Arvin is a city in Kern County, California, in the United States. Arvin is located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 449 feet (137 m). As of the 2000 census, the city population was 12,956. In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed Arvin as having the highest levels of smog of any community in the United States. The city's level of ozone, smog's primary component, exceeded the EPA's acceptable limits an average of 73 days per year between 2004 and 2006. In Peter Greenberg's 2009 book Don't Go There!, the city is mentioned for its high pollution and ozone levels, although he does mention the main reasons for the pollution are not necessarily its own: its unfavorable geography, which allows airflows from its proximity to Los Angeles and Bakersfield, high amounts of nearby highway traffic, and diesel engines from agricultural vehicles. Wired telephone numbers in Arvin follow the format (661) 854-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93203.