Should we even consider Bend??? (Portland, Richland: insurance, condo, new home)

[mncamper]

I've been reading many posts and comments about people either considering Bend or have already moved there. I'm looking for even more feedback. My husband is looking at a possible job, that way and we would be moving away from everything we know. Were coming from Duluth, Minnesota. We know no one, and the housing is more pricy in that part of the country. Any thoughts? How has it went for others. We also need great schools. We have a son & daughter. (1st grade & 6th grade) Schools are important, and social outlets for me. I'm really a social person and love to talk. So friendly neighbors are important. Please give me some feedback

[Larry Caldwell]

There are some social differences between Oregon and the Midwest. People out here don't "neighbor" as much as they do in the Midwest. Instead, people form associations and friendships based on mutual interest. Your school age children will provide an almost immediate circle of associates, and you can find your friends there.

Beyond that, you are going to have to look at living expenses, the potential of the new job, and decide if the move makes financial success. If you are in an occupation like insurance sales, Bend would be a gold mine. They are projecting a population of 117,000 there within the next 20 years, and most of those people will be looking for a local insurance agent. There are other businesses that cater to a growing population, which is Bend's primary economic appeal.

[mncamper]

Thanks for the onfo. So are you saying that people out West are private? Truthfully, you find a little of that everywhere. No my husband will actually be based out of the Portland area, but it isn't neccesary that we live around there. I heard that Bend is growing but is still a nice place to live. Coming from Northern MN I need tree's. A nice yard would be good also. I do not need to see in my neighbors windows! Maybe I'll have to look at insurance instead of sales Thanks for your help. Have you lived in Bend long???

[buzzkirk]

Coincidentally, I moved from Bend to the rural east end of Duluth last year and I love it here so much more than Bend, which in my opinion has been turned into an overdeveloped ghetto for the rich and arrogant. My blood boils when I think of what's happened to that place. Bend's original inhabitants, very nice and real people, have been squeezed out by astronomical property taxes due to hyper-escalated property values driven by Californians, who are generally an uncouth lot. If you want trees and acreage you will pay a premium for that - otherwise, the houses have no real yards to speak of and since it's a high desert climate - cold and dry in the winter (although heavy snows are possible and frequent) and hot and dry in the summer - not much grows there without great effort; sub-freezing temps are possible any month of the year. The joke in Bend was "you can't grow tomatoes here." The summer humidity can be in the single digits which may sound nice but is actually quite tiresome in the long term. Also, recent zoning changes, ostensibly to promote "infill" was really just to placate developers who want to jam an overpriced condo onto every square inch of available land, damn the aesthetics. You could easily end up with a two-story, $2m "mother-in-law cottage" staring down at you from the neighbor's backyard. The forest around Bend is a monoculture of Ponderosa Pine and to the east juniper. Forest fires are common in summer and contribute to the summer air pollution that the tourist brochures don't mention. Because of all the RV tourists and unceasing development with its attendant heavy machinery, diesel pollution is widespread and exacerbated by the mountain inversion factor that keeps pollutants trapped in the city, including the "moon dust" of pulverized volcanic soil inherant to the natural geology that coats everything so much that even the arrogant steroid-gorged elite mountain bikers don't go out in it for three months. Because so many new people have moved to Bend recently there is no real sense of community, demonstrated by the gutting of the downtown of locally owned businesses, replaced with boutique chain stores carrying overpriced crap which is probably fun for the wealthy botoxed visitors with money but living there day in day out gets old quick and you'll soon grow tired of fighting the traffic and general shallowness of the mindless Californicators who have moved there. So why are so many people moving there? Well, it keeps getting written about in Outside magazine (the recent issue shows a jerk wake-surfing on Cultis Lake, completely at odds with the surroundings). Thank goodness for the "harsh winters" here in Duluth that keeps such riff-raff out.

But don't take my jaded word for it; go for an extended visit before you decide to invest there. If you stay and look around long enough, I think you'll find my descriptions are spot on.

Cheerio, and good luck.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by mncamper

Have you lived in Bend long???

I don't live in Bend, but I have friends there, and I visit them from time to time. They are a young couple in their 30s with one child, and I have been very impressed by their lifestyle, though they have to share a house with his mother to make ends meet. A three generation extended family seems to work well for them. Bend is a young town with an active social scene, so having a built-in grandma/baby sitter is a real advantage.

If your husband is based out of Portland, you should probably stay close to that area. There will be times in the winter when getting from Bend to Portland would be difficult, if not impossible. They really do close the passes during major storms, and there are even times that they close I-84.

[mncamper]

To BuzzKirk, Wowee Sounds like not the place I'm looking for. If you lived in Duluth you know that the winters are really rough in MN, however I've been hearing a lot of Don't move to Bend comments. It's really expensive! Plus, you don't get much home for your$$$$. I'm not in to that at all. Have you ever visited the Tri-Cities area? I've heard a lot of good feedback about the Richland area? I've also looked at homes there online, VERY Nice, and a whole lot more home for your money. The schools aren't rated as high or even close to what were used to here in Esko, MN. But all in all it should be ok. Any thoughts on that area would be helpful. I really appreciated your honest opinion about Bend. To bad the Calif. people drove that out of the ball park, it would have been a neat place I'm sure at one time

[Thai]

buzzkirk, it's the sheer number of people who have moved to Bend in the past ten years, and the city's encouragement of fast growth that's the real problem in Bend, NOT the fact that the people are from California. That's mean!
I admit it's bizzare to see every outlet and chain store one can think of sitting there in what was till recently a peaceful mountain town with a definite rural feel. And the endless developments of new homes don't seem to me to "fit" the area, either, as a long-time (like fifty-five years) Bend visitor. That' what happens to nice places that get "discovered", unfortunately.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Thai

buzzkirk, it's the sheer number of people who have moved to Bend in the past ten years,................. That' what happens to nice places that get "discovered", unfortunately.

All of the talk about Bend reminds me of Yogi Berra's comment about one of his favorite restaurants that became too popular: "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

[kosmo65]

We just bought a house in Bend and will be moving there at the end of the month. The neighbors are friendly (I met three on the street in the span of a few minutes, they all know each other), there are four seasons, I love snow and hate humidity. The town is larger than the old Bend-ites would prefer, but for us it's the perfect size - not too big, not too small. There seems to be a great sense of community there, and I've yet to meet a person there who wasn't open and friendly. Where we live now folks look at you like you're insane if you try to strike up a conversation - not so in Bend.

Buzzkirk, I'm glad you're happy where you are now. I can't wait to move into our new home.

mncamper, do take a trip to Bend to make up your own mind. We're thrilled to be moving to Bend.

(full disclosure: we live in SoCal right now, have been here two years and have to get out. there's NO community here at all. we've also lived in MD and AR.)

[mark batz]

Thai
I see how people in Bend don't like the growth. kosmo65 is right, SoCal is not what I thought it would be either. Time to move.
I hope to take a trip to Bend in september.
I live in Ca. but I'm not from here. I just want a change of seasons again.