Best place to live in Oregon
 

My husband and I have been to Portland and loved it. We plan to make a trip to Bend in April and would like any feedback. Is it sophisticated with good resaurants and shopping? What area of Bend is the most desirable.

Bend is one of our favorite areas! We live in the Portland area, but go to Bend several times a year. I cannot help with areas to live there, but it is a very fast growing city and along with that many new restaurants/shops popping up all the time. The downtown shopping areas of Wall St/Bond St and the Old Mill district is where you will find most of these. We always stay at SunRiver Resort, which is south of Bend about 15 miles or so. There are quite a few people that live there year round, so if it fits what you are looking for, that may be an option for you. We were just there a week ago and are already getting antsy to return.

Where do you live in Portland? We live in So Calif by the beach and I feel I need a change. Does the rain get you down?

Pinkee,

I think you will enjoy Bend especially if you are into outdoor activities. There is a lot to do in that area year-round (skiing/snowboarding in the winter and into spring) and hiking, fishing, boating, golf, etc. in the later spring, summer, and early fall. I don't live in Bend, but in Corvallis, which is approximately 2.5 hours east of Bend. However, none of our friends that moved to Bend wish to come back to the other side of the mountains. They really enjoy the area and I would agree with mms' assessment on the good shopping areas. There are also lots of great restaurants in Bend - although not as many "sophisticated" ones as Portland, there are still quite a bit to choose from and a good variety given Bend's size. As for places to live - I can't give you first-hand knowledge of the most desirable, but I know from driving around that there are plenty of communities to choose from (new home areas, as well as already developed communities). Sorry I can't offer more assistance, but did want to let you know that Bend is a fantastic place to consider.

Happy hunting!
Tracey

I am one of those people that absolutely loves the rain, lol! We are in a suburb of Portland, so we have a very small town feel to our town, but can be in downtown Portland within about 20 minutes. Tracey is right about people moving to Bend and not returning. After being there so many times I can see why! When my dh was retiring from the military and we were coming back to OR, Bend was our first choice. The job offers were in Portland though, lol!

Is the beginning of April nice in Bend. Should I be prepared for heavy snow?

Depends on what you desire, but have a look around Awbrey Glen, pinkee. It's a newer development with beautiful homes.

I wouldn't call Bend sophisticated; that's part of its attraction. Over the last 20 years or so a lot of retirees, mostly from California, have moved in and changed the dynamic somewhat. But it's still a neat little city full of out-door activity loving folks. I wouldn't mind retiring there someday myself.

If politics are important to you, Bend is on the other side of the aisle from Portland and Eugene.

You probably don't have to worry about heavy snow in Bend in April this year. We're having a pretty dry winter in Oregon. Also, as you probably know, Bend is in the high desert and does not get nearly as much rain as Portland.

Thank you for the weather update. Beachbum,in regard to politics are you saying that Bend is on the conservative side?

Yes, though the influx of californians has made Bend less conservative then most of small town Oregon. But I believe I'm right in that the counties containing Portland and Eugene were the only two in the state with majority votes for Kerry/Edwards.

Not quite, beachbum. In addition to Lane (Eugene) and Multnomah (Portland), in the following counties the majority voted for Kerry: Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, and Washington.

Not that this helps pinkee (or anyone else). A majority in Deschutes county (Bend) voted for Bush.

Laughing (at myself) pdx girl.. I only missed by a few! Thanks for the correction.

I live in conservative Orange County Ca. now. The last thing I want is another conservative town. I like the feel of Portland I'm just not sure I can handle the rain. I come from sunny coastal ca. looking for a change

pinkee - I think Deschutes county is still a far cry from the O.C. as far as conservative politics goes! (at least I hope so). My brother lived in Bend for several years, and my folks lived in Sisters (a small town about 30 minutes from Bend). We're all die-hard Dems and have never felt out of place in Central Oregon. Bend really is a wonderful town in a beautiful setting. I'm sure you will enjoy your visit in April and who knows? it might be just the place for you!

pdxgirl,
Thank you for your reply. We are looking forward to our trip. Do you know anything about the Pine Ridge Inn?

Best place in Oregon to live? All depends on your personal preferences. Do you like a small town, the suburbs, an urban neighborhood, a secluded country setting in wooded area, where you can barely see your neighbors if at all? Oregon has all of this - just depends on your preferences.

The nice thing about Portland is, you can experience all of these settings with a very quick drive. Portland is a tiny city compared to others. Twenty miles from downtown Portland and you can be out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Difficult to imagine that in, say, central LA or Chicago.

As for the rain in Portland: whether you can handle it depends a lot on your individual preferences. People handle rain differently. Actually, when people complain about the "rain" in Portland they are complaining about the cloudy days, not the rain itself. We have a lot of overcast days. However, we also have beautiful weather in the summer with gorgeous sunny days. But much of the year, we don't have many sunny days.

I moved to Portland over ten years ago, transferring with my company from the southwest at the same time as a co-worker. He hated it and transferred back as soon as he could. I loved the city but struggled with the rain for a couple of years. But now I have gotten used to it and even like the rain.

I have known others from So.Cal. who have moved here and loved the climate and don't miss California weather. Again, much depends on you.

Andrew

Andrew, between you and some of the other Portland posters, I am slowly convincing my husband that the rain is not <u>that</u> awful.
I want the house where you cannot see your neighbors or near the Japanese Gardens ~

pinkee,

I admire that you are investigating your concerns about the rain in Portland - it really is an important attribute for some people to consider.

I interview for some new positions at my place of employment and many of the folks are from out of state. We always make it a point to help the candidates understand that Oregon weather can have an impact (positive or negative) on some folks and to consider this - they should not only interview us as a company, but also the area to make sure it's a right fit for them. We've had a couple folks join our team who just couldn't get use to the gray days and then had an absolutely terrible time with allergies in the spring....needless to say they've relocated to our San Diego office.

I'm born and raised Oregonian so don't really know anything different, other than living in Alaska for a short stint during the summer (working in a cannery). I for one love the rain and the gray days don't bother me, but some have a hard time because their serotonin doesn't get stimulated enough and this can lead to depression for some folks. Ultimately, it's totally an individual acclimation to the environment - each will be different. Someone mentioned earlier that Bend gets less rain than those cities/towns west of the Cascades - very true....so although it may be cold there in the winter, they at least get more sunshiny cold days as opposed to the gray days many of us experience here in the Valley.

Please report back after you visit Bend in April and give us your thoughts. I'm sure there are many of us here who would be willing to offer you more advice about anything Oregon.

Take care,
Tracey

Scarlett,

Go for &quot;the&quot; house near the Japanese Gardens....I would love to live near there - can't go wrong!!! Now if I can just convince my own husband to move out of Corvallis and back north ;)....sigh.

Cheers,
Tracey

Gawd, I'm so sad replying to my own message. Just wanted to add that Corvallis is a great town and I love living here, but family and many friends are all located in the Portland area so therein lies my desire to move back &quot;north&quot;. Just wanted to clarify.

Tracey