Just got back from Bend.

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

My grandparents have a house there, but only live there during the "cold months". It's pretty fucking awesome.

I get it during the winter time. Believe me. That and Arizona. It's the other 7-9 months of the year I don't understand.

 

[PapaG]

Kind of a sidebar, but something I've noticed is that there are "coast" people and "mountain" people. I prefer Bend, because I ski a lot and enjoy the sun being out once in a while. I also like the coast, but after a day or two there, I get bored. Yet I know people who are the exact opposite. It's one of the best parts of living in Oregon. The difference of 200 miles are worlds' apart. I can't remember exactly what year it was, but Meadows was open on Memorial Day weekend in the early '00s. We skied on a Saturday, went to the coast on Sunday, and wakeboarded the Willamette on Monday. There are very few places in the US where doing all three of those things are day trips.

 

[maxiep]

I used to enjoy Central Oregon much more before I moved to Colorado. It's damn near the same place.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Kind of a sidebar, but something I've noticed is that there are "coast" people and "mountain" people. I prefer Bend, because I ski a lot and enjoy the sun being out once in a while. I also like the coast, but after a day or two there, I get bored. Yet I know people who are the exact opposite. It's one of the best parts of living in Oregon. The difference of 200 miles are worlds' apart. I can't remember exactly what year it was, but Meadows was open on Memorial Day weekend in the early '00s. We skied on a Saturday, went to the coast on Sunday, and wakeboarded the Willamette on Monday. There are very few places in the US where doing all three of those things are day trips.

This.

I like the mountain. I like Oregon in general. It's why I've never really entertained leaving the area very seriously. Give me something to drink, and I'll sit outside and chill all day long, if there aren't any activities I'm feeling up to. There's some cool stuff at the mountain, and I don't make it out that way very often, so I always can find stuff to do. That being said, I grew up going to the coast so frequently, so it's engrained in me. The ocean breeze, the smell of the ocean, that feeling of being at the end of the continent. It's a peaceful feeling. I get similar feelings at the mountain, especially after fresh powder has arrived, but I otherwise hate the cold.

 

[blazerboy30]

I used to enjoy Central Oregon much more before I moved to Colorado. It's damn near the same place.

I like Boulder and it reminded me a lot of Bend, where I was born and grew up. However, I didn't realize until I was there, that the ski resorts are actually a decent distance away from Boulder. It isn't a 30 minute drive like Bend to Bachelor.

 

[blazerboy30]

Dated a girl who lived there for a couple years... beautiful area.. but not my kind of "people"

Being there I felt so outta place. The closest I could liken it to was when I sat in the Lower Bowl at a Blazers game once (Damn you Turkoglu for hitting that 3 at the buzzer!!!)

Bend has two types of people. The Californians that moved there with all their money and the old-time Bendites that have been there for 30+ years. The Californians are probably the ones you didn't like. The old-timers are good, down-to-earth people.

 

[maxiep]

I like Boulder and it reminded me a lot of Bend, where I was born and grew up. However, I didn't realize until I was there, that the ski resorts are actually a decent distance away from Boulder. It isn't a 30 minute drive like Bend to Bachelor.

Winter Park is close to an hour, and it sucks (comparatively). We have a place in Vail, which is 90 min to two hours. What I meant in comparing Central Oregon to Colorado is high desert with mountains and valleys of pines.

 

[Wheels]

Bend has two types of people. The Californians that moved there with all their money and the old-time Bendites that have been there for 30+ years. The Californians are probably the ones you didn't like. The old-timers are good, down-to-earth people.

not this group that I was around for the 2 years... but yeah small sample size and always outliers. You are probably right though

 

[blazerboy30]

Winter Park is close to an hour, and it sucks (comparatively). We have a place in Vail, which is 90 min to two hours. What I meant in comparing Central Oregon to Colorado is high desert with mountains and valleys of pines.

Yes. And I loved that about Colorado too.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

There's a fairly decent-sized population of former Portland Metro Area residents that have moved to Bend. I know like 15-20 people from high school that live out there, and my HS class wasn't very big.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Right before the recession Bend was on the cusp of a huge boom. IIRC it was the fastest growing city in Oregon at the time. The downtown area had so many projects on deck - the Oxford was just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Right before the recession Bend was on the cusp of a huge boom. IIRC it was the fastest growing city in Oregon at the time. The downtown area had so many projects on deck - the Oxford was just the tip of the iceberg.

Yeah. Bend was one of the hardest hit areas. I know a couple of the builders that were really responsible for a lot of the development. I can't see how anyone didn't see that bubble bursting...

 

[PapaG]

Yeah. Bend was one of the hardest hit areas. I know a couple of the builders that were really responsible for a lot of the development. I can't see how anyone didn't see that bubble bursting...

My wife and I were always amazed at how high the price for houses was there before the crash, especially given the outrageous amount of spec building that was going on in the early 00s there. It's a service-based town with almost no industry. Out of state (and Portland) money was propping up a market that should have never existed.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

My wife and I were always amazed at how high the price for houses was there before the crash, especially given the outrageous amount of spec building that was going on in the early 00s there. It's a service-based town with almost no industry. Out of state (and Portland) money was propping up a market that should have never existed.

Pretty much.

