Give me 10 reasons NOT to move to Bend (Medford, Ashland: sale, house)

[thehamster]

As a 26-year resident of Bend, here's my list:

1. The economy. Unemployment is high, wages are low. It's very hard to earn a decent living here.
2. The climate. If you're looking for lots of sunshine and warmth, Bend is not the place to be. OTOH if you like long, gray winters and short, cool summers it's perfect.
3. The remoteness. Bend is at least a three-hour drive from the nearest city of any size. To fly to more distant cities you have to drive to Redmond and then typically catch a connecting flight out of Portland or Seattle, which makes air travel inconvenient and expensive.
4. The shortage of cultural/entertainment options. Aside from various forms of outdoor recreation, there really isn't much to do in and around Bend.
5. The lack of racial / cultural diversity. Bend is a very white-bread town. Many people are fine with that, but others miss the vibrancy that happens when people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds mingle.
6. The lack of educational opportunities. There's no true four-year college within hundreds of miles; if your children want to go to college they'll have to go far away.
7. The snobbery. For a supposedly "friendly small town," there's a lot of it. People who live on the west side look down on people who live on the east side. People who live in gated communities look down on people who don't. People who are elite athletes look down on people who aren't. The community has gotten very cliquish over the last 10 years or so.
8. The local chauvinism. I've never lived in a place where the citizens are so constantly singing the praises of their town and patting themselves (and each other) on the back for living there. I find this irritating; maybe you won't.
9. The provincialism. This is really an Oregon thing, not just a Bend thing. The attitude is that everything in Oregon is better than everything anywhere else, and if something hasn't been done in Oregon it's not worth trying.
10. The hostility to "outsiders." This is not as bad as it used to be, but it's still definitely here. If you come from another state, especially (shudder!) California, you will encounter resentment from the natives and long-term residents, who see "outsiders" as taking their jobs and driving up the cost of living.

Reason #11, which I forgot to include:

The pollen. Bend is absolute hell for people with allergies / asthma. The pollen season begins in March with the junipers and continues throughout the summer.

Originally Posted by kapetrich

Weathers not 300 days of sun - but it's still pretty darn sunny compared to most places in the USA

Actually, no. Take a look at the graph on this site showing sunshine levels for Bend and you'll see that the amount of sun Bend gets is substantially BELOW the national average for almost the entire year.

I'm sorry to contradict you, but people come to this site looking for accurate information and I think we have a responsibility to give it to them.

[kapetrich]

Bend Sux

[stephv710]

Originally Posted by thehamster

10. The hostility to "outsiders." This is not as bad as it used to be, but it's still definitely here. If you come from another state, especially (shudder!) California, you will encounter resentment from the natives and long-term residents, who see "outsiders" as taking their jobs and driving up the cost of living.

We have spent numerous vacations in Bend and will be retiring there from California (shudder) next year. I don't understand the logic behind the thinking that we are "taking their jobs". If I owned a business and had a choice of employees, I certainly wouldn't hire someone based on whether or not they were a Bend native. No one seems to complain when I leave my California dollars in their restaurants and stores. Everyone I have encountered in Bend has been nothing but friendly and nice. Maybe it's because most of them had moved there from Cali. I was actually born in Oregon, so maybe I should carry around my birth certificate to show that I"m an original

[robrdogr]

1.0 Not enough gang bangers
2.0 Not enough Hard drugs
3.0 Too few self rightgeous "you need to think like me" liberal whackos
4.0 A lot of freedom loving Patriots who enjoy firing thier weapons in the woods.
5.0 Not enough consectutive days of monotomous depressing drenching miserable rainfall
6.0 To few hard ass cops
7.0 Unless you have an 8 ft fence arround your property, Deer will eat everything you try to grow.
8.0 Catching fish is way too easy
9.0 Too many stars visable at night, hurts the eyes
10.0 Ain't anything like Portland or Eugene.

[Wdexp]

Originally Posted by WoodsMike

My wife and I are re looking to find a smaller city to raise a family with tons of outdoor access (kayaking, camping, fishing, hiking, biking, etc.) We're looking for someplace a little more laid back than the east coast grind. From everything I've been reading Bend is the place to be for that kind of outdoorsey lifestyle. There seem to be a whole lot of excellent reviews about the city and most of the threads / posts about Bend here are very positive. I know it is crazy to ask for complaints but I'd like to get a complete picture and I want to be sure I have considered everything. I will respect everyone's opinion so PLEASE share!

The Central Oregon area is very nice. You will have lots of outdoor opportunities hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, sking, snowmobiling, boating/rafting, and beautifull scenery.
The La Pine area south of Bend 30 minutes is great offering inexpensive housing options and nice people.

[Snownut]

This is an old thread. The original poster is long gone, his last post was June 2012.

That said it is interesting to read the various negative Bend reviews, some are subjective and personal, others are typical of rural cities with a highly white population.

The old threads are interesting archives to review to see if and how much things are changing there.

I wonder how much Bend will change and shift in the next 5- 10 years?

[kosmo65]

This thread is making me want to puke! The jobs thing is true (and why we had to leave), but I loved living in Bend and hope we will be able to come back soon. I never felt isolated (and I am a native east coaster, from just outside Washington, DC), and I made several good friends. Bad traffic, after some time in Bend, means that you sat through two cycles of a light.

I love Bend and miss it terribly!

[Oregon Lass]

I agree with the previous poster - "not enough liberal thinkers". Bend is in the process of moving from a strongly conservative cowboy town to a much larger (too large), expensive yuppie town. I would highly recommend Ashland instead. It's a good size, has a warm family atmosphere, a better climate and lots of outdoor activities.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Oregon Lass

I agree with the previous poster - "not enough liberal thinkers". Bend is in the process of moving from a strongly conservative cowboy town to a much larger (too large), expensive yuppie town. I would highly recommend Ashland instead. It's a good size, has a warm family atmosphere, a better climate and lots of outdoor activities.

It's the liberal thinkers that hurt Bend. I could not live in Ashland because I don't want to do the time.

[kapetrich]

Right? It's comical at best to say Bend is more expensive, 'yuppied' and liberal when compared to Ashland.....that is just funny to me and anyone else who has visited both cities. I mean, hell, Ashland's medium home value is well over $100,000 more than Bends and the town is 1/4th the size. Want to talk exclusionary? Please, go oooooooonnnnnn.....

I really, really like Ashland, btw. But I guess I'm one of those 'liberal thinkers' who is hurting Bend. Hahahahahahahahaahhahaahahaha

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Also and just as a side note, most people in this region, it seems, rarely use the term yuppie correctly. Bend and Ashland have virtually no yuppies as they are defined. Just because people wear expensive outdoor gear or act rich doesn't make them a yuppie. If anything the 20/30 somethings of both cities couldn't be any less yuppie. The greater majority could careless about upward professional mobility. They often move to these areas for quality of life rather than a job.

Come to where I grew up in Baltimore and I'll show you a yuppie. That or take a walk around the mall in DC for 5 seconds.

I guess it could just be regional - it just irks me. /End rant.