Bend, or Redmond. (Astoria, Prineville: how much, house prices, job market)

[Raam]

Hello, folks.

My wife and I currently live in Arizona. I am originally from Oregon. I was born in Astoria. I lived in Bend most of life, however.

Next year we are looking into moving back to Oregon, and I CANNOT WAIT! I want to move back to Bend, since it's always been my home. I can settle for Redmond, though, since I have lived there for about a year.

I know, from talking to all of my old friends in Bend, that Bend has changed a lot in the eight years I have been gone. I have been mainly hearing that Bend has gotten more expensive to live, and not very many jobs. Which is why I have been debating Redmond, as well, because I have heard Redmond is not as bad.

How much has Redmond grown in the last ten years? How is the job market in both? (I am currently working for the power company here, taking GPS invintory on all of the power poles in the area. I also have a lot of heavy eqipment experience.) Has Bend gotten outragiously expensive, and is Redmond any cheaper?

Thanks.

[John Shaft]

According to some recent statistics, Central Oregon is experiencing its worst unemployment rate in about 18 years (Deschutes County is over 8% and Crook County is over 10%). The good news is that if you have a job you can bring with you, it's very much a buyer's market for homes. However, even with the softening, prices are quite a bit higher than they were 8 years ago. (It looks like things are still near the top of the roller coaster and are just now picking up speed downward.)

Redmond's job market is pretty closely tied in with Bend, IMO. Basically many of the locals were priced out of Bend and had to relocate to Redmond or Prineville but kept their jobs in Bend. If the Californians aren't retiring there in droves (because California house prices have tanked), there's little construction work to build out-of-place-looking homes for them, or jobs serving them coffee. (Oops, did I show my biases?)