United States / Oregon / Bend Metro Area / Deschutes County / Bend / Zip Codes

Review of Bend, Oregon

Bend.. What happened to you?!
Star Rating - 10/17/2018
I was born in Bend Oregon at St. Charles. I loved growing up in bend and living here the first 28 years of my life. I moved 8 years ago and at that time Bend was changing so much. Now whenever I "go home" to visit, I'm shocked just how much it's changed. Specifically the people. Living in Bend my whole life people were usually always very nice. Now you run into a$$holes everywhere. I live in Southern California now and shockingly the people here are nicer than the people in Bend.

The cost of living is also insane in Bend now. There is very little opportunity, so if you don't work remotely for some company elsewhere, you'll struggle to survive. Being born and raised in Bend, it's so heartbreaking to see how much it's changing. I know when you have a place as beautiful as Bend, this is bound to happen but it doesn't make it sting any less.
chris | San Diego, CA
Agree 598   Disagree 336  Thanks for Voting!   Report Abuse
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6 Replies

Now you know how I feel when people like you move to San Diego. Born and raised there for 30 years and cant even go back. Used to be a beautiful city but now just a trashy extension of LA. Sure there are nice places on the coast but who has a million dollars for a home. Even if you do, you'll be stuck there because so much traffic now your forced to stay local.
Bill | Temecula, CA | Report Abuse
Agree 119   Disagree 34
I live in Bend and have lived in many desirable places across the country. I love the northwest and the weather. I like the seasons here. But, I do not like the traffic. The town is not that big and it takes a lot of time and patience to get to the grocery store or post office or even the hospital. There are many accidents on the open roads if you choose to live out of town .You must be hyper-vigilante to drive here. We do have fires, plenty of winter snow and we will feel the repercussions of the long-awaited earthquake that will hit the coast. Read the article in the NEW YORKER if you want a wake-up call. Many folks here appear to work more than 1 job to be able to afford to live here. We appear to have a large homeless population.
Dolores | Bend, OR | Report Abuse
Agree 16   Disagree 10
Yes, you can live in Redmond, but you will travel highway 97. It's a disaster, busy, but even in off hours there are so many accidents in the news every day. Yesterday someone crossed all 4 lanes, imagine that. Just trying to get from Bend to Redmond and you find yourself in an ambulance. We never know why someone crosses the lanes, but it is almost an everyday occurrence. Remember, it snows here in the winter and that means your commute is unpredictable. Thought when I first arrived many years ago, that Sisters was where I wanted to be. That was until a co-worker reminded me of the winter commute. I chose to stay in Bend and that was a good plan. Since I've lived in many snowy regions, I am not trying to be unreasonable, just more information for everyone.
Dolores | Bend, OR | Report Abuse
Agree 8   Disagree 12
"People were usually always very nice"... That is a direct quote! So it sounds like you are looking past the instances when people were rude in your childhood in Bend? In my experience so far, Bend has a small-town feel that isn't rude at all. I've watched my hometown of Denver change, and I can tell you, every city in the US that is worth a damn is changing too. Bend is the least of the offenders. If you aren't made of money, you can't live in town. Big Whoop. That is the same deal for every single city. It's pretty affordable to live in Redmond, Deschutes River Woods, Etc.... Your review is biased.
Eliot | Denver, CO | Report Abuse
Agree 40   Disagree 16
Having been born and raised in Northern CA and lived there for sixty years, I know traffic and poor quality of life. Bend is great. No metering lights onto a freeway. No bumper to bumper traffic at 10am. No 10% sales tax! It’s a wonderful place to live and I’m thankful to be here!
Ann | | Report Abuse
Agree 48   Disagree 6
If you are from California just please don't vote for things that make it more like the horrible places that you are escaping from.
Tanner | Bend, OR | Report Abuse
Agree 66   Disagree 9
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