Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States.

The community was named for General William Rufus Shafter who commanded US Forces in Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

[4] Shafter is home to Minter Field, which began operations in June 1941 and saw heavy use during World War II.

The first truly successful human powered airplane, the Gossamer Condor, piloted by Bryan Allen won the Kremer prize on August 23, 1977, at Shafter's Minter Field.

Allen piloted, and powered, the Paul MacCready designed airplane along the one mile long figure '8' course with two 10 foot high obstacles as specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society to claim the £50,000 prize.

The Green Hotel and the Shafter Depot Museum emphasize various aspects of the daily lives of Shafter residents in years past; both structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2009, a Shafter High School senior, Anna Jelmini, received the key to the city for placing in the Junior Olympics.

Local crops include almonds, pistachios, cotton, grapes and alfalfa as well as some carrots, potatoes and other vegetables.

Shafter has become a hub for a variety of economic endeavors including; manufacturing, logistics, and energy.

It connects the BNSF Railway to tenants in the Paramount Logistics Park.

[14] The Paramount Logistics Park (PLP) (formerly the International Trade and Transportation Center (ITTC)) was built to facilitate Central Valley access to ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The tire and wheel distributor has begun working out of a portion of the space as of Summer 2014, while the rest continues to be built out.

Profits from the facility directly benefit public safety initiatives and the Shafter Education Partnership, focused on early literacy and college readiness.

The percentage of Richland 8th graders scoring “Proficient” or “Advanced” in Algebra quadrupled from 2008 (8%) to 2013 (33%), earning the Richland Junior High Algebra Department an Award from the Shafter Chamber of Commerce in 2013.

In 2014, Richland students placed in the top three in four of eight categories at the Kern County Math Field Day Competition.

The school has undergone many recent renovations including the construction of a new cafeteria and new classroom space to meet the needs of a growing student body.

The school is also home to the historical Fred L. Starrh Performing Arts Center, a large theater building with a fully functional fly system.

In order to support its goal of forming a strong foundation in reading the Shafter Education Partnership distributes books for children to take home, offers summer and after school reading programs.

In that same year the building, which had housed the Shafter branch of the Kern County Library, was remodeled to include two classrooms and a computer lab.

Classes are offered for students in the community and subjects range from math, keyboarding, art, science and reading to language courses.