Bakersfield 55+ communities at a glance
The table lists every Bakersfield community in the 55places directory for the Bakersfield area, checked in October 2026. Home counts, years, builders, dues and price bands come from each community's 55places page, which says the data is aggregated and not verified by the developer or HOA. Treat the dues and prices as a starting range and confirm them with the HOA or a current listing.
| Community | Location | Homes | Built | Builder | Gated | HOA dues a month | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern City | Bakersfield, next to Sundale Country Club | 1,024 | 1961-1977 | Del Webb | No | $43-$525 | Mid $200Ks to low $400Ks |
| The Greens at Seven Oaks | Seven Oaks, Bakersfield | 404 | 1999-2005 | Castle & Cooke | Yes | $104-$193 | $300Ks to $500Ks |
| Solera at Kern Canyon | Across from Rio Bravo Country Club | 558 | 2004-2013 | Del Webb | Yes | $171-$278 | Mid $200Ks to low $400Ks |
| Four Seasons at Bakersfield | Bakersfield | 490 | 2006-2017 | K. Hovnanian | Yes | $250-$445 | High $200Ks to high $300Ks |
| Brighton Parks | Jewetta Avenue, north of Stockdale Highway | 425 | 2006-present | Castle & Cooke | Yes | $166-$202 | Low $300Ks to high $400Ks |
| Highgate Regents | Highgate at Seven Oaks, Bakersfield | 199 | 2017-present | Castle & Cooke | Yes | $203-$233 | Low $500Ks to low $700Ks |
Together they hold about 3,100 homes, a small share of the city's 135,724 housing units (ACS 2020-2024). Most are resale-only. Only Highgate Regents and Brighton Parks were still listed as building, and the Brighton Parks page is inconsistent on that point, so ask.
Each 55+ community in Bakersfield
Kern City, Bakersfield's original Del Webb community
Del Webb developed Kern City between 1961 and 1977, which makes it the oldest and largest 55+ neighborhood in the city. The Kern City Civic Association's own site counts 1,024 properties, a mix of condos and houses, for residents 55 and over. Its common facilities include an 80,000-gallon pool, a woodshop, sewing, art and exercise rooms, a pool room and a library with computers. The community is not gated. Detached homes run from about 948 to 2,056 square feet and attached homes from about 1,079 to 1,963. Sundale Country Club is within walking distance but needs its own membership. Zillow's typical value for the Kern City neighborhood was $305,684 in September 2026, down 1.1% in a year, the lowest-priced entry point on this list.
The Greens at Seven Oaks, gated 55+ inside Seven Oaks
Castle & Cooke built The Greens between 1999 and 2005 as a gated section of the Seven Oaks master plan. Its 404 single-family ranch homes run from 1,237 to 2,730 square feet. Residents use the Ridge Oak and White Oak clubhouses, a pool, fitness room, ballroom, library, bocce and shuffleboard, and there is a full-time activity director. Golf is at the 27-hole Seven Oaks Country Club. Dues are listed at $104 to $193 a month, among the lowest here. For the wider area, Zillow's typical value for Seven Oaks was $642,965 in September 2026; that figure covers all homes in the neighborhood, not only the 55+ section.
Solera at Kern Canyon, Del Webb's gated community near Rio Bravo
Del Webb built Solera's 558 homes from 2004 to 2013 at the base of the canyons, across the street from Rio Bravo Country Club, which offers residents discounted memberships. Eight floor plans run from 1,294 to 2,374 square feet across a Classic and a Premier series, all with attached two-car garages. The 8,000-square-foot Grove Clubhouse has a ballroom, billiards and an arts room; outside there is a heated pool and spa, tennis, pickleball, bocce and a putting green. Dues are listed at $171 to $278 a month.
Four Seasons at Bakersfield, K. Hovnanian's clubhouse community
K. Hovnanian built 490 single-story homes here from 2006 to 2017, in 19 plans across the Patina, Canyon, Fresco and Carrera series, from 1,444 to 2,775 square feet. The draw is the 14,000-square-foot Lodge, the largest clubhouse on this list, with a bistro, ballroom, theater, salon, fitness center and pool, plus tennis, pickleball and bocce outside. Dues are the highest of the gated communities at $250 to $445 a month, and the 55places page says they include front-yard maintenance.
