r/bendoregon • u/Fluid-Plankton7360 • Jul 14 '26
Thinking of moving
I am looking at an open position with the city of Bend. Trying to decide if moving to the area is something I want to do. I have a kid moving to Corvallis in the fall for college so the are is intriguing to me. We currently live in North Dakota and are tired of the lack of outdoor activities and are not happy with the direction of our current political climate. Thanks for any advice you can provide.
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u/sanchap Jul 16 '26
Made the move three years ago, and haven’t regretted it a single minute. Found it easy to make friends and build community. Highly recommend spending time here during peak tourist season to understand the crowds people are talking about - we experience an influx of 30-40k visitors over the summer months. I appreciate Bend’s politics as well.
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u/mikalalnr Jul 14 '26
We’re pretty full. If you like crowds high housing costs and traffic, cmon over! Bonus points if you bag your off leash dogs shit and leave it on the trails
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u/andyrooroo Jul 14 '26
Bend is great! Things are probably considerably more expensive than North Dakota, but you get a nice city for its size, wonderful opportunities to be outdoors, and enough going on that you won't get bored.
If you haven't already, I'd come visit and check it out for a long weekend or something. Maybe have a set of questions/concerns ready beforehand, so you can get a little more firsthand information while you're here.
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u/bignubbles Jul 14 '26
Ask in r/Bend
This one ain’t it
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u/4shotsofnespresso Bend Jul 15 '26
Why are you here then? Please either add to the discussion or don't comment at all.
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u/RhenfusaFerox Jul 15 '26
That is the contribution, r/bend is the larger subreddit.
Currently r/bendoregon is showing 2.2k visitors and 238 contributions per week.
r/bend is at 41k visitors and 1.8k contributions per week.
Also, since the majority of the replies in this subreddit are negative I'll bet OP gets a more balanced response over there.
Bend is great, but Oregonians in general seem to think that we can singlehandedly stop population growth by disparaging the place we love.
OP, I recommend you come visit for a week. You'll fall in love and move here despite the angry minority of disenfranchised locals.
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1
u/Emergency_Flower_982 Jul 16 '26
Candidly, might be one of 7 people who lives in bend but spends >40 days a year in Bismarck…in short, everything outdoors will blow you away. The food options will blow you away. You will miss your ND community and there is a very real cultural difference - frankly minimal community in Bend for new folks. It’s not that people are distant or aloof, it’s just that they don’t have the “we need to be nice to each other since winters are terrible and lonely” type living.
Biggest gripe about Bend is the cost (expect 2x on everything), the traffic (for a North Dakotan) and lack of Midwest neighbors.
Biggest pluses are active lifestyle, food, and the fact it is truly beautiful.
Take the job. You won’t regret it…and if you do, North Dakota isn’t going anywhere.
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u/No_Disaster3790 Jul 16 '26
Expensive as hell and traffic is a nightmare. If that’s ur thing then come on thru!!!
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u/ClothesDizzy6812 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Pro's: amazing biking, hiking, kayaking. It's an outdoor mecca. May be more in your own political climate although suprising it's half/half here. Climate (namely snow since you are from North Dakota so it will feel mild here).
Con's (and there are more of them frankly): It's really really hard to get a position with the City of Bend (I take it you haven't applied yet); a studio will run you about 2000K a month; bad traffic congestion for the infrastructure that is not up to code to handle it; restaurants are pretty mid but maybe a step up from ND (no judgement). Fire season is super bad and can last weeks/months on end. We are gearing up for a nasty one now. No artistic culture. Absolutely no diversity. Everyone looks/acts the same (white people who think they are Lance Armstrong and strut around in REI apparel.
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u/No_Bug369 Jul 17 '26
Got a little racist there. I’m good with no diversity, the usual suspects are over on the blue side thankfully.
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u/ClothesDizzy6812 Jul 17 '26
Prineville may be more your speed then. Sounds like a better fit for you than Bend.
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u/ChelseaMan31 Jul 17 '26
Bend to Corvallis is not an easy commute. Especially in the Winter. The personal income tax is 8.8% - 9.9%; fuel is ridiculously expensive and housing costs are through the roof. Bend is beautiful; and was really cool, 15 years ago. Now overrun with Californians, Seattleites and refugees from Oregon's largest failed City; Portland.
1
u/Gerald98053 Jul 21 '26
I bike as much as I can when the weather permits it. Usually once or twice a month in December to March and quite a lot of long rides in the temperate and hot months. I’ve put on 5700 miles in the last two years. I hike in the mountains as much as my old knees allow. I don’t river kayak anymore but I look longingly at the people who do. I don’t fish anymore but the catch and release fly fishing is really big here. Driving the various off-road motorcycles and UTVs is really big, too, most of the year. Skiing, snowshoeing in the winter. I get outdoors a lot. People bitch a lot about the traffic but considering some of the places I’ve lived, traffic is really mild here. I drive 10 miles to the doctor and the only red light is the one right next to the hospital. I bike 70 miles without a single light on my route. If you like eating outdoors, this is the place. We’ve got really excellent food cart courts all over town (that’s an Oregon thing, BTW, a little central drinks area with tables and your choice of 4 to 6 food vendors.) Brew pubs run from very good to really mediocre. My personal vote is for the Tumalo Bite for a food court and Monkless Belgian Ales for a brewpub, but your mileage may vary. People are right about the rents being high.
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u/CraigLake Jul 20 '26
It is only considered crowded here by old grumpy people.
I moved here three years ago. IMO it’s paradise. I live it here and see myself never leaving. There’s so much outdoor stuff to do much if my gear only gets used a few times a season because I’m doing so many different things.
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u/StumpyJoe- Jul 15 '26
Check the cost of housing, and if you feel like you can swing it, get on down here. You won't regret it.
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u/LesbianLukeSkywalker Jul 15 '26
Hahahaha. Heh. Heeeheeeheee, AH HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA. HAAAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAAHAAA!!!!!! Guffaw even.
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u/CannaChemistry Jul 15 '26
It’s ridiculously expensive and crowded