miles away.

The rental landscape leans toward single-story homes, ranch-style houses, and smaller apartment communities that fit the city's small-town character. Craftsman bungalows and Spanish-influenced stucco homes with tile roofs make up much of the residential fabric.