Brighton Parks, Castle & Cooke's gated community on Jewetta Avenue
Brighton Parks sits just north of Stockdale Highway on Jewetta Avenue. Castle & Cooke planned 425 single-family homes from 2006, in seven plans from 1,460 to 2,513 square feet, most with two bedrooms, two baths and a den. A 4,000-square-foot clubhouse has a lounge, fitness center, demonstration kitchen and billiards, with a pool and spa, shuffleboard and walking trails outside. Dues are listed at $166 to $202 a month.
Highgate Regents, the newest 55+ homes in Bakersfield
Highgate Regents is the age-restricted, gated section of Castle & Cooke's Highgate at Seven Oaks, building since 2017 and planned for 199 homes. It is the only community on this list with both new and resale homes, and the highest price band, low $500,000s to low $700,000s, with an average listed near $556,398. Dues are $203 to $233 a month for a clubhouse, pool, trails and parks. For other new tracts, see new construction in Bakersfield.
Wider region: Santa Clarita Valley 55+ communities
The same 55places regional list also covers the Santa Clarita Valley in Los Angeles County, with communities such as Friendly Valley (1,290 homes, built 1963 to 2004) and newer Altis at Skyline and Verano. Their listed price bands run from the $200,000s at Friendly Valley up to $1 million at Tesoro Highlands, so a Bakersfield buyer mainly uses them as a price comparison. Our 55+ communities in California guide covers the rest of the state.
Senior apartments and assisted living in Bakersfield
A 55+ community is owner-occupied housing with no care services. If you need meals, help with daily tasks or memory care, look instead at licensed residential care, which the California Department of Social Services lists in its Community Care Facility search. Check a facility's license status and inspection reports there before you tour.
How a Bakersfield community qualifies as 55+ housing
Federal fair housing law bans discrimination against households with children, and age-restricted housing is a narrow exception to that rule. Under the Housing for Older Persons Act, at least 80% of a community's occupied homes must have at least one resident aged 55 or older; vacant homes do not count toward that share (24 CFR 100.305). The community must also publish its 55+ intent and verify residents' ages.
California sets its own floor in Civil Code section 51.3. A senior citizen housing development needs at least 35 homes, and within one, a senior is anyone 55 or older. A spouse, cohabitant or caregiver of a senior may live there, and a qualified permanent resident who was already living with the senior is generally allowed to stay if 45 or older. The rules must let younger guests stay with a resident for at least 60 days a year. Each Bakersfield community writes its exact limits into its CC&Rs, so read them before you write an offer, and see our California HOA laws guide on how they are enforced.
Costs of 55+ living in Bakersfield
Monthly costs come from four places: the mortgage, property tax, HOA dues and insurance.
- Property tax. Kern County's 2025-26 rate book, the latest it has posted, shows Bakersfield tax rate areas between 1.089648% and 1.205212% of assessed value. On a $350,000 purchase in the common 1.163785% area, that is about $4,073 a year. Parcels in the Panama-Buena Vista school areas pay 1.168004% to 1.205212%. See the Kern County property tax guide.
- Moving your tax base. Owners 55 and older who sell a long-held home may be able to move their Prop 13 assessed value to a Bakersfield purchase under Prop 19, which can cut the new tax bill; our Prop 19 guide explains the rules.
- HOA dues. Listed dues range from $43 a month in parts of Kern City to $445 at Four Seasons. Ask what the dues cover, such as front yards, the clubhouse or cable, and ask for the reserve study.
- Insurance and utilities. Get an insurance quote and the seller's last 12 months of energy bills before you remove contingencies.
For the rest of a monthly budget, see the Bakersfield cost of living guide.
How to choose a 55+ community in Bakersfield
- Gate and guard. Five of the six are listed as gated; Kern City is not gated.
- Age of the homes. Kern City's homes date from the 1960s and 1970s, the others from 1999 onward. Older homes cost less but may need roofs, windows and HVAC; ask for permits.
- Clubhouse size and staff. Four Seasons' Lodge is 14,000 square feet, Brighton Parks' clubhouse 4,000. Some have full-time activity directors.
- Golf. Seven Oaks Country Club, Rio Bravo Country Club and Sundale Country Club sit next to three of these communities but are separate memberships.
- New or resale. Only Highgate Regents was listed with new homes in October 2026.
Tour at least two, ask each HOA for its budget, rules and minutes, and compare like for like. A local agent can pull recent sales inside each gate; our Bakersfield real estate guide covers buying steps.