'Resort Community." "Grab Your Wallet."
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5/8/2018
The natives of Oregon tell me that Bend 50 years ago was a scrappy logging town. No, disrespect to loggers! Here's my general impressions. Take Ashland, add a dose of California, mix in the locals, sprinkle in the "Aspen" set, and poof, Bend! Here's the highlights. Craft beer, beautiful Summers, Mount Batchelor skiing, hiking, Deschute's River rafting, and Mountain biking. That's it! I'm not kidding. Bend took a major financial hit in the 2007 downturn. Tourism is the major attraction. The major employer here is the hospital. Period. Yes, people hang out here and chill. Some people spend the majority of their time sipping craft beers throughout the entire day. I lived in the Southwest for many years, we called those people, lushes. Housing is off the charts. San Francisco types have relocated here with their bags of money and have driven the prices into the stratosphere! Its not uncommon to see general real estate listings starting in the $600K range and topping out in the 1.5-2 million dollar range! There are some friendly folks here. But, a lot of Audi drivers with ski racks and attitudes. They are all rushing to the West side grocery store, "Market Of Choice." Items are reasonably priced here, as I picked up a package of five medium sized cookies. $9.99! There is a Costco here. Its the same original Costco with a very crowded parking lot. No gas or car wash at this Costco. I imagine the, City of Bend has put the brakes on any potential expansion of Costco. They wanted to leave room for another Micro Brew! You can be assured there is bike parking up front near the entrance to Costco. Yes, I constantly ride my bike to Costco and lash all my purchases down to my bike parcel carrier! As I mentioned earlier, its looking more similar to Ashland. A significant amount of long gray haired women without make up and men who could use a shave and shower! Everything is sustainable and earth friendly. That means basically you don't wash your Prius or cut/weed your yard. Cool! If that wasn't enough, wait for it. Legalized Marijuana! You can't make this stuff up! I have spotted a couple of bumper stickers, "Don't Move Here. Bend Sucks." If you don't have a monthly income of a minimum of $5000K, don't even dream of moving here! Sure, come visit, enjoy the Craft beers and sunshine. Then, move on.
Philip | Boise City, ID