Should we even consider Bend??? (Portland, Salem: rental, crime rates, house)

[ldm883]

I live and work in the Bend area, grew up around Portland and have been on work related business to about every town in this wonderful state. If you are looking for a "nice" place to live, with good schools, lots of recreation activities, things to do with family and friends when they visit and a small town Mayberry (well, almost!) feel I would consider the town of Sisters. It's located about 20 miles west of Bend and is a destination resort town because the whole town is created in an old time, tho modern, western flair. Lots of shops, festivals, and you can either live within walking distance to town, or out a bit where folks keep horses etc. We spent some time here when my kids were in the 4th and 5th grades and I can't think of a better school system in Oregon. This whole town (even 2nd and 3rd homers) get behind the schools and donate money from festivals, etc to the art and music programs, sports and such. The kids are far enough away from Bend that the big city stuff doesn't come into play until they can drive! And truly there's a feeling of safety in this little town when your kids are out just being kids. Neighbors get together, there's old fashioned block parties, lots of quilters and sewers, and folks generally watch out for each other. The city of Bend is becoming a great place too, with trendy little sections like "Old Mill District", Dowtown Biz district, Drake Park. You've got skiing and snowboarding, high lakes for fishing and water sports, horseback riding....and lots of sunshine!! It gets cold and it does snow, but the sun always comes out and warms things up, and the snow is usually the dry powdery kind, not icey stuff like the Columbia Gorge. I work in real estate and tho the prices for this area climbed like everywhere, it's now a buyers market and you can get some really great creative deals with sellers....like more appliances, sellers to pay all closing costs, things like that. New 3 bed/2 bath homes are running around $289K to $499K (the latter has creek frontage). Check out the towns online! Or let me know and I'll get some info from the chambers sent to you....The Central Oregon Visitors Guide covers Bend, Sisters, Sunriver, LaPine, Redmond, & Prineville, and each of the towns has it's own too.
Linda

[clh2773]

Thai,
I couldn't agree with you more! I am from So Cal and live in So Cal and I hate it. We lived in Bend 10 years ago when my husband was transferred there. I loved it and would have stayed had he not gotten transferred back to So Cal. It is the greedy developers and city councils with no backbone who only see money coming in that has caused the problem in Bend. I am so angry about that. I want out of the crowds in California. I want to contribute something positive to my community and to know my neighbors. My son is going to college in Bend and says he is not coming back to CA. I don't blame him. He is a Forestry Management student. I don't want to move to a place that is going to get just as bad as California. What's the change? I love the East coast but can't convince my husband to move there. I have a sister on Long Island and would love to go there. I don't know where is a good place to go for a sense of community and a respect for the environment.

[Thai]

Salem has a lot of nice ameneties, being Oregon's capitol, but summer air pollution with ozone is pretty bad in the I-5 corridor of Oregon. Also, it's east of the highway so the winds carry the ozone right to Salem.

[MackMichaels]

Hello,

I want to say thanks and I appreciate the useful info about the Bend area.
I also will be visiting there before I move there toward the end of this year and this will be easy because I'm already an Oregonian. I've lived several other places and despite a relatively depressed economy and job market, Oregon still makes up for it in several other ways and of course, it's my "home state". I do find it odd that folks that do their research here somehow decide they don't like SoCal after all and now Oregon and particularly Bend are where they want to go or are looking into. Did you not get an adequate idea of SoCal before you moved there and realize facts such as they don't have "four seasons"? Why Oregon? Naturally people come from everywhere, but the huge population increase in the greater Portland area and Bend are Californians. That's not just bias, but rather observation. I have co-workers and relatives that have done just that--moved to OR from CA. I'm just curious because there are other bordering states to CA such as Nevada and Arizona that would be easy to move to. Granted they tend to have the same issues as CA such as heat, overpopulated/crowded areas and high crime, so I suppose as was mentioned earlier, Oregon is a "nice place" that has been discovered in a big way. I just want to get some opinions of those from especially CA that do now live in Bend.

