bend, oregon (Medford, Redmond, Eagle Point: live, restaurants, shops)

[kraus020237]

I'd like info on annual climate patterns, cultural/lifestlye data, skiing, etc in and around Bend, Oregon.

[PNW-type-gal]

Since your questions are generic at this point: if you use the SEARCH function at the top of the page, and search in the Oregon forum, you'll get probably 20 threads from just the last two months answering these questions.

Likewise, if you go here:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Bend-Oregon.html

you'll get the City Data summary of Bend's info

[mddd]

weather dot com has a weather comparison tool if you want to compare to other cities.

good to excellent cross country skiing opportunities and Mount Bachelor for downhill- all just minutes from Bend.

very active outdoor community.

Mild four seasons. Some winter conditions in town but melts off. But can drive up the hill to hit snow within 10 minute drive.

culture is similar to many other outdoor mountain communities. Limited if you are into opera etc. Lots of open air concerts, farmers markets etc.

[Bendite]

Originally Posted by kraus020237

I'd like info on annual climate patterns, cultural/lifestlye data, skiing, etc in and around Bend, Oregon.

Are you wanting a comparison of Eagle to Bend?

[kraus020237]

I've gotten 3 hits so far and I want to respond to all. To PNW-type-gal: Thanks for the tip I'm going there in a minute. To Mddd: Thanks. Regarding weather I wanted to hear it from the grass roots. To Bendite: No, but a comparison to Summit county CO (Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne) would be good. Again, THANKS!

[Bendite]

Originally Posted by kraus020237

To Bendite: No, but a comparison to Summit county CO (Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne) would be good. Again, THANKS!

It would probably be a closer comparison using Bend and Boulder than Bend to Summit County. First as to alpine skiing - Bend offers Mt. Bachelor which at times has wonderful powder comparable to Colorado. It's often windy and the conditions can vary widely, but it gets a lot of snow - 370 inches average annually. There are two other ski mountains in easy driving distance - Hoodoo and Willamette Pass. Compared to Summit County, I think overall people would prefer Summit County's offerings. For Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, there is a lot of beautiful terrain here.

Bend offers less fine dining than it used to because of the economic downturn. Some of our better restaurants have been replaced with less expensive options, but there is a large selection of dining options nonetheless. We have an outlet store area that is much, much smaller than Silverthorne has but otherwise, shopping is probably similar to Summit County. There are lots of outdoor activities all around Central Oregon that I think exceed what's offered in Summit (and easier due to lower altitude). Public transportation is minimal here, unlike your free rides from village to village. We don't offer the fun atmosphere of a mining town like Breckenridge, but we have a faux western town called Sisters nearby Bend that has lots of little specialty shops like Breck has. We don't get nearly the influx of European visitors as Summit County, but a lot of our industry is tourist-based like Summit's. The majority of our visitors are from California and Washington and our fellow Oregonians.

Weather is more like Boulder than in Summit County because of altitude, though we are high desert here so the vegetation is not alike. Statistically very similar weather, but on a day-by-day basis, it feels very different. The sky is a different color, we don't get diastrous hail storms, it cools down beautifully at night even on the hottest days.

Hope this helps.

[kraus020237]

Mr. Bendite, I thank you for a thorough answer. It looks like you have either lived in summit County or visit a lot. The reason I asked for that comparison is because my heart is in Summit County. We lived there for 12 years but my wife was offered a job in Eagle that she couldn't refuse. Now we are thinking of moving to a significantly lower elevation that still has skiing (all kinds), doesn't get too hot in the summer and offers the kind of environment we're used to. Bend seems like it might fit the bill but we are still looking and will probably take a trip or two to several places. Of course, jobs enter into it and will ultimately carry a lot of weight. Again, Thanks!!!

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by kraus020237

We lived there for 12 years but my wife was offered a job in Eagle that she couldn't refuse.

The only "Eagle" I know of in Oregon is Eagle Point, over by Medford, which is NOT commuting distance to Bend. I suppose you could mean the Eagle Crest the golf course/resort community near Redmond?

[delta07]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

The only "Eagle" I know of in Oregon is Eagle Point, over by Medford, which is NOT commuting distance to Bend. I suppose you could mean the Eagle Crest the golf course/resort community near Redmond?

I'm pretty sure the OP was referring to Eagle, CO where he currently lives.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by delta07

I'm pretty sure the OP was referring to Eagle, CO where he currently lives.

*smacks forehead*

You mean like it says, over there to the far right of his name?

Sigh. Never mind, carry on.