It's crazy to see the fluctuation in house prices over everything that happened during the last decade. It's not all that surprising, other than it still shocks me so few peopel saw it coming. A friend of mine was given a brand new house in a tract development from his grandmother around 2003/2004. It was a nice 2,000 square foot home in a nice development, and I think it cost her around $160K. He sold it just before the big crash for $360K. The people that bought it let it go into foreclosure, and it was back on the market at like $100K. It's since sold once more for $130K.

It's a beautiful area. If you have the means to make it work, it would be a cool area to live.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

saw it coming? its back yo! :MARIS61:

 

[MickZagger]

My wife and I were always amazed at how high the price for houses was there before the crash, especially given the outrageous amount of spec building that was going on in the early 00s there. It's a service-based town with almost no industry. Out of state (and Portland) money was propping up a market that should have never existed.

Its mainly a retirement community. Developers should have realized this.

 

[MickZagger]

What do you like about it?

Not sure where to start. Deschutes is my favorite river, love swimming, rafting, paddle boarding, drinking and fishing on it. The proximity to Bachelor (though I'm not a huge snowsports person I do enjoy snowboarding every once in awhile). Century Drive is awesome with all the lakes, great fishing and hiking trails. Elk Lake is probably my favorite. All the breweries, including Deschutes which is my favorite and the restaurants. Which is a sorta new thing because 5-10 years ago Bend was weak in the food department. I like waking up to the smell of juniper trees, cold crisp nights and dry hot days with very little rain.

Here's a pic of me last year hiking around Elk Lake

 

[ABM]

The old-timers are good, down-to-earth people.

Then, there's MARIS. :MARIS61:







j/k, Rog.

 

[MARIS61]

Right before the recession Bend was on the cusp of a huge boom. IIRC it was the fastest growing city in Oregon at the time. The downtown area had so many projects on deck - the Oxford was just the tip of the iceberg.

Bend is the fastest growing city in Oregon right now, and usually is anyway. There will be no bursting bubble here for at least a decade, maybe never. Compared to 99% of the country it has more utopian bang for the buck. Nearly everyone who visits wants to move here.

 

[MARIS61]

Then, there's MARIS. :MARIS61:

j/k, Rog.

I'm considered a youngster round these parts.

 

[MARIS61]

Oregon beaches are kind of depressing to me. The weathers never really nice and I get bored there easily.

I've sold several homes to people fleeing the Oregon coast. They all say it's depressing as hell and they are always fogged in except when it rains, which is more often and harder than Portland.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Bend is the fastest growing city in Oregon right now, and usually is anyway. There will be no bursting bubble here for at least a decade, maybe never. Compared to 99% of the country it has more utopian bang for the buck. Nearly everyone who visits wants to move here.

I've heard this before....

About a decade ago.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I've sold several homes to people fleeing the Oregon coast. They all say it's depressing as hell and they are always fogged in except when it rains, which is more often and harder than Portland.

Try to sell Bend a little harder.

What beach do they hang at? I suppose Newport, which is typically foggy until 11-12 daily. But there are several beaches along the coast that aren't always keeping people "fogged in".

It's a small sample size, but judging from those that post here, I'd think it's Bend that's depressing and has people cranky on edge.

 

[MickZagger]

BTW, my thoughts on the beach is coming from someone whose grandparents had a place on the beach as well. I've spent plenty of time at Oregon beaches. While they can be fun in spurts, the best thing to me is fishing in the bays and rivers and the ample selection of seafood. Other than that I get bored with it pretty quickly. I was pissed when they took the bumper cars out of Rockaway.

Anybody who knows what Flamingo Jim's is, is the tits.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Flamingo Jim's? Is that the rad but crazy gift/souvenir shop in Rockaway? That place is reader than Ace of Base!

 

[MickZagger]

Flamingo Jim's? Is that the rad but crazy gift/souvenir shop in Rockaway? That place is reader than Ace of Base!

Yup. I lived at that place when I was young. Bought cool shit like cap guns, whoopie cushions and fake cigarettes.

 

[MickZagger]

BTW, I'm a sand castle smasher, muthafuckaz!

 

[MARIS61]

BTW, my thoughts on the beach is coming from someone whose grandparents had a place on the beach as well. I've spent plenty of time at Oregon beaches. While they can be fun in spurts, the best thing to me is fishing in the bays and rivers and the ample selection of seafood. Other than that I get bored with it pretty quickly. I was pissed when they took the bumper cars out of Rockaway.

Anybody who knows what Flamingo Jim's is, is the tits.

This.

I love visiting, but would never want to live there.

 

[MARIS61]

Try to sell Bend a little harder.

What beach do they hang at? I suppose Newport, which is typically foggy until 11-12 daily. But there are several beaches along the coast that aren't always keeping people "fogged in".

Didn't say they lived on the beach. Few people do.
Tillamook, Toledo, Newport, and Coos Bay. I know Astoria and Yachats have some hellacious weather 7-8 months of the year.

 

[maxiep]

The beauty of Oregon--which many people who are lucky enough to live there year 'round take for granted--is that you don't have to choose between Central Oregon and the Coast. You get to have both.

I've lived a lot of places in my life, and no place on the planet is as varied and beautiful as my home state.