Bend, oregon gods country?

[Diesel Dan]

Hello fellow nw members,

My wife my son and i are considering leaving cal and moving to the northwest. (wife was born in the tri-cities wash area) and on our way thru 2 x-mases ago we went thru bend,Or seems like the perfect place to raise our family(considering a 2nd child) big enough to have all that i need to buy and small enough to feel like we escaped gridlock fwys. can any respond with the pro's and cons of living in this area. Also going thru the area again over x-mas to visit the inlaws and would like to look at some real estate and meet some of you fine northwesteners. Also i will be relocating my electroincs company and would like to know if there is much poss biz or compeditors in the area.



Thanks DD

 

[lschultz]

I have never been to Bend but Austin Energy sent my wife up there for about a week training on a new billing system they were going to and she said it was very nice and she wants to go up there on vacation some day. The company they use is from there. I saw pictures she took and its good.

 

[Steve Campbell]

From my 18 wheeler days, (we went there a lot) it is a great place. I see Irvine Ca. in your signature-remember, they do have winter there. (I also saw you were ready with a 4x4). Good luck!

 

[Diesel Dan]

Steve

winter is not a problem as i was born and raised in northern Illinois. And i will not leave home w/o my 4X4.

 

[Happy Camper]

Bend is terrible! The last time I was there I swear there was more than 1 stop light! The county I live in has only 1 stop light in the entire county an you probably will find a few who will even ignore that one.



I have never lived in Bend but I do know they have a good medical facility and enough different types of stores to satisfy your needs. Also very friendly.

 

[chuck3]

Bend.

Been there several times, was there in June this year, I like it would'nt mind liveing there myself. Good Luck.

 

[Diesel Freak]

I love the Bend area... great skiing in the winter, and great places to go camping in the summer... . I would move there in a heartbeat if I could find a decent job there.

 

[Joe G.]

Bend is a lovely place. If we weren't living where we are now we would consider moving there. I love living in the country and love small towns that are large enuff to provide what you need. Shelby Griggs lives there and is probably the guy to get the low down about the place for you. You might send him a PM so the next time he checks in he'll know you are interested in Bend.

 

[BigMike]

My wife and I have lived in Walla Walla, Wa. the last 10 years. Since we bought our 5er a couple of years ago, we've been doing as much camping as possible. Fell in love with a Thousand Trails campground near SunRiver, Oregon. We love it so much down there, we bought a piece of property and our plan is to retire down there in a couple of years when our daughter finishes high school. I don't know what more a person can ask for than what is offered down there. Fishing, hunting, beautiful climate, nice people, good shopping. It's growing fast though and the winters can sometimes be pretty harsh. We plan on heading South a few months of the year anyway. Read in the paper tonight that there's 60" of snow on the ground in LaPine which is close to Bend, but much higher. Bend had 6". Property isn't too bad down there if you don't mind driving 5 minutes for a view of the Cascades. We bought a buildable half acre lot for $38k. No sales tax in Oregon, but they do have a pretty steep income tax. I know one thing, if I have a choice between TriCities and Central Oregon, it's a no brainer!!!



Good Luck to You

 

[merryman]

I have been in and out of Bend for the last 30+ years, considered opening a Law practice there in '63. I have presided over court there a few times when they had a particular problem they needed an out of town judge to handle.

Back then it was a really lovely place; its problem for the past 20 years or so is that it and the area for 30 or so miles around have become "Yuppyville" i. e. Sisters, Prineville, etc.

Lots of city folks have moved to the area, bringing their ways and pushing the price of real property way out of line with comparable areas of Oregon.

I much prefer Happy Camper's area over around Prairie City and John Day. They have about everthing Bend has except the crowd of city folks. (Sorry Happy Camper--I don't want to start a land rush where you are like Bend has sufferred)

Of couse, if the things I complain of don;t bother you, Bend could be great.



Vaughn

 

[NVR FNSH]

I've gone to Bend to ski at Mt Bachelor. I'll second what merryman said about it being yuppyfied/city folk - yes, I'm a city folk by most of you folks standards I noticied the difference from when we first went there in '85(?) to when I was there last year - Costco, Starbucks, WalMart etc, etc. It's a very nice area - wouldn't mind living there myself but Diesel Freak summed it up "if I could find a decent job". Not sure what the talent pool would be for employees in your case. What about taxes on your business?



What about other parts of CA? We moved from Long Beach to Santa Rosa in May, '00 & we really like it up here. Much more rural than Long Beach or Irvine but close enough to a major metropolitan area that you can get whatever you need. Heck, people from Eureka come here to shop. Also might find it better for your business with Telecom Valley - not too mention lots of highly skilled people looking for work right now



Brian

 

[Champane Flight]

1/2

38K for a half acre lot? UGH... ... ... ... ... ...

 

[illflem]

Bend, Hood River OR, Santa Fe NM, Sedonia AZ, all nice places where the yuppie influx has caused skyrocketing land values. Move fifty miles from one of these types of towns and the lower property values will more than pay for a lifetime of commuting, not to mention a less stressful lifestyle . Just remember you don't need to go shopping everyday.

 

[Happy Camper]

Vaughn! You are so right! Over here if some one honks it is because they know you and if their finger is in the air it is the first one or all of them waving a friendly hi to you. I have lived around city folks too long. Dont care for when you step into the cross walk you can here the rig speed up. I know quite a few of the city folks are great people it is just the circumstance they live in that makes them a little crazy sometimes.



BEAUTY IS WHERE YOU FIND IT AND IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER!

 

[Diesel Freak]

Are there any major industries in the Bend area besides Tourism? Where is the nearest Power Plant?

 

[JAnderson]

Call me I live there. Also there are about 5 TDR members in this area. Best place in the world to live. They say that we have sunshine like 300 and some odd day a year here. Very true. Would gladly help you find some resources. The area is in a growth spurt right now and business is booming for the most part.



Give me a call or PM me. Look up my number in the travel companion.



Jeff Anderson



Diesel Freak give me a buzz if you are still coming down this weekend.

 

[BV]

Bend OR

Nice place about 30 years ago but the growing pains are showing. Hope you like to golf, snow ski and fish.

 

[Diesel Freak]

Jeff,



Thanks for having me over the other day. That Dinner your wife made with the Moose meat was delicious



-Cliff

 

[JAnderson]

Cliff,



Had a good time with you and Shelby. The quad kicks butt.



So what do you think is Central Oregon awesome or what.



Hope you had a decent trip home.

 

[Diesel Freak]

the trip home was a little slow... . lots of snow on the west side. I have always loved central oregon, but there are no jobs there





BYW I got the quad stuck for the first time on tuesday..... it was so bad that I had to get winched out..... 1. 5 feet of snow on top of a mud hole