[rushenee]

I lived in Bend from 1964 until I graduated from high school in 1981. There were two streets that made up downtown and one main highway to the east that served as the commerce growth area. As kids we never passed a person on the street without looking them in the eye and saying hello. It wasn't until I got older and traveled a bit did I realize how uncommon this practice was. My parents had "spies" in the community who told them what me and my sister were doing before we even got home. Crime was virtually unheard of, we didn't lock our doors at night or worry about putting our toys, bikes, etc. away at the end of the day.

We rode to the east of town to go "spelunking" in the lava caves, rode to the west of town to "motocross" in the lava pits, rode to the north of town to swim in the Deschutes river and sun ourselves on the "high rocks", and rode to the south of town to "shoot the rapids" at Big Eddy or to ski at Mt. Bachelor. Sagebrush and desert to the east, forest and mountains to the west, a river running right through town. The smell of fresh cut wood from the three large mills that ran 3 shifts a day was comforting. We joked about the weather, using the terms Cold, Crisp and Clear to describe winter days. Bend only had three seasons, we'd say, July, August and Winter. It was idyllic, in my young mind.

I went back for my 20th high school reunion in 2001 and haven't been back since. I didn't recognize the town. Streets I'd expected to drive down had been replaced by By-passes, the mills turned into shopping centers, my beloved lava pits were replaced with condominiums, what was once the "end of town" became the center of town and subdivision after subdivision sprawled over the desert lands and forest.

The nearest town, Redmond, which used to take forever to drive to (17 miles away) was now connected by commercial sprawl with Bend. The high rocks we lazed on for many summer days were now fenced off and off limits, being claimed by a resort that grew up over the years in that spot. River rafting guides claimed the water of the Deschutes and you needed a permit to drop a fishing pole in the river. Skiing at Mt. Bachelor, once a given for any person who wanted to as a season's pass was affordable to most, became a sport for the wealthy.

I also found that the traffic was miserable. Cars lined up at intersections that hadn't been built for 100,000 people, rather for the 13,000 that were the backbone there for so many years. With the population growth and the sprawl that had taken place, some form of public transit is needed, but is non-existent. My little town had turned into a little California and the newcomers had razed the areas of forest, pine needles, sagebrush and lava and paved over it and put up huge, ultra-expensive houses in communities that had rules such as the one where a homeowner wasn't allowed to hang their laundry outside to dry on a clothesline as it may cause the neighbors, what...embarrassment?

My classmates who remained in Bend those 20 years were lucky to buy their houses early on, as most said they'd have to leave if they were trying to establish themselves there now. Most jobs were low paying, service related positions, fast-food, hotels, tourist type. And although the newcomers showed up in droves, selling homes in California and using their profits to buy at outlandish prices in Bend, they didn't bring any industry, as they had savings and retirement money to live off. The division between rich and poor is glaring. Until there are businesses that produce products, not just services, and living wage jobs are established, the gap will continue to widen because there's no way for the poor to get a leg up.

Most shocking to me, though, was how insulated from the world we were, and they still are, living in Bend. I noticed that there was no diversity, most people I saw were Caucasian, they dressed alike, talked alike and acted alike. Most drove large SUVs, drank fancy coffees, dressed like they were "hip mountain people" in their Levi's, hiking boots, down vests and flannel shirts. It was like the people came from a cookie cutter, were told what to think, what to wear, how to act and how to not be an individual for fear of standing out. It all seemed to phony baloney and I couldn't get out of there fast enough and return to Portland where, although small in comparison to many other major cities, there are people of different cultures, races and mind sets.

It took me 25 years to understand why my husband (born and raised in Manhattan, NYC) called me a naive small town girl all the time. It took going back to Bend, seeing where and how I was raised to realize that I knew NOTHING about the world and the other people who live in it. So if you want to send your children to school filled with cookie cutter white kids who'll never learn to accept people of other races or nationalities, to believe that they are the norm and anyone who is different is an oddity, then you'll love Bend.

