Anything on Bend

[Patentshark]

Moved to Bend from San Diego and its the best choice I ever made. People here are very friendly. Last night we attended one of the many concerts at the Old Mill center. Bend is a wonderful place to move and reminds me of San Diego 25 years ago.

One thing that really helped was finding a wonderful Realtor who moved from California herself about 15 years ago. She knew the town and where to buy a home, but, she also knew the problems of moving from another State into Oregon and was my coach so to speak, on moving here. She still is.

[Nalahacjr]

Thank you so much! Is it too much to ask for the name of the realtor??

[Nalahacjr]

Originally Posted by Patentshark

By the way, prices are way down here and its a buyers market.

Thanks again. You Oregonians seem like really great people! Really? It is a buyers market? I thought prices were stil soaring out there??

[tasmtairy]

I lived in Oregon for 5 years, moved there from CA. I went to Bend to get relief from my job and loved the high desert, openess, beautiful mountains. Lovely ranches, spread out, very country. It was one of my fav places to go when I lived in Salem, Or.
Good luck!!!

[dssonnier]

I have lived in Bend for 15 years. I have watched it grow from a friendly small town to a miniture California complete with the rude driving and superior attitude. Housing has become ridiculous for the income level of this area. I once had a native tell me Bend was, "proverty with a view." That was 6 years ago. The reason was all of the transplants selling their home for hundreds of thousands of dollars and throwing that money into Bend's housing market. Now locals can't afford homes or find jobs. All of our children now have to leave this area because they can't afford to live here.

Our little city was not intended to have such a fast growth rate and now our schools are crowded, our streets are crowded and our scenery is disappearing. Gangs have moved in and so has snobbery.

I like many long term residents and native hate what Bend has become and wish people would stop moving here.

[kirade]

Hello, just wondering after another winter, would you ever move back to the bay area or are you still in love with Bend? We moved up from Palm Desert Ca to Bend and then to Portland where we are now. The rain is too much and we are considering Bend again. Any input would be great. Thanks!

Originally Posted by lscooks

We moved here 2 years ago after considering many places around the country. Like many of the newer residents, we escaped the pace and cost of the SF Bay Area, and have never looked back. Positives include 4 mild seasons (see below), housing costs (see below), no sales tax, very little traffic compared to any large metro areas, very friendly people, good restaurants, lots to do outside, and some incredible scenery. You never get over the "ooo's and aaah's" of seeing the Cascades or crossing the Deschutes at the Healey Bridge.
Negatives include the 4 mild seasons, which are totally unpredictable. It has in fact snowed here on the 4th of July. We haven't gotten snow on Christmas the last two years, but it's snowed on Easter. Plan on 10 inches of rain and 32 inches of snow as an average. Mid-June thru October is beautiful. Warm, occasionally hot, and cool nights.
I definitely disagree with the people who talk about dust and pollution. It's a very clean place to live. We do get smoke occasionally, as does any locale where there's lots of forested areas nearby. This also happens in San Diego and various parts of L.A. Fact of life.
I'm a real estate broker, and housing is interesting, currently. It's way cheaper than the Bay Area, but still higher than many parts of the country. Portland's higher than we are, and the traffic and rainfall up there are ridiculous. It's a 3 1/2 hour ride when you want to visit.
Overall, a very nice place to live. You're isolated enough from the hustle and bustle, but it's still accessible when people want to visit.