It’s one of Bakersfield’s oldest neighborhoods, and has a mix of homes from grand mansions to modest bungalows. Today’s on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of the Oleander-Sunset neighborhood.
Located just south of downtown Bakersfield, the generally accepted boundaries include California Avenue on the north, Oak Street on the west, Brundage on the south and Union Avenue on the east. The home of the Drillers, Bakersfield High School, sits just to the north.
Development here began in the late 1880s, with grand homes like the Holtby mansion going all the way back to 1888. The home was later purchased by cotton baron W.B. Camp and given a southern plantation style makeover. The Oleander area developed a “millionaires row” with homes owned by Bakersfield’s power brokers, like Californian editor and publisher Alfred Harrell…