Meeting Friends in Bend (renting, credit, townhouse)

[Erikitty]

Hi everyone!
I'm delighted to say that me, my boyfriend, and his 3 kids are all moving down to Bend. My boyfriend just accepted a job down there and we will be moving at the end of August! We are so excited- Bend is our favorite place! We are renting a townhouse near old mill and are busy planning the move.
My question is- how do people meet friends in Bend? I do not yet have a job, we don't go to church and I am much younger than most of the parents of my boyfriends kids friends.
Any recommendations?

[Bendite]

What an exciting time for you! Welcome to Bend! One of the biggest complaints I hear is how hard it is to make friends here. My first comment would be that you are the one who needs to make the effort - people will not likely come knocking at your door. I suggest joining a group or groups where you have interests: biking, running, quilting, book club, X-country skiiing etc. Check out what classes and activities REI is offering, volunteer at the High Desert Museum or at one of the theatrical/musical groups, take a cooking class at Allyson's Kitchen, an adult ballet class at the Academie de Ballet, volunteer at one of the community outdoor activities such as the upcoming Duck Race or at one of the upcoming foot races if you yourself don't run (they always seem to need help), sign up for a class at COCC (if you can get into one - it's crowded), and go to one of the brew pubs on a night they have live entertainment.

[delta07]

I think Bendite has some great suggestions. I'm relatively new to Bend (moved here just over two years ago) and my husband and I are in our early 30s with no kids. He had a job lined up but I didn't. I was a little worried about making friends too, but so far we've managed to find a good group of people. My husband is a hobby musician, so he answered a few ads on craigslist looking for people to jam with, and this helped us to find a few friends. We've also made friends with many of his co-workers. Bend, IMO, is an easier place to make friends than many of the other small towns I've lived in. I would say most people that live in Bend are from somewhere else so they are pretty open to new friendships. You'll be moving here after all the great summer happenings, but there is still a lot going on out there. Get out, head to the gym, take a class (COCC for college credit is probably full but you can do the community learning classes which are easy to get in), and introduce yourself to people. It's hard, I'm a shy person, so if my husband didn't do all the work to get us some friends I'd probably be in a different boat. Best of luck on your move. Bend is a great place to live and kudos to your boyfriend for landing a job!

[Erikitty]

Bendite and Delta-
thank you so much for your suggestions. They definitely made me feel better!

Another question: Could anyone suggest a yoga studio with good teachers and an affordable intro rate?

Also, are there any good community theatre companies?

Thanks again!

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Erikitty

Bendite and Delta-
thank you so much for your suggestions. They definitely made me feel better!

Another question: Could anyone suggest a yoga studio with good teachers and an affordable intro rate?

Also, are there any good community theatre companies?

Thanks again!

I sometimes do yoga at Juniper Fitness, which is very affordable, but probably doesn't have the best teachers in town. There are so many yoga studios I would really know one to suggest, but I do think a friend of mine goes to Asmi Yoga and likes it.

I'm not sure about community theatre- I believe one recently closed down its doors. Don't know if there are any others. Maybe Bendite knows.

[Bendite]

In my limited yoga experience, I've found so much depends on who is teaching and whether there is a connect or not. Bend has several yoga studios. Iyenga offers free introductory classes for Bend residents, so you could start with them. Bend Parks and Recreation also offers yoga and theirs would be reasonably priced.

Try the Cascades Theatrics Company. Also, the lady who owns 2nd Street Theater no longer does productions as far as I know, but you could contact her via the 2nd Street Theater website and ask about any groups that are renting her theater.