Keene is a census-designated place in Kern County, California in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains at the southern extreme of the San Joaquin Valley. Keene is located 8.5 miles northwest of Tehachapi, at an elevation of 2,602 feet. The population was 431 at the 2010 census, up from 339 at the 2000 census.The headquarters of the United Farm Workers, a national farmworkers organization organized and led by Cesar Chavez, is located in Keene, and is sometimes referred to as "Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz".Keene is located in the greater Tehachapi area.