Lake Isabella, California

Lake Isabella is a census-designated place in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Kern County, California, United States. It is named after the Lake Isabella reservoir and located at its southwestern edge, 6mi south of Wofford Heights in the Kern River Valley.The town of Lake Isabella is located 35mi east-northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2513 feet . The population was 3,466 at the 2010 census, up from 3,315 at the 2000 census.GeographyLake Isabella is located in Hot Springs Valley, part of the Kern River Valley, at.According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 22.1sqmi, over 98% of it land.Lake Isabella is at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Kern River. These rivers are 'wild', in that they are not controlled by any dam upstream. Upstream on the North Fork white water enthusiasts play in the spring and early summer. The famous Golden Trout originate in these rivers in the high country to the north.HistoryThe area was inhabited for millennia by the indigenous Tübatulabal and Owens Valley Paiute. Gold was discovered nearby in 1853, leading to a gold rush and the founding of Keyesville. The 1863 Keyesville massacre occurred a few miles north.