Meth problem in Bend? (Portland: crime, neighborhoods, live)

[nonbahamamama]

Hello All: My family and I currently live near Portland, OR. This was a recent move and (having done more weather research) we are considering the Bend, OR area. Of course most everything about Bend sounds lovely, except for one big pink elephant: the meth problem.

I've read a few posts and articles relating to this apparent meth problem, but most of these seem to be dated in or around 2007.

Can someone please tell me: Is this "meth problem" really so prominent? If it was at some point, has it diminished?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Nell Plotts]

This is the first time I have heard that Bend has a meth problem any worse than any other community in the US. Meth manufacturers set up where they think others won't notice.

[Dry Side]

I think you will find the majority of drug and property crime occurs on the NE side of Bend. That being said, I don't think it's a bigger problem in Bend then anywhere else.

[kapetrich]

I am 8 months new to Bend and I have not seen any Meth problems what so ever. Is Meth in Bend? Of course. Is Meth a problem, yes, but this drug is a problem where ever it is.

I do not think you will have an issue with Meth in the least unless you were to seek it out, especially when compared to other cities/towns of its size....

[delta07]

All great responses, with the exception of Dry Side. NE Bend doesn't have any more of a drug problem than anywhere else in Bend. Bend is a small town so you will hear about every crime spree, drug bust, etc. on the local news. Portland and other big cities definitely have more crime and drugs, but because of the size of larger cities, you don't hear about every incident.

[PNW-type-gal]

At one point meth labs were associated more with rural areas because of remoteness - big meth labs were kinda obvious and needed to be off the beaten path. Rural Oregon (and you don't have to go far outside the Bend city limits to get "rural") is pretty remote and private. In the last decade or so, meth labs have changed and so have their locations.

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by delta07

Bend is a small town so you will hear about every crime spree, drug bust, etc. on the local news. Portland and other big cities definitely have more crime and drugs, but because of the size of larger cities, you don't hear about every incident.

Couldn't agree more. Example: I heard a news report last year on a missing dog and the possibi

[Smiled]

Take a look at the jail inmates and see what they are in for. You can start with pdxmugshots.com and from there have a look not only at Portland but at quite a few Oregon counties, including Deschutes.

I'd bet it's a bit more prevalent in rural areas, but we don't seem to have the labs any more, once we restricted the ingredients. Now the stuff appears to come up I-5 from the south rather than being made in the area.

[Bendite]

It's a sad truth that meth addiction is a problem everywhere and Bend is not an exception. The more important question may be how the meth problem is impacting a particular community in terms of crimes such as robbery and assault by addicts. Bend has a very limited number of this type of crime, though they do occur. Northeast Bend should not be considered a particular pinpont of meth usage in Bend. There are a number of neighborhoods in the mortheast of town, some of them very very nice, other of them not so, but it is wrong to declare NE Bend the worst area - it is too varied to do that with any sort of accuracy

[OregonYeti]

I lived in Bend in '06-'09 and the presence/non-presence of meth was a non-issue for me. I never had anything stolen, for example, even though I left my car unlocked sometimes. I lived just north of downtown. I also never got an impression that the NE side was any worse for crime than the other parts.