Published in the Orthdox Observer, September-October 2018 - page 25 St. George Greek Orthodox Church Bakersfield, California Founded:  1924 ----- Not all immigrants from Greece in the late 19th and early 20th centuries chose to settle in the major metropolitan areas of the East and Midwest.  A small number traveled to more remote areas; among these was the high desert region of California’s interior where Bakersfield (pop. about 380,000) is centrally located, 112 miles north of glamorous, star-studded L.A.   According to a parish history, the “pioneer” Greek Orthodox came to build the railroads – the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific – as did many Chinese and Irish men before them. Others soon established businesses that supported the railroads.  Still others engaged in farming (Bakersfield is at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, part of California’s Central Valley that produces nearly 13 percent of the country’s agricultural output...