Bakersfield was already on the map. Not any sort of map you’d want to be on, but still…

It's ironic that Merced and Bakersfield get shit on when it's the coastal Bay Area and LA people that are the actual problems standing in the way of making the rail...

I don't know much about Merced, but the reasons that Bakersfield gets shit on have nothing to do with high speed rail and more to do with its reputation for meth, crime, and generally being a shithole to live in or even pass through. I suppose one might find this “ironic”, for very interesting definitions of “ironic”.

I'm well aware of Bakersfield's problems. And yet, the area was able to handle implementing the initial steps of high speed rail, and the Bay and LA weren't (for whatever eminent domain / NIMBY reasons). So it's funny to me to see LA/Bay people give Bakersfield crap: "ugh why is the rail over there". Well, because you LA/Bay people couldn't.

Merced has two state universities, though. Bakersfield has … Devin Nunez

Bakersfield has a Cal State.

Way back in the day, it was notable for the Bakersfield sound.[0]

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakersfield_sound

I got that reference.