SoCal to Bend OR

[Smiled]

+1 on the Tri-Cities area; you could also look at Spokane and Boise. Everywhere west is wet and humid. Tri-Cities lives on Federal money too though (Hanford Nuclear Reservation cleanup).

[forrst]

Hi all,

i, myself in transition to move from CA to Bend, OR for a job that i accepted... althought it's not my most favorable job to do, but at this time of bad economy, i am willing to take anything to survive, so here i am get ready for a long drive to OR next week...fortunately, the folks that i am working for will provide me food and lodging so i am pretty much set, what i am concern about is once i am working and saving up some money to get my own place here, will i be able to establish myself as an Oregonian? and what's the requirement to rent an appt here in OR? as you can see, i've never rent or live in an appartment before, since my husband and i just lost our job and everything else with it, we have to start from bottom again..he'll stay in CA to work as a temp position until his contract is run out and i have to go to OR to work, it's kind of sad for us to be seperate like this, but i guess we both have to sacrifice something, to gain up something for our new life and new future...thanks god, all my kids are grown up and they all can take care of themselve, otherwise, we're truly in a deep....you know what so my question is simple, i know i won't be able to go anywhere since my job is to take care the baby and the teens, so senery is not important right now, the most concerned one are the job market and living expense here in Bend, OR...so any advice/ideas and suggestion would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks everyone...

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by cheaptrick

Hi,

You're going to hear quite a bit of woe regarding Bend, and compared to the boom times it looks pretty bad. But it is not terrible for the frugal of mind.

Bend is loaded with a lot of people who overextended during the boom. They bought multiple vehicles, overpriced houses, 200k RV's....etc. and are now staring at thousands of dollars a month in payments they can no longer afford. If you have little to no debt, Bend is a good place to be.

Finding a job is the key, and they are few these days, but they are out there. I do not know what the IT field offers here, but if you're willing to work outside your field you might find something.

I do not know anything about low income housing either, but rents are pretty cheap right now. 3 Bdrm 2 bth homes in nice areas can be had for 850-900 a mo. When you consider the area, that's a bargain.

A great number of people in Bend need to make 5k plus a month to cover their expenses. Those I think are the loudest moaners about the Bend economy. If you have small financial needs, you can live here just fine and enjoy life doing it.

Very well said. Especially the bit about people who have overextended themselves during the last boom years (Obviously, but if you didn't live like this over the past 10 years, you should weather this storm in some shape or form). Fortunately or unfortunately, we live in a system with great booms followed by harsh downturns. This is a fact and one must be cognizant of this economic nature to survive.

I moved to Bend 2 weeks ago with three friends and we have all been able to find salary jobs with full benefits. As you said, you just have to be willing to work a bit out of your field which can be a bit daunting. We feel very lucky.



Additionally, whenever anyone goes on and on about the doom and gloom of Bend, I tell them to come here and check it out for themselves. The city is very vibrant and alive for its size. Also, like Delta has described in other posts, the city has a pretty varied workforce. More varied than most people on this site like to paint, anyway.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by kapetrich

I moved to Bend 2 weeks ago with three friends and we have all been able to find salary jobs with full benefits. As you said, you just have to be willing to work a bit out of your field which can be a bit daunting. We feel very lucky.



Additionally, whenever anyone goes on and on about the doom and gloom of Bend, I tell them to come here and check it out for themselves. The city is very vibrant and alive for its size. Also, like Delta has described in other posts, the city has a pretty varied workforce. More varied than most people on this site like to paint, anyway.

Kapetrich, I'm so glad to hear you were able to find full-time work already! You truly are lucky.
The doom and gloom isn't all justified because yet the town is vibrant and alive, but you have to remember that at lot of that is tourism right now. During the summer months Bend is crazy with tourism. People along the west coast like to visit Bend for our gorgeous summers and amazing outdoor recreation. Once school starts for the kids, you will see this town drop off. It's not dead, but it's not bustling at the seams either. The employment shortage is out there. The pay is not great. That's the reality. Unemployment statistics just came out and Deschutes County is at the top of the list again at 14.8%. That doesn't even account for people like me who are underemployed. Again, consider yourselves very lucky that you found jobs! Yes, there are jobs out there, but there are many more people without jobs too.