Even if you haven’t seen the Disney 2015 film “McFarland U.S.A.,” if you’ve traveled on Highway 99 through the small town about 25 miles north of Bakersfield, you must have noticed silhouettes of runners making their way across an elevated walkway over the freeway.
Members of McFarland High School’s team were underdogs when they won the school’s first CIF-State Cross Country Championship in 1987. That win inspired the film — and tremendous community pride that is evident all over town. Many championships have followed.
Murals at the high school, on a water tower and the runners over the freeway are just part of the story. Not just the boys’ team but also girl runners continue to win top honors in county and league meets, making McFarland perhaps the most unlikely sports dynasty in Kern County history.
What the movie captured, and what a drive through the city confirms, is that McFarland’s cross country legacy isn’t separate from its character — it is its character.
More than 95% of the city’s approximately 15,000 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, the overwhelming majority with roots in Mexico’s agricultural heartland, many working the same grape, cotton and potato harvests that have defined this part of the San Joaquin Valley for a century. Some of the runners literally train in the fields. The community shows up at the races. When the team wins, the town celebrates.
The enclosed pedestrian bridge over Highway 99 — with its silhouettes of runners in mid-stride — serves as a daily reminder to the tens of millions of drivers who pass through McFarland each year that this is a place that produced something extraordinary. For those who’ve seen the film that told the story to millions more, pulling off the freeway feels less like a detour than a pilgrimage.
The city and school district work hard to keep youth busy and engaged. McFarland’s parks — including the newly built Villa del Caribe Park with its soccer fields, volleyball court, basketball court and pavilion — provide residents recreational options that belie the city’s modest size. The McFarland Recreation and Park District also operates a community pool and several neighborhood parks.
The city was named for James Boyd McFarland, an educator from Ohio who bought 50 acres and founded the city named for him in 1909. The city of McFarland was incorporated in 1957 and the area grew during the Great Depression, with population tapering off during World War II.
Efforts to expand the city’s economic base beyond agriculture continue. As of May 2026, a private firm, The GEO Group, operates two ICE detainee facilities within the city.
The McFarland Greater Chamber of Commerce coordinates business and community events throughout the year.
More information online at facebook.com/McFarlandUSAChamber.