[rural lady]

I totally agree with you, I lived in Bend for years I moved to Bend in 1985 it was so beautiful and charming, then all the rules started to change people were moving in, they wanted culture and opera and all the things they left behind, so why did they move to Bend in the first place, no doubt sold their 500,000 or million dollar home to buy a same kind of home in OR at 1/8 the price of elsewhere. this drove housing prices up so that the locals could not even afford housing back around 1993 so lots of locals moved to LaPine, Madras, or Powell Butte or Christmas Valley or Brothers, back in 1992 I started to hear the expression "Poverty with a view", I have since moved, i miss it dearly, i don't miss the parkway they made or all the stores on 3rd street, I heard the road to powell butte is all homes now, what a shame, i used to love to drive to Prineville that way, i can't imagine not seeing my desert. Where is all the water coming from? I guess the antelope are gone also. I was sad to hear Jakes Diner is no longer what it was, I miss the burritos and the drive thru latte stands, some states have not got on to this now, we are just getting real Latte's in our Sheetz's stores here, I hope they figure out to do a drivethru. Wish I could move back, but the housing is way out of control, I am looking at other states in the NW now and really the new people who moved to Bend are just not the same as back in 1985, I've been gone for over 5 yrs now, I can just imagine from what I've heard, how different it is now, maybe John Day has grown also. People just can't leave well enough alone.

[R4E]

I have lived in Bend for the last 6 years and there has been a lot of change. I also sold real estate in the middle three years I have been here. I am not particularly fond of the HUGE amount of growth here, but it still has a small town feel. The housing industry here went throught a boom, but as the saying goes... "For every boom there is a bust". I have not been a Realtor for nearly a year, but I too keep a close watch on the market. It is definitely a good time to buy, as there a lot of home owners looking to sell. As far as Bend being so good or bad, it is really what you are looking for that will make the difference.

I have two children in school here and I really like it. There are plenty of nice people here and I seem to run into quite a few that are looking for the same thing as you.

As far as trees, the forest is the best place to get that around here. As far as commuting from here to Portland, that depends on how often you make that trip. Since you are from snow country, I don't think that Winter will pose a problem for you. Hwy 26 is my favorite through Winter. There is about 3 hour drive from Bend to Portland, so not feasible for everyday commutes.

There are things I do not like so much about living here and my husband really does not like it here at all, but it all depends on what you are looking for and how many towns and cities you have experienced.

[illinoisboy]

I don't really understand why everyone makes such a big deal about Bend getting bigger. I mean here in Chicagoland, just about every single city is expanding, especially places like Elgin, Naperville, and Saint Charles. Sure everyone talks about it, but for the most part they say how good it is. It just means more businessess and more things to do on the weekend. If I had a chance to move to Bend, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It has plenty of things in town, plus a ton of fun things to do out of town, like skiing, hiking, and boating. I don't think I'd really mind the size at all. I don't know, it's just my opinion.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by illinoisboy

I don't really understand why everyone makes such a big deal about Bend getting bigger. I mean here in Chicagoland, just about every single city is expanding, especially places like Elgin, Naperville, and Saint Charles. Sure everyone talks about it, but for the most part they say how good it is. It just means more businessess and more things to do on the weekend. If I had a chance to move to Bend, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It has plenty of things in town, plus a ton of fun things to do out of town, like skiing, hiking, and boating. I don't think I'd really mind the size at all. I don't know, it's just my opinion.

The worry is, when will the growth stop. I think we all realize growth is inevitable, but we have to manage it somehow. No one wants Bend to turn into the next metropolitan area. So many places are growing so quickly that they become this massive urban sprawl that makes a town lose its character. I am seeing this where I live in Colorado right now. This is one of the many reasons I have chosen to relocate to Bend. If Bend were to continue growing at the rate it has been, it would certainly rival some of the smaller cities in the west that boast metro areas. I don't think that would be a good thing. Sure there will be more business, but there will also be more crime and less connection to the natural beauty that brings most people to Bend in the first place. If you want LA, Chicago, or any other large city then why not move there? I want a place to slow down, and get away from the city.

[timber mt]

I love Bend. But I don't go there for diversity of culture , to garden , or try to make any money there. Forget those 3 things...Bend isn't the place for that. Bend is an awesome place for outdoor fun! Ski, mountain bike in the mountains or ride dirt bikes (yes, the kind with a motor) out in the high desert. Thats why I go there, when I'm done having fun and spending money I go back home. I woudn't move there without plenty of money or a for sure great paying job waiting.