The city of Arvin is located in Kern County, California State, USA. It is a part of the Bakersfield Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located about 15 miles southeast of the city of Bakersfield, and 86 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pacific Standard time zone. The city covers a total land area of 4.81 square miles, and has an average population density of 3064 people per square mile.
Arvin is a chiefly agricultural community and a major part of its economy is dependent upon agricultural crops such as cotton, grain, carrots, almonds, oranges, grapes, etc. Numerous private dairies and farmland also dot the city. Located near the Bear Mountains, it has a peaceful and friendly small town atmosphere. About 56% of the houses, apartments, etc. in Arvin are occupied by their owners and not by the renters. However, renting one-bedroom apartments is quite common in the city. Arvin is one place, which has an advantage over most places in California, in terms of quite affordable rentals. Some other cities located close to Arvin are Weedpatch (6.2 miles), Lamont (6.8 miles), Bear Valley Springs (13.1 miles), etc. Apart from some middle and primary schools, the city also has an Arvin High School with a relatively good standard of education.
In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared Arvin as having the highest levels of smog among all other communities in the United States. Between 2004 and 2006, the city's ozone level, which is smog's primary component, exceeded the EPA's acceptable limits, on an average of 73 days per year. Unfortunately, Arvin became the victim of air pollution being dumped from bigger cities. This picturesque town surrounded by mountains, and full of vineyards and orange groves, suffered due to the emissions from nearby areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.
