Crooked River Ranch (Portland, Bend, Redmond: crime, house, neighborhoods)

[lisalynn20]

I would like to know the pros and cons of living at Crooked River Ranch. I drove around the ranch and looked at a house a couple of weeks ago. I loved the "feel" of the area, especially the area on the bluff overlooking the canyon. Are there hiking trails in the canyon? I thought the housing prices were very reasonable, considering many have great views and land (I'm used to Portland area housing prices). Besides views and a little bit of land, having a community is also important. In looking at the Crooked River Ranch website, calendar of events, etc., it appears it would be a nice community. Any insights of this area would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[PNW-type-gal]

As a full- or part-time home? Will you need to find work locally, or are you retired or working remotely? All of those answers will change the answers you get.

[ABQ2015]

My sister is retired and enjoys living in CCR on five acres with her horse. There are hiking trails in the canyon and riding trails. The neighbors are very friendly but most are close to her age and also own horses. There are community activities and events planned for families with children such as Halloween trick or treating. Also a community church although my sister attends a different church. The local bar/restaurant is a fun place to have a beer and play pool although the food is not that good. There is occasional crime and there have been a couple of murders over the last few years but both were domestic violence, not random crimes.

Drawbacks for me would be the long drive to Bend which takes her 45 minutes. From her house it is 10 miles to the main road and 18 miles to Redmond. But there are other areas of CCR that are more remote and take longer. There is one main entrance and maybe a second back emergency exit. Also some of her neighbors have lots of animals and there does not seem to be an ordinance limiting the number. The lady next door has three roosters plus chickens, four dogs, and several alpacas and horses. It does not bother my sister but gets a little noisy in my opinion. But from taking walks around her neighborhoods, most properties do not have that problem.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Crooked River Ranch is a place that still feels like Oregon. It has the unhurried pace of Oregon time, which has been lost in many places in Oregon.

There is a lot of "homesteading". People raising their own eggs and vegetables. I had assorted fruit trees, apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines. When neighbors saw that the fruit trees were working for me, many of the neighbors also put in fruit trees.

The bottom of the canyon that is now Lake Billy Chinook used to be covered in fruit orchards and that area is right next to CRR.

There is a tiny store and a restaurant, but most shopping is done in Redmond. On the north end of Redmond is a very good Walmart store for grocery shopping and that is convenient. The grocery store in Terrebonne is good, has a good hot deli, and that is closer to CRR. Costco means a trip to Bend.

Weather is better than weather in Bend. There is much less snow.

Many of the properties have stunning mountain views.

There seem to be lots of kids because I see fully loaded school buses, but it is a long drive for the kids to get to school.

Fees for the beautiful golf course are low for the residents and there are tennis courts and a huge pool that are no additional charge for residents. Association fees are low, especially considering what they cover.