Even if you haven\u2019t seen the Disney 2015 film \u201cMcFarland U.S.A.,\u201d if you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
Members of McFarland High School\u2019s team were underdogs when they won the school\u2019s first CIF-State Cross Country Championship in 1987. That win inspired the film \u2014 and tremendous community pride that is evident all over town. Many championships have followed.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
What the movie captured, and what a drive through the city confirms, is that McFarland\u2019s cross country legacy isn\u2019t separate from its character \u2014 it is its character.<\/p>\n
More than 95% of the city\u2019s approximately 15,000 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, the overwhelming majority with roots in Mexico\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The enclosed pedestrian bridge over Highway 99 \u2014 with its silhouettes of runners in mid-stride \u2014 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\u2019ve seen the film that told the story to millions more, pulling off the freeway feels less like a detour than a pilgrimage.<\/p>\n
The city and school district work hard to keep youth busy and engaged. McFarland\u2019s parks \u2014 including the newly built Villa del Caribe Park with its soccer fields, volleyball court, basketball court and pavilion \u2014 provide residents recreational options that belie the city\u2019s modest size. The McFarland Recreation and Park District also operates a community pool and several neighborhood parks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Efforts to expand the city\u2019s economic base beyond agriculture continue. As of May 2026, a private firm, The GEO Group, operates two ICE detainee facilities within the city.<\/p>\n
The McFarland Greater Chamber of Commerce coordinates business and community events throughout the year.<\/p>\n