Bend, OR Reviews


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United States / Oregon / Bend Metro Area / Deschutes County / Bend / Zip Codes
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Bend, Oregon is a city located in Central Oregon near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. It is known for its stunning views, world-class outdoor recreation opportunities, and vibrant downtown culture. Bend is an ideal destination for anyone looking to explore all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. From skiing and snowboarding on Mt. Bachelor to hiking and camping in the nearby Deschutes River Canyon, Bend has plenty of activities for all types of travelers. The city also hosts a number of festivals throughout the year including the Bite of Bend and Bend Oktoberfest which are great ways to experience local culture and cuisine.
Reviews of Bend, OR are overwhelmingly positive with visitors often noting its unique combination of natural beauty and vibrant downtown atmosphere. People have praised the city’s exceptional dining scene ranging from casual eateries to upscale restaurants as well as its many outdoor activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and golfing. With numerous accommodations ranging from camping sites to luxury resorts, Bend is sure to have something for everyone who visits this incredible part of Oregon.

 based on 100 Reviews
Get to know Bend with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Bend
Ignore the 1 and 2 star reviews - 12/2/2021
I have visited Bend for many years and moved here last year with my family. Every person that complains about Bend does not understand how economics works. The main gripe people have about Bend is that housing is more expensive than it used to be. Well, ever looked for housing is Vail, Park City, Oceanside CA, or Lake Tahoe? Highly desirable places are more expensive. Get used to it. Bend is expensive because of its proximity to Mt Bachelor, the best mountain in the NW. it’s in the high desert, gets tons of sun, but doesn’t look like a desert… there are rivers and hills and pine trees everywhere. Bend has a very outdoorsy vibe. Kind of like the REI store in real life. It feels like everyone here hikes, bikes, skis, and runs. The city is clean, the people are much more laid back than in bigger cities like Portland. Can’t afford to live 30 minutes from the mountain? Move to Redmond, 20 minutes away, or La Pine, 25 minutes away. Or Madras or Metolius (very cheap). People with lower Read More
Chris | Bend, OR | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 392   Disagree 424

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Bend used to be charming - 9/17/2021
When I moved to Bend it was a charming small city of about 50,000 people. The population has now more than doubled and the once clean, quiet community is a noisy, dirty, traffic-filled mess. The newcomers come in and outbid locals with cash offers. They are rude, obnoxious, and generally a complete PITA. The popular local parks, trails, and recreation areas are overrun with people and their trash. I am looking forward to retiring Read More
Bob | Bend, OR | Reply | No Replies
Agree 424   Disagree 188
Bend has changed. - 8/25/2021
I've lived in Bend for 10 years now. I'm originally from a poorer town in CA with the same population as Bend. Here are my pros and cons of living in Bend.
Pros:
- Bend is a beautiful and clean city compared to cities of similar size.
- There are plenty of outdoor and indoor activities during all four seasons consisting of hiking, skiing, biking trails, beer festivals, concerts, great pubs and restaurants, walking trails, etc.
- Bend is large enough it contains most stores, services, and amenities you'll need on daily basis.
- Bend's growth has increased job opportunities.
- Each section of the city provides local residents with unique stores, restaurants, etc. You rarely need to travel across town to purchase something.
- There are a variety of ages in Bend.
- It's a good place to raise a family from a statistical data standpoint.
- All four seasons are mild and close to equal in duration. There is plenty of sunshine during Read More
Jack | Bend, OR | Reply | No Replies
Agree 384   Disagree 127
Outdoor paradise with a worrisome future. - 8/3/2021
I lived in central Oregon for 27 years and Bend is the hub for the whole region. I always described it as a city with a small town vibe. There is so much outdoor stuff to do year round and it’s a genuinely fun place to live. Lots of variety, beautiful setting and nice people.

