Where to live in Bend Oregon...??? (Portland: real estate, mortgage, house)

[us2add3]

We are a family of five (yes, that is large by today's standard) looking to the possibly of a job transfer. What area of Bend is family friendly, good schools, shopping, yet close enough to an area rich with culture...???

Thank you!

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by us2add3

close enough to an area rich with culture...???

Bend? Rich with culture? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA................. HA!

Unless you think sittin' by the Deschutes river reading a good book is "rich with culture".
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there is some kind of "culture" in Bend, but I wouldn't call it "rich".

On a serious note, if you find a place like that, it's probably going to be close to the city center, and the absurd real estate prices in that area will probably leave you breathless.
A house that goes for 200k to 300k in Portland will cost you 500k and up there.
And I really can't see any reason for that. It's just because it's in BEND.

Maybe some of the cool Benderoonianites that frequent this forum can help you out on the "culture" aspect.

For some "big city" type culture, it's a four to five hour drive to Portland.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by us2add3

We are a family of five (yes, that is large by today's standard) looking to the possibly of a job transfer. What area of Bend is family friendly, good schools, shopping, yet close enough to an area rich with culture...???

Thank you!

Bend is a city of 80,000 or so. Everything is close. Bend is an outdoor oriented city. I wouldn't say there is culture there in the way that most big city people think about culture. Bend is a nice city, but it isn't a cultural city. Snowboarding, hiking, biking...totally has that covered. If you don't like the outdoors you will be bored in Bend.

[OregonYeti]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

Bend is a city of 80,000 or so. Everything is close. Bend is an outdoor oriented city. I wouldn't say there is culture there in the way that most big city people think about culture. Bend is a nice city, but it isn't a cultural city. Snowboarding, hiking, biking...totally has that covered. If you don't like the outdoors you will be bored in Bend.

I second that. I love Bend, myself.

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

I second that. I love Bend, myself.

I third that! Bend is heaven for me.

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@pdxMIKEpdx: It behooves you to sit high on your hill with your culturally rich Portland looking down at Bend.


To me, Portland is how you describe Bend. A mono-culture & a big suburb, but without the abundance of extreme outdoors at your fingertips.

I have lived in NYC for 1 year, London for 10 months and Baltimore for 2 years - It is all about perspective.


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That all said, pdxMIKEpdx has a point if you disregard the hyperbolic statements. I myself must travel to Portland to see many music acts, comedians, etc. that we don't see in Bend because we are a town of 80k.

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@Us2add3: I'd live somewhere on the Westside of town. The homes are much more expensive, but you'll have more locally owned stores, bakeries, coffee shops, etc. Plus, you'll be within biking distance to downtown without many 'major' roads. The Eastside of town is still amazing and honestly, depending on where you live, many Eastside homes have better views. The only draw back is you're closer to major roads and big box stores i.e. lack of culture if you choose to define culture as I do.

[OregonYeti]

I lived in Bend from '06 to '09. I was really sad to go, and I did it only for financial survival. Unemployment was around 17% then, and I was part of that 17%. Bend's economy seems to be more volatile than the rest of Oregon's.

[us2add3]

We appreciate the information.

I understand Bend is a tourist town, but, is it too overwhelming?

[OregonYeti]

Bend is a tourist town, but you can definitely feel at home, too. There is a lot of room for everyone.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by kapetrich

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@pdxMIKEpdx: It behooves you to sit high on your hill with your culturally rich Portland looking down at Bend.
To me, Portland is how you describe Bend. A mono-culture & a big suburb, but without the abundance of extreme outdoors at your fingertips.

High on hill looking down at Bend?
Mono-culture?
No abundance of extreme outdoors at my fingertips?

Don't know what you are trying to get at here, but it's clear from your statements that you don't know much about Portland.
And I don't look down at Bend, I really don't care either way.

I glad you enjoy it though!

[delta07]

I wouldn't necessarily define Bend as a town big enough to have true culture, but it does offer something more than the typical eastern Oregon town. Downtown and the west side are the "cool" parts of town. However, I don't think you need to live on the westside of town to experience this. In my opinion, the westside tends to also carry a bit of pretentiousness as well as more tourists. I enjoy my mid town location. I have a bigger yard than most small "craftsman" style homes on the west side can offer, I can garden, and most of all my mortgage is cheaper than any 2 bedroom dump offered on the west side, just because of the location.

Bend is a great place to live, but like others have said, unless you are really into outdoor sports, you may find yourself bored with it. The economy tanked and the few opportunities for a "cultural" experience have gone out the door with it. I've only lived in Bend for 2 years, so not long enough to know where it came from, but longer than others that have posted about how great Bend is on here.