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If so, could you give your impressions.. I know there is a vast difference in locations, but the weather is in my interest. Both places have, what seems to me, an all year round livable and comfortable weather pattern. The summer in RR is not quite as warm, generally, as a lot of southern desert towns, and, actually, not much warmer than Redmond.....and the winters don't have the snow, or as many freezing days as Redmond. Does it really balance out?
On the other hand, RR does not have as much greenery, and Redmond is more comfortable in the summer. Redmond, as you know, is cold in winter, seems like a lot colder than RR.
They are close in cost of moving there, as well as cost of living. They are both gorgeous, with different types of scenic rewards.
There are zillions of 'points' to consider...Redmond, you can drive to the coast and back in a day. RR, you almost need to take a plane, or a long trip!
Water is more abundant in Redmond-very few 'lawns' in RR. Redmond has a real town feel....RR has just started building a city center. It has shopping, but no real 'downtown' area.
Thanks. I'm just venting outloud (or on paper) to get an insider opinion, if someone has seen and/or lived in BOTH places!
Thanks,
FRED
PS We are planning a trip to Redmond next weekend, and then to RR in about 4-5 weeks, so I will get 'eyes on' both places soon. I just respect the value of first-hand info from someone who has been both places, and know what the in's and out's are.
I lived in Eugene, which is close but drastically different, I realize, but I'm a flyfisherman, so Bend was a frequent destination, I'll do my best to compair, contrast for you.
Bend is a little more "outdoorsy" but not by the factor you'd think... it's a little better developed for skiing, mountain biking, and much better for flyfishing, but none of those things are unobtainable here, and in a slightly-more-limited in choices capacity, can be just as fun.
Bend does get colder, RR gets hotter, but not as much as you'd think. They're both "high desert" so the only real difference is latitude, so you notice it. Winter in RR is more likely to have nice days, I think it's really actually better here.
Bend's cost of living has taken a huge hit lately, but it's still significantly more expensive. I'm still befuddled around here sometimes at dinner for 2 being $25, Groceries being much less expensive, and utilities being much more reasonable.
I found Bend to be populated by highly unapproachable people, not that RR's aren't, but moreso in Bend. There's a certain arrogance/insider's club to Bend residents that you won't find in RR, but there's a suspicion here that accomplishes the same thing.
Bend is gentrified to an extreme... ethnic restaurants are limited, cultural functions are rare and very ethnocentric, RR blows this away. Especially tied to the next point...
Bend is isolated. RR isn't on the edge of an awesome city but it is on the edge of city that offers a plethora of diverse cultural opportunities for food, museums, entertainment, events whatever... Bend has Portland, which is way more interesting than ABQ, but it's a lot further away and in the winter can even be inaccessable for days at a time. (This hits air travel too, bear in mind, if you travel for work or family... Bend's access to Portland gets nightmarish in a good snowstorm. ) However, on a grander scale, ABQ's offers more locally, but less within a 4 hour drive, as you touched on. Bend has access to the Coast, to Mt. Bachelor, to the Washington wine country, to the oregon wine country, etc... RR has access to Santa Fe, Taos, and... um... yea. Flagstaff is about 4.5 hours, I guess.
If you're headed to Bend, you really better be taking a job with you right now. RR's not ideal, but there are jobs to be had, Bend in specific (and OR as a whole) is drowning in unemployment. (Bend relies very heavily on tourism $$ and they're not coming in like people would hope...)
You didn't say if schools matter... RR schools are quite good, as a whole, and getting better in many ways. OR has underfunded education for 2 decades now and is really starting to reel from the results of those choices. If you're bringing money with you, though, there are two exceptionally good private schools with big price tags, in all honesty two of the best private K-12 programs in the NW.
So, that's my take, there's not a "better" as much as there's a "best fit for you." In the interest of disclosure, I'm actually considering moving there... but I'm kind of a one-button guy. The San Juan, the Jemez, and the Rio Grande are pretty good flyfishing, but they'll never begin to rival the Deschutes, the Clearwater, and the holy waters of the McKenzie.
I lived in Eugene, which is close but drastically different, I realize, but I'm a flyfisherman, so Bend was a frequent destination, I'll do my best to compair, contrast for you.
Bend is a little more "outdoorsy" but not by the factor you'd think... it's a little better developed for skiing, mountain biking, and much better for flyfishing, but none of those things are unobtainable here, and in a slightly-more-limited in choices capacity, can be just as fun.
Bend does get colder, RR gets hotter, but not as much as you'd think. They're both "high desert" so the only real difference is latitude, so you notice it. Winter in RR is more likely to have nice days, I think it's really actually better here.
Bend's cost of living has taken a huge hit lately, but it's still significantly more expensive. I'm still befuddled around here sometimes at dinner for 2 being $25, Groceries being much less expensive, and utilities being much more reasonable.
I found Bend to be populated by highly unapproachable people, not that RR's aren't, but moreso in Bend. There's a certain arrogance/insider's club to Bend residents that you won't find in RR, but there's a suspicion here that accomplishes the same thing.
Bend is gentrified to an extreme... ethnic restaurants are limited, cultural functions are rare and very ethnocentric, RR blows this away. Especially tied to the next point...
Bend is isolated. RR isn't on the edge of an awesome city but it is on the edge of city that offers a plethora of diverse cultural opportunities for food, museums, entertainment, events whatever... Bend has Portland, which is way more interesting than ABQ, but it's a lot further away and in the winter can even be inaccessable for days at a time. (This hits air travel too, bear in mind, if you travel for work or family... Bend's access to Portland gets nightmarish in a good snowstorm. ) However, on a grander scale, ABQ's offers more locally, but less within a 4 hour drive, as you touched on. Bend has access to the Coast, to Mt. Bachelor, to the Washington wine country, to the oregon wine country, etc... RR has access to Santa Fe, Taos, and... um... yea. Flagstaff is about 4.5 hours, I guess.
If you're headed to Bend, you really better be taking a job with you right now. RR's not ideal, but there are jobs to be had, Bend in specific (and OR as a whole) is drowning in unemployment. (Bend relies very heavily on tourism $$ and they're not coming in like people would hope...)
You didn't say if schools matter... RR schools are quite good, as a whole, and getting better in many ways. OR has underfunded education for 2 decades now and is really starting to reel from the results of those choices. If you're bringing money with you, though, there are two exceptionally good private schools with big price tags, in all honesty two of the best private K-12 programs in the NW.
So, that's my take, there's not a "better" as much as there's a "best fit for you." In the interest of disclosure, I'm actually considering moving there... but I'm kind of a one-button guy. The San Juan, the Jemez, and the Rio Grande are pretty good flyfishing, but they'll never begin to rival the Deschutes, the Clearwater, and the holy waters of the McKenzie.
Hit me with a PM if you want specifics.
-Z
I'm saying thanks here, and I will PM you. But your description is understandable, and informative. Thanks again,
Fred
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thanks for a thorough response