However, there has been unfortunate changes recently. It’s grown incredibly fast and it has terrible traffic for being under 100,000 population. Homelessness has grown exponentially and cost of living is increasing at an alarming rate. I left the area a year before Covid hit and I don’t like going back anymore. There’s a LOT of value to this City, more than most in my experience, but it’s headed in a troubling direction. The changes aren’t inherent to the city itself and that’s how it retains good value, but regardless, there are large obstacles that are growing and could ruin a once near perfect city. Read More
Max | Tigard, OR | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 139   Disagree 57
Think twice about Bend, Oregon - 6/4/2021
I am a NATIVE Oregonian. Born here, married literally, "the girl next door", raised our kids and grandkids here. Married for 42 years, and I can share with any one interested, Central Oregon, including Bend, Oregon, and the entire area, are in the process of becoming South Central Los Angeles, or basically, southern California.
If you like living in a place where you, and your kids will NEVER be able to afford the American dream....move here.
However, perhaps the best little secret I can share, is that so far; nobody moving here has figured out, what will eventually, make Bend, one of the worst places to live....Folks, this place is cute, quaint, lots of outdoor activities, and appears a great place to live.
But,.. look around...this is NOT, a large City with an infrastructure built, and sustainable to house, and support the amount of people moving here. Um...first of all.....there are NO, large warehouses with stocks of groceries, and medical supplies for the people Read More
Robyn | Bend, OR | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 340   Disagree 149
Bend is overpriced and overrated - 5/18/2021
I have lived in Bend, OR for almost 14 years and the cost of living has sky rocketed. Affordable housing is hard to come by and apartments are expensive, as are houses. Unless, you can work remotely and are moving from California, N.Y. or another high priced city and make 6-7 figures a year, I would not suggest moving here. Houselessness, drugs and the high cost of living as taken its toll here. Not too mention that Bend is a tourist town that was hard hit by COVID-19 and we have had our share of Proud Boys and alt-right groups coming through here to cause trouble and hold rallies which our law enforcement officers chose to ignore, for the most part. Houses are selling for $600,000 and up to those who telecommute for work or want a vacation home or rentals. I live in a 507 sq ft 1 bedroom apart that costs me $990.00 a month and will soon go up again this year to over a thousand a month. That is cheap compared to the many other studio and 1 bedrooms costing $1200- $2800 a month. So, Read More
Cat | ,  | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 186   Disagree 118
Drugs. Homeless. Self absorbed elites! - 4/15/2021
If you read a positive review of Bend, it’s likely from a realtor, which there are a TON of here. Bend is not all that, but the government and real estate industry here is tight. Drives up prices of homes to an unaffordable level where the only people that can afford them are from Portland or out of state. Like California, the land is beautiful. Like California, government has ruined the area. Homeless people everywhere, drug use galore. Can’t take a drive without smelling burning cannabis. I live in a rental that has a Zestimate of $550k on the west side and I can’t leave my windows open cause it’s like reefer madness outside.  Read More
Mike | Muskegon, MI | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 87   Disagree 92
LOVE IT! - 4/6/2021
I lived in Bend for 8 years with my wife and 4 children. We recently moved to Cape Cod and are now moving to St. George Utah. ( We are Gypsies and give our kiddos a chance to see the world). I LOVED Bend. Yes..it is expensive and the homes are unreasonably overpriced however the quality of life you get from the place outweighs the extra work required to derive a great quality of time. We have nothing but fond memories of Bend. The locals are all too keen to point out they like the town before the new residents came in and "Ruined it". By ruining it they mean making it a shining example of what a small town is capable of being. There are some backwoods morons here like anywhere else and they get frustrated that the roads are paved now and that people use the Deschutes river for enjoyment rather than floating logs and dumping their trash into. It is a virtual Paradise on Earth with wonderful all year round activities. If you love beer....for god sakes just pack up and move now. It's an Read More
Andrew | Mashpee, MA | Reply | 3 Replies
Agree 87   Disagree 157
So over-rated - 3/9/2021
Horrible place to settle down permanently. The locals are inbred morons. The transplants from Portland and California are greedy, self-obsessed, and take all they can from the community without giving anything back. Homelessness, potheads, and other assorted misfits/addicts/felons all over the place. Cost of living is absurd for such pathetic and poorly planned community. Yes, there are some mountains nearby but the skiing is nothing impressive. The people who move here wish they could afford to live in Vail or Sun Valley but had to settle for sagebrush Read More
Jake | Bend, OR | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 182   Disagree 134
What an awesome town. - 1/4/2021
I've lived here for 2 years now and can sum up the city from my experience with the following:

1. Bend is an outdoor enthusiast's dream. I spent over 200 days in the outdoors last year doing any number of activities. This isn't because I don't work but because the outdoors is so accessible here, Biking is in town, Skiing is 25 minutes away, Climbing is in town plus Smith Rock is 30 minutes away, and great whitewater runs through town. If you enjoy outdoor sports, there are very few places comparable to Bend for accessibility, possibly Leavenworth, WA and Bozeman, MT.

2. The weather is very mild, we haven't really had a snow accumulation in Bend this year and it's January. The spring is short, summer hot, and fall is perfect. Winter is so much less harsh than winters in similar ski towns or even the front range in Colorado.

3. Housing was affordable for years but that is rapidly changing, I think this year was probably the largest shift in housing Read More
Nate | ,  | Reply | 1 Reply
Agree 113   Disagree 116
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