Politics, Preference and Lifestyle in Bend or Sunriver (Portland, Redmond: for sale, 2013)

[pjvanvox]

I did check the forums to see if anyone had asked this on here; the two postings with 'gay' and 'Bend' were from 2013 and 2010 respectively. I have a couple of questions regarding moving to Bend/Sunriver. Some of this information I can glean from other threads--and I am doing so now, however, direct questions are best!

About me/us. We are gay, male, in our thirties. We currently live in Portland where we've lived for more than 8 years. Since 2008 I've been going/coming down to Bend to hang out and Ski--that's how it started. I dragged my partner down there last year and now he's Bend-crazy too. So, we've visited--in Spring/Summer we come down almost every two weeks. We have stayed at resorts, hotels, vacation rentals, camped at Tumalo, camped at Paulina Lake (many times), camped at La Pine. We have skied, hiked, ate, drank, hung out. Favorite places are Sparrow, Jackson's Corner, Crux, Boneyard, Looney Bean, etc. etc. We love the climate, the smaller town feel--although geez it has gotten "pushier" lately..

My partner can transfer to his job almost anytime he wants, however, that income would not support two people in a town which is getting so expensive--yes Bend--so I have said I need a job too. I currently have a very nice job working for a terrific company, but, that is in Portland.. so. We already realize that jobs are scarce in Bend. We realize the town is in a second housing boom. We realize that suddenly rentals are sounding more like Seattle and less like the middle of nowhere Oregon ..

Questions:

Sunriver.. saw a few great cabin like houses but seems 25 miles from downtown is a long drive when you just want an Ocean Roll. Also, what is the area like politically? We are liberal, oh yeah and gay . We don't want to move to that cabin in the woods and be surrounded by disgruntled neighbors who (to be blunt) vote conservatively and hate gays.. This is a stereotype sure, but we have no idea what Sunriver is like.

Bend.. not much worried about the gay thing in Bend proper, but should we be? Also liberal politics? what is the climate of the town? Is it easy to get involved with the city, and its' issues?

Is the town developing a broader economic base? It doesn't seem so. I'm not a technical business systems analyst who started out working Front end web dev and moved on into BA work. I've worked for startups, one of the largest chip manufacturers in the business, and now for a very great shoe company.

Also, (joking question?) another thread listed the Little Woody as a festival that 'locals' didn't attend, however, how can a weekend that gives you access to Boneyard, Ale Apothecary, Crux and etc. all in one place with barrel aged beer be all bad?

Any advice, polite comments are appreciated.

[pjvanvox]

Meant to say "PLUSHier..." not pushier!

[skypros]

Originally Posted by pjvanvox

Questions:

Sunriver.. saw a few great cabin like houses but seems 25 miles from downtown is a long drive when you just want an Ocean Roll. Also, what is the area like politically? We are liberal, oh yeah and gay . We don't want to move to that cabin in the woods and be surrounded by disgruntled neighbors who (to be blunt) vote conservatively and hate gays.. This is a stereotype sure, but we have no idea what Sunriver is like.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH SUNRIVER (FOR EVERYONE) IS GOING THROUGH LAVA BUTTE IN THE WINTER.
THE "CONDOS" IN SUNRIVER ARE MOSTLY VACATION RENTALS...... AND YES THE SHOPPING/RESTAURANTS ARE VERY LIMITED.
Any advice, polite comments are appreciated.

Central Oregon is way more Conservative than Portland........ Being gay will you have any problems in Central Oregon??..... Most likely not.

Central Oregon is a BEAUTIFUL place...... and that is why so many want to live here. Also, yes home prices are going up (and fast)...... Like almost everywhere else..... But in all honesty when you compare $ for $ you will get allot more house here than you will get in other desirable places on the west coast.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

SunRiver is how Disney would design a mountain enclave. Sort of Rancho Bernardo in the Cascades. ie: built to California tastes and expectations without the intrusion of reality. I'd be surprised if you find any cheap rentals there. It's really lovely and rather expensive.

La Pine is cheap but it is awkward to get to Bend in the winter. The highway can be really bad. Not the place to live if you work in Bend.

