Tehachapi /təˈhætʃəpi/ is a city in Kern County, California, in the Tehachapi Mountains, at an elevation of 3,970 feet between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert.Tehachapi is 35 miles east-southeast of Bakersfield, and west of Mojave. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.0 square miles and a population of 14,414.