Garces Memorial Circle
| Garces Memorial Circle | |
|---|---|
Sculpture of Padre Francisco Garcés in Garces Memorial Circle | |
| Location | |
| Bakersfield, California | |
| Coordinates | 35°23′13″N 119°01′08″W / 35.387°N 119.019°W |
| Roads at junction | SR 204 (Golden State Avenue) Chester Avenue 30th Street |
| Construction | |
| Type | Traffic circle with an overpass flyover |
| Opened | 1932 |
| Maintained by | Caltrans, City of Bakersfield |
| Designated | October 21, 1937 |
| Reference no. | 277 |
Garces Memorial Traffic Circle, informally known as Garces Circle or just The Circle, is a traffic circle in Bakersfield, California. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Chester Avenue, Golden State Avenue (State Route 204) and 30th Street. An overpass stands over the circle, allowing through traffic on Golden State Avenue to bypass it.
The traffic circle honors Spanish Franciscan friar Francisco Garcés, who served as a missionary and explorer in the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. A California Historical Landmark, it was approximately on this site where Garcés visited an Indian rancheria on May 7, 1776.