Bakersfield #5 Best Place in U.S. to Throw a Backyard Pool Party

Even though school starts this week, there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy in Bakersfield. And Bakersfield ranks as the fifth best place in America to throw a backyard pool party.

That is one of the results of a study by travel company Upgraded Points. The study, released August 15, reveals the best and worst U.S. cities to hold a poolside gathering. It includes major deciding factors like real estate, cost, and the weather, but also broke down other factors like cities with the most pools, sunscreen needs, as well as the average cost of beer, snacks, and much more.

"Pool parties are one of our favorite summertime activities and a great reason to invite the friends and family over for some fun in the sun," said Alex Miller, Founder of Upgraded Points. "But some places are just better for this kind of event than others. So we dug into the facts and created a list of some fantastic places to cook on the grill, drink a few strawberry daiquiris, and go for a swim. If you live here, you have it made. And while we expected certain cities to easily make it on this best/worst list – a few entries were a bit surprising."

Upgraded Points ranked the 100 most populous U.S. cities based on factors that would be important for a successful pool party ­– real estate location, party cost, and good weather – while factoring in several other community factors.

Only Las Vegas, El Paso, Boise, and Wichita had higher rankings than Bakersfield.

The survey said, “Rounding out the top 5 is Bakersfield, California, with an overall score of 70.1 out of 100. Known as being the ‘Country Music Capital of the West Coast,’ Bakersfield ranks so highly thanks in part to its low average rainfall (0.3 inches) and humidity (25.2%) from April to August. That means you can enjoy perfect pool party conditions while listening to that famous Bakersfield Sound this summer.”

The only other California city that came close was San Jose (No. 14).

You can read more about the best and worst places to throw a backyard pool party here.