Bend vs Redmond/Sammamish vs Kelowna/Vernon (Portland: low crime, home)

[AdventureSeeker1]

I am a 32yr old male and looking to leave Florida after spending 8 years here. I am looking to escape the long summers of extreme heat/humidity and boring lifestyle(beach or bust). I am looking at the Pacific Northwest because I love having significant geographic & climatic diversity(in Florida we don't have the different microclimates and landscapes). I am most interested in living in an area with a population between 75,000 - 200,000. I've been to Redmond/Sammamish and Kelowna/Vernon and loved both. I'm looking at visiting Bend at some time this summer. Most important to me are:
- Natural Beauty (mountains/lakes/rivers)
- Excellent hiking/skiing
- Great golf courses nearby
- Politically moderate (not too liberal or conservative)...I tend to lean center-right fiscally but enjoy the outdoorsy/environmental aspects and indie rock music like a liberal.
- Climate is not an issue(obviously i know that redmond/sammamish is alot more grey and wet than the other two but i'm flexible).
- Job not an issue(work from home and flexible where I live).
- Housing costs(i figure that redmond/sammamish is highest here but likely attributed to seattle/bellevue incomes and no income tax so its probably all relative).
- Low Crime

If you had the choice, of these destinations which would you choose to live in?

[Xanathos]

Well, you described Bend to a T so long as you don't mind being 2.5+ hours away from civilization, and boxed in to the area for half the year if you're concerned about safety driving over snowed out mountain passes.

Central Oregon is an absolutely stunning area, but if you need to work there, you're SOL. The area's motto isn't "poverty with a view" for no reason. I will say this on it: Money Magazine rightfully named it the most overpriced area in the entire country 3 years running, so it's no surprise that it was one of the 3 or 4 worst hit areas in the entire country when the economy went to hell. It's entirely possible the area will never recover, given the massive exodus out of the city that took place coupled with the fact that it's not an area many people consider going TO in the first place.

[ExNooYawk]

Geez, negative answers much?
Adventureseeker, it sounds like you would like Bend very much. It has winter, ergo there is snow. The coast gets rain and fog in the winter. Everyplace has a season that isn't great; Florida has summer, as does Arizona but Oregon has winter. Duh. Do check out Bend and good luck.

[Bendite]

AdventureSeeker1, please ignore most of what Xanathos says about Bend. It is true that there are sometimes storms or bad roads that make driving over the Cascases treacherous, but people make that trip regularly year round. We are hardly boxed in for six months. I disagree that Bend will never recover. In many ways, the downturn will be looked on as a blessing. Bend was getting too big, too fast and the result was we were starting to be lost as a community. That is turning around and eventually the housing market will settle down, the greedy investors will be all gone, and we'll get back on pace. Jobs are hard to find here and when you come for your visit, you need to weigh that as one of the criteria for your move. Bend has always been a place people move TO, and it still is.

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by Bendite

AdventureSeeker1, please ignore most of what Xanathos says about Bend. It is true that there are sometimes storms or bad roads that make driving over the Cascases treacherous, but people make that trip regularly year round. We are hardly boxed in for six months.

From my limited time in Bend thus far (2months now, HA - so take it for what it's worth) I'd agree Bend isn't all that isolated. I have driven from Bend to Portland at the end of February without trouble. That said, a storm here and there a month will lock you in pretty good from what I've heard....Also, the isolation in the winter is one of the biggest qualms I've heard from many previous city dwellers moving here. Funny enough though, isn't that kinda the point?

Originally Posted by Bendite

I disagree that Bend will never recover. In many ways, the downturn will be looked on as a blessing. Bend was getting too big, too fast and the result was we were starting to be lost as a community. That is turning around and eventually the housing market will settle down, the greedy investors will be all gone, and we'll get back on pace. Jobs are hard to find here and when you come for your visit, you need to weigh that as one of the criteria for your move. Bend has always been a place people move TO, and it still is.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

From an outsider moving in and talking to established residents, it seems Bend needed this downturn to 're-find' itself for a lack of a better word.

Also, Bend is and will continue to be a destination to vacation to AND move to. I meet people literally every day (not an exaggeration, at all) who have moved here within the last 5 months.

The town hasn't stopped growing. It has slowed, but it is still growing faster than most cities, towns, etc.