I don't think Bend is particularly liberal, but even though the population is not really very high percentage of Oregonians, the city has that Oregon attitude of live and let live. Nobody cares, nobody wants to know whether or not you are gay, as long as you are not obnoxious about it. Your neighbors will be more interested in what outdoor sports activities you are doing.

Rents in Redmond are cheaper. If you live in Redmond, you pretty much have to travel to Bend for activities and shopping. No one in Redmond wants to know about your sexual preferences. They would consider it to be none of their business. Redmnd is more conservative than Bend, ans as far as I know has voted to not allow any marijuana shops. (I think that got finalized)

Economic base in bend is going to be limited to tourism and at some point in the future, the university. There is some manufacturing, but it is all small scale. Both water and transportation limit what can be done. Also, limited electrical ability has stopped several large (international) computer type companies from moving in. They can't get enough juice to run their computers.

[Steve Pickering]

Sun River is not for those who must watch their Pennies. My Brother's (Three of them), Mother, and myself have had Properties in and around Sun River for years. These are not Cabins in the Woods (Although my brother does actually have a cabin in the woods at Water Wonderland for sale right now.)

Gay is not unusual. Unless you are trolling for dates there is really no reason to mention it.

The area is Conservative, but Sun River has a liberal enclave.

[pjvanvox]

Okay, what most of you said is pretty much what I assumed.

We did notice that the cabin was an actual house--not the grey/beige/brown houses in Sunriver Proper--and it was below the lodgey/villagey area of sun river .. and called "Bend" even though it is further south of Sunriver.

We also keep wondering what do all the people moving to Bend do for a living? There are literally dozens of houses being built. For a town where the main industry seems to be tourism these days..I just wondered how many jobs there actually were to support all this growth!

We have enough outdoor activities from biking, camping, hiking, to downhill skiing (Bachelor only 45 mins to an hour away instead of a 3-4 hour drive plus an overnight trip will be good ).

Good comments about the roads in winter.. We never considered that! We prefer to be in Bend for the reasons most of you mention above, but are very drawn to the forest and seclusion too.

[skypros]

Originally Posted by pjvanvox

Good comments about the roads in winter.. We never considered that! We prefer to be in Bend for the reasons most of you mention above, but are very drawn to the forest and seclusion too.

Want Forests and a good road within 1/2 hour to bend...... Might want to check out my Leisure World town of Sisters.

Sunriver/LaPine has mostly Lodge Pole pine...... Know as the Pine Tree Weed

Sisters has Ponderosa and some Juniper

[Coniferian]

We bought in Redmond to get more house for the money. We are retired so we only get to Bend maybe once a week, but it's only 15 miles, so not a BFD. We are liberal but don't know enough people here to comment on the politics and prejudices of the general population. Compared to where we were in Colorado, the weather seems mild to us, but noticed that they don't plow the side streets when there's snow.

[dogflower]

Bend's political climate has changed significantly over the past ten year and Bend proper is liberal (leans Democratic in elections). I don't think you'll face any problems being gay here; like most other places, it's becoming a nonissue. While Sunriver is expensive, the Three Rivers area around it has a range of housing and prices. Because of the higher elevation, there is more snow there and the combination of pine and elevation keeps it on the ground much longer than in Bend. The commute can be challenging.

There is an active Meet Up group for LGBT so you can connect with others and make friends. I think folks new to Bend are especially active in it: A Way To Meetup: For Central Oregon GLBTQ Folks & Families (Bend, OR) - Meetup

I can'r answer your questions about where all the new residents are working; it baffles me, too. But as the city grows, so does its infrastructure and new schools are built, more medical clinics expand, more restaurants open, entrepreneurs open shop and so it goes....

[whirnot]

There are a number of properties in Three Rivers south, the area you are mentioning. They can range from $50,000 to $5,000,000 and be almost side by side. That is something we found unusual. The area is higher and colder than Bend, and gets about twice the snow. Someone told me it is callled the "Ice Box of Oregon." But if you like snow as we do it should be fine. As far as politics I see some ore more outspoken than others but a real mix. We like the Forest and chose to build there. It is true Sisters has pondeBullBoxer31 instead of Lodgepole, but we found too many